West Side overcame three errors when Jacob Stewart’s one-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning scored Jake Zeek with the winning run in a 5-4 victory, setting off a huge celebration that Maus couldn’t help but join.
“It was a big dogpile on Stewie, including the coach,” Maus said. “I felt like I was 12 years old again.”
The victory moves West Side into the winners’ bracket final at 6 p.m. Wednesday against North Canton, an 11-1 winner against Canfield.
“It was one heck of a game. It really was,” Maus said after watching his team overcome the defensive miscues and a game-tying two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning.
Pitching in relief of starter Matt Snyder, Joe Hudson surrendered the game-tying bomb with no outs in the top of the sixth. But he retired three of the next four Mount Vernon hitters to keep the game tied.
Zeek and Reid Maus hit back-to-back, one-out singles in the bottom of the sixth, and Stewart followed with a single to center that plated Zeek.
“Their pitcher (Alex Arck) was very, very good, but we just battled,” Maus said. “We struck out seven times in the first three innings, but only once after that.”
Stewart and Zeek hooked up on another memorable play in the fourth inning, with Zeek scoring on Stewart’s safety squeeze bunt to tie the game 2-2. Brody Denning then stole home to make it 3-2.
Zeek finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, while the rest of the offense came from Stewart (1-for-3, two RBIs), Cameron Nunn (double, run), John Heckman (double, RBI), Reid Maus (single), Adam Robbins (single, run), Snyder (single, run) and Kade Carlyle (single).
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.
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