FR offense keeps rolling

ELIDA, Ohio — Crooked numbers.

They’re not something the Indians were known for during the regular season.

They scored three or fewer runs a dozen times.

They averaged two runs over a five-game stretch before closing the regular season with an 11-1 blowout of a struggling Spencerville squad. 

Really the only crooked number associated with the team heading into the state tournament series was its district seed — No. 6. Even in the sectional, it totaled just seven runs over two games.

An offensive explosion now has the Indians one win away from state.

Fort Recovery put up double-digit runs for the third consecutive tournament game Thursday, trouncing the Montpelier Locomotives 14-4 in the Division IV high school baseball regional semifinal at Elida’s Ed Sandy Field.

“As a team, we’ve really been coming together,” said senior starting pitcher Alex Dues, who was the beneficiary of the runs Thursday and in the Tribe’s 12-8 district semifinal win over Parkway. (FRHS also beat Marion Local 11-3 in the district championship game.) “And our hitting has definitely, definitely improved. If someone had told me our hitting would be winning us games at the end of the season, I would have laughed at them.”

The Indians (14-12) advance to Friday’s regional championship game to take on Leipsic (25-2). The Vikings, who were the No. 1 seed in their district, rolled to victory in their regional semifinal earlier Thursday, finishing off fellow top seed Riverdale 10-0 in five innings.

Friday’s winner will advance to state, with the state semifinal scheduled for 4 p.m. June 8 at Canal Park, home of the Akron RubberDucks.

“It’s crazy, ‘cause no one thought we were going to do anything coming in (9-11),” said senior second baseman Sage Wendel. (The Indians added a game against Coldwater after the tournament began, losing 4-2 to the Cavaliers who will also be playing for a regional title Friday in Division III.) “We’re here to keep on making noise. … We’ve been hitting everything. We’ve just got to clean it up a bit and I think we can make it to state.”

Fort Recovery (14-12) posted single tallies in each of the first two innings but fell behind when the Locomotives chugged their way to three runs in the bottom of the second. Another one-run inning tied the game in the fourth before the Indians recorded their first of three consecutive crooked numbers.

Senior center fielder Troy Homan, who started 0-for-2, sparked the rally with a single up the middle and Reece Wendel reached base on an error that allowed Homan to advance to third base. Caden Homan followed with a grounder that discombobulated Montpelier shortstop Landon Fackler. He first looked to throw home in an attempt to cut down Troy Homan before deciding against that idea. Then he turned to third, where there was no force out. Fackler ultimately held on to the ball, leaving Reece Wendel on second base and Caden Homan on first while the Locomotives were still looking for their first out of the inning.

Following a successful Alex Gaerke sacrifice bunt, Caden Grisez ripped a two-run double to center field. RBI singles by Gavin Faller and Riggs Tobe completed a five-run inning that put the game firmly in the Tribe’s control.

    Fort Recovery's Caden Grisez connects for a hit Thursday. Grisez drove in four runs and the Indians totaled a dozen hits as they scored in double-digits for the third consecutive tournament game. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)
  

“When we took the lead on them I thought that we were going to stay competitive,” said Montpelier coach Toby Hutchinson. “I think once they scored those runs we kind of packed it in. Usually we’re a pretty resilient team, but I think we got down and never came back.”

Fort Recovery added two runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh for the 10-run victory.

Seven players recorded hits for the Indians, with all three from Troy Homan coming in the final three innings. (He also scored in the fifth, sixth and seventh.) Faller had three hits and two runs, and Grisez notched a couple of hits to go along with four RBIs. Reece Wendel scored four times as he reached base on a single, a walk, an error and a hit-by-pitch.

Thursday’s offensive outburst provided Dues more than enough support. While he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks, only one of them was earned. He recorded two strikeouts, fanning Jaxson Stahler for the final out after Grisez and Sage Wendel turned a 5-4-3 double play.

    Sage Wendel of Fort Recovery turns a double play for the first two outs of the seventh inning in Thursday's regional semifinal. Senior pitcher Alex Dues then struck out Jaxon Stahler to end the game and put the Indians in the regional final for the first time since 2016. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)
  

“When we took the lead on them I thought that we were going to stay competitive,” said Montpelier coach Toby Hutchinson. “I think once they scored those runs we kind of packed it in. Usually we’re a pretty resilient team, but I think we got down and never came back.”

Fort Recovery added two runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh for the 10-run victory.

Seven players recorded hits for the Indians, with all three from Troy Homan coming in the final three innings. (He also scored in the fifth, sixth and seventh.) Faller had three hits and two runs, and Grisez notched a couple of hits to go along with four RBIs. Reece Wendel scored four times as he reached base on a single, a walk, an error and a hit-by-pitch.

Thursday’s offensive outburst provided Dues more than enough support. While he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks, only one of them was earned. He recorded two strikeouts, fanning Jaxson Stahler for the final out after Grisez and Sage Wendel turned a 5-4-3 double play.

“It made me feel a lot more comfortable on the mound, a lot more laid back,” said Dues of the five-run lead following the top of the fifth inning. “I wasn’t as stressed. I knew I could just fill up the strike zone, let the guys behind me make some plays.”

Fort Recovery and Leipsic have two common opponents on the season. The Indians beat Crestview 2-1 in the sectional championship game while the Vikings topped the Convoy squad 3-1 during the regular season. Both teams blew out Spencerville.

Leipsic’s only losses this season came against Division IV No. 7 Lincolnview — it avenged that defeat in the district semifinal — and Division III No. 3 Liberty-Benton.

“Two pretty good hitting teams coming in tomorrow and two pretty good pitching teams,” said FRHS coach Kevin Eyink. “It’s going to be a battle, I think.

“(We need to) continue doing what we’re doing — really good at bats from everybody and getting the ball in play. Caden (Grisez) has got to throw strikes and we’ve got to play a little better defensively. We’ll give ourselves a chance, I think.”

The opportunity in front of the Indians is to earn their first trip to the state finals since going back-to-back nearly a decade ago. FRHS beat Cincinnati Country Day 11-9 to win the regional title in 2015 and Kalida 11-1 to repeat in 2016.

Troy Homan remembers being a bat boy for both of those teams and is excited about what the Indians could accomplish Friday, but took a businesslike approach as he left the field Thursday night.

“We’ve got a job to do tomorrow,” he said with ice wrapped around his arm. “I have no doubt these guys are going to come out ready to go. This community deserves it. This team deserves it. Coach Eyink deserves it and we’re gonna be ready to go … I don’t have any doubt in that.”