Walk-off Wendel

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FORT RECOVERY — Cade Wendel already had a single earlier in the night.

This time, he stepped into the box in the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on first and second and no outs in a tie game.

His first two bunt attempts went unsuccessful.

Forced to swing away, he shortened his stride, choked up on the bat and tried to make contact.

Wendel lined a 1-2 offering from Cole Frilling down the right-field line, and Ethan Schoen raced around third base to score the winning run Thursday as the Fort Recovery High School baseball team earned a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Coldwater Cavaliers.

“Going up to the plate I was thinking put the ball in play,” said Wendel, who had two of the Tribe’s three hits as the Division III No. 7 Indians moved to 15-4 on the year and remained in first place in the Midwest Athletic Conference at 6-1. “After I missed those first two bunts I knew I just had to get the ball in play, either drive in that run or pull it (to) move the runners and let Will (Homan) do the job.”

After rallying from a 3-1 deficit to tie the score in the top of the seventh inning, Coldwater (13-3, 5-2 MAC), which is ranked third in Division III, got put in a tough spot.

Ethan Schoen, the Tribe’s No. 8 hitter, singled up the middle to lead off the inning. Riley Post sacrificed himself by bunting a ball back to Frilling, who proceeded to throw to second in an attempt to cut down the lead runner. His attempt was off mark, allowing Schoen and Post to reach safely.

Wendel, too, was going to sacrifice himself to advance the runners but he wasn’t able to get the bunt down.

“We knew he was going to bunt,” said Coldwater coach Brian Harlamert. “The one he hit was up too much (in the strike zone). Cade has been around a long time and is a good hitter … Tip the hat to him; he really got a big hit.”

Wendel leaped in the air as he rounded first, looking back toward the plate as Schoen scored the game-winning run. He then raced around second before being mobbed by his teammates.

“It’s awesome,” said Wendel, who also drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Coldwater during basketball season. “Seeing the ball drop, seeing Ethan score and the dugout going crazy, it’s a great feeling.”

The Indians had no doubt they were going to win too.

In the top of the inning, Austin Riethman reached on a one-out walk off reliever Reese Rogers, and took second on a two-out single from Jake Wenning. Riethman scored the game-tying run on a wild pitch.

But Fort Recovery never lost confidence as it readied to bat in the bottom half of the frame. Their focus remained. They were ready to get another run.

“You keep playing,” said FRHS coach Jerry Kaup. “Good, bad and ugly, you just keep playing and that’s what they did.”

Nathan Grunden had an RBI single in the first inning to score Riethman and give Coldwater a lead, but Fort Recovery responded one inning later.

With runners at second and third, Post swung at a pitch in the dirt for the third strike and the ball bounced away from Coldwater catcher Jacob Hartings toward Frilling.

The throw to first went by Riethman which brought Rogers home. The ball then rolled through the fence and Schoen was awarded home for the go-ahead run.

Fort Recovery pushed the lead to 3-1 in the third inning on a Rogers groundout.

Coldwater continued to threaten, though, but twice the Indians caught lucky breaks.

With runners at the corners and one out in the fifth inning, Sam Broering hit a soft liner to Post at third, and he caught it a step in foul territory with his left foot on the bag to double off Hartings.

One inning later, after Coldwater cut the deficit to 3-2, Hartings was called for batter interference for the third out for stepping in front of Fort Recovery catcher Kody Shinabery as he attempted pickoff throw to third base.

“We got some breaks I think during this game,” Kaup said. “Line drive to third baseman double play, that is something that you pray for when you’re in those situations and we happened to get it tonight.

“Then the interference call was beneficial for us a lot.”

Making his sixth start of the season, Fort Recovery pitcher Nick Thwaits was held without a decision for the third time this year.

In front of scouts from five Major League Baseball teams, the right-handed flamethrower and Kent State commit with a 2-1 record gave up two runs on four hits over six innings.

He struck out six and walked two with two hit batsmen, and was in line for the win until the Rogers blown save.

Normally a starter, Rogers was brought in to relive Thwaits and give the Cavaliers a change of pace.

“He’s thrown some good ball games for us but never in a relief role,” Kaup said. “It was kind of new for him tonight so we thought that’s what gave us the best shot.”