Second slips away

PLEASANT HILL, Ohio — The Indians couldn’t have asked for a better first inning.

However, as quickly as the Tribe got up in the first frame, it inflicted enough wounds on itself in the second to give the game away to the Apaches and end its bid for a second straight appearance in the state tournament.

The No. 2 seed Fort Recovery High School baseball team gave up four unearned runs in the second inning to the top-seeded, fourth-ranked Fairview Apaches in a season-ending 7-1 loss during the OHSAA Division VI Region 24 championship game at Newton on Wednesday.

The win clinched Fairview its first ever trip to the state tournament, where it will take on the winner of defending state champion, No. 1 Hiland and Southeastern in Canton at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium on June 14 at 10 a.m.

“That’s a tough way to end (the season),” said FRHS coach Kevin Eyink. “We really didn’t bring our best and really kind of handed it to them. We didn’t make them earn it and didn’t bring our best. So that’s a tough way to end it, but these guys should be proud of what we did to get to the regional final. To have 19 wins, it was a great year.”

The Indians (19-9) suffered from multiple self-inflicted wounds throughout the day, leading to four unearned runs, including three in the second inning.

Fort Recovery recorded its first out as Anthony Singer lined out to second baseman Austin Siegrist to open the inning.

Things started to turn sour as Alex Gaerke worked a full count against Gavin Palladino of Fairview (22-3) before plunking the Apache to give him a free base.

    Caden Grisez, a senior at Fort Recovery, fields a chopping ground ball at third base in the regional final at Newton on Thursday. Grisez drove in the only run for the Indians as he, along with six more Indians, donned the the Tribe’s uniform for the final time in his career. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)

Gaerke bounced back quickly to go up 0-2 and get Jesse Coolman to roll over a potential double-play ball to Caden Grisez at third base. However, things continued to turn for the worse as Siegrist couldn’t hang onto the ball, allowing both runners to be safe with only one out.

Gaerke then began to lose it as he walked the next three batters, allowing two runs to cross that gave Fairview a 2-1 advantage. Eyink called a mound visit to chat with Gaerke, but on the next pitch, he hit Cole Mack with a pitch, allowing a third run and prompting the Indians skipper to make the call to bring Dylan Klenke in for relief.

“He had a great first inning and was really locating,” Eyink said. “We had an error (early) in that inning and then the walks just piled up on each other.

“Yesterday, Grisez was able to come back and throw strikes to get an out. Here they strung three-four walks together in that span and it’s really hard to get out of that hole.”

Klenke secured the second out with a five-pitch strikeout of Zane Timbrock, but issued a walk to Drayden Grinnell-Dennis to plate a fourth run in the inning. The inning finally ended when Singer grounded out to Colson Post at shortstop.

Things never got better for FRHS as it managed only three more base runners over the final five frames and gave up three more runs. (The first run came on an Elijah Arend single in the third, while the other two scored in the sixth on a passed ball and a grounder by Grinnell-Dennis.)

Fort Recovery’s sole run came in the first inning. Reece Wendel got hit by a pitch to lead things off and stole second base. After a Mason Diller popout, Grisez drove Wendel in with a single through the right side of the infield.

Following the first inning, the Indians struggled against Mack. Siegrist slashed a single in the second inning, but got caught stealing, Wendel notched a hit in the third, but Diller and Grisez grounded into fielder’s choices to prevent any advancement and Caden Homan reached base after being hit on an 0-2 count. Outside of those small blips, Mack handled business for the Apaches, retiring the Patriots in short order from the fourth through the sixth inning.

    Fort Recovery High School’s Gavin Evers clasps his hands over his helmet after hitting a flyout to end the OHSAA Division VI Region 24 championship game against Fairview at Newton on Wednesday. The Indians fell one game short of their second straight state appearance after giving up four unearned runs in a 7-1 loss to the Apaches. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)

“Cole’s done a great job all season,” said FHS coach Andy Singer. “He doesn’t overpower anybody, he’s not going to have a lot of strikeouts, but he’s going to make the ball move a lot. That’s what keeps the hitters off balance a little bit and makes them roll things over and pop things up.”

Fort Recovery graduates seven seniors including starters Diller, Gavin Evers, Grisez and Siegrist, relief pitcher Jacob Foote, pinch runner Keegan Muhlenkamp and Cody Klenke.

Grisez has been a four year starter and played a key role in getting the Indians to the state tournament in 2024. He was one of two Indians named to the second team All-MAC this year.

Diller was the only Indian to make the first team All-MAC, while Foote was one of four Indians listed as an honorable mention.

“This is a great group of seniors who accomplished a lot last year and then here again this year,” Eyink said. “They’re good leaders, good ballplayers and they’ve built this program up a little bit and got it in a good place and now we’ve got to find a way to keep it going.”