Taylor Bednar put on a pitching clinic with a 5-0, 2-hit shutout of Olentangy Orange. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Akron-bound pitcher Taylor Bednar allowed just two hits while teammate Maddux Pulliam socked a pair of bases-empty home runs as Olentangy Berlin steamrolled its way into the regional title game.
Grove City, OH – After tossing a masterpiece of a game in a Division I regional semifinal Thursday, Olentangy Berlin senior pitcher Taylor Bednar celebrated not with the customary water bottle bath from teammates, but with about 15 minutes of running drills in the outfield with an assistant coach.
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“Gotta keep from getting tight,” the soft-spoken senior right-hander answered after the postgame workout.
Bednar flirted with a perfect game for 5 2/3 innings before settling for a two-hit, 5-0 shutout of defending regional champion and state runner-up Olentangy Orange before a big crowd at sun-splashed Grove City High School.
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In running his season record to 9-0 and further lowering his ERA of 1.24, the Akron signee was on cruise control, striking out 10 and walking just one to tame a robust Orange lineup averaging 6.8 runs per game with a team batting average of .295.
“Taylor was just Taylor today,” Berlin coach Mike Weaver said. “That’s what he’s been doing for us all year. His slider was really on today. To be able to mix that in with a fastball in the upper 80s and low 90s, makes him so tough to hit.”
Bednar said he threw a higher percentage of sliders than usual, and that’s not difficult to explain with the way he was freezing Pioneers hitters in their tracks.
“They couldn’t hit it so I just kept throwing it,” Bednar said. “Of course, I knew I had a perfect game going, but I didn’t give it too much thought. I just kept throwing and kept letting the defense behind me do their jobs.”
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Truth be told, the Bears (26-3) – fourth-ranked in the final Ohio coaches poll – looked formidable in all phases. Berlin caused havoc on the bases, made timely hits, hit for power and fielded like a well-oiled machine.
No wonder veteran Orange coach Tom Marker said before the contest: “I would argue that they are the most talented team in the state.” Turns out, that wasn’t just lip service.
Maddux Pulliam hit bases-empty homers in the second and sixth innings and Kyle Haag – who will be the starting pitcher in Friday’s 5 p.m. regional title game against upstart Hilliard Bradley – delivered a two-RBI double in the third.
Maddux Pulliam gets fist-bumped by Head Coach Mike Weaver after sending a homerun shot over the left field fence. Pulliam would repeat the feat, and the bump, later in the game.
Pulliam came in batting just .246 but in spite of a recent slump has been a solid run producer. These marked his fourth and fifth homers of the season.
“Both homers felt good coming off the bat,” he said. “We’re all just feeding on a lot of energy trying to make history for this program. Everything surrounding this team has just been electric this season.”
Berlin managed just seven hits off Keegan Knupp, but drew four walks, stole four bases and executed a handful of timely bunts.
The historic season began with a March tornado touching down directly on school grounds and demolishing much of the baseball facility, forcing the team to play its first 16 games on the road.
“We’re unfazed by any of this that’s been going on,” Weaver said. “We have a lot of seniors who have started three and four years, we have leaders, we’ve got athletes, we’ve got some power but we can play small ball, too. Obviously, we’ve got a fine pitching staff and have been sharp defensively. That said, this was probably the most complete game we’ve played all year, and it came against a program that we have a lot of respect for.”
That respect is clearly mutual. Marker said he is happy that another rival within the district has a chance to make it back to Akron.
“They start seven seniors, they’re big and physical and they just keep putting pressure on you,” he said. “Bednar was for real today. He really spun that breaking ball.”
After graduating 17 seniors from its state runner-up, Orange (22-8) wasn’t supposed to make it this far but persevered with younger players who built on 2023’s successes.
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