Zeb Borchers turns a double play and takes care of getting Anna’s Noah Aufderhaar out at second base. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
Both teams had four hits. Neither team committed an error. But Russia had Cooper Unverferth.
Russia, OH – Cooper Unverferth walked to the mound seven times Monday. Never was he animated. Never did he celebrate an out. Never did he show frustration.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
“I just gotta do my job,” he said.
The results of his 98 pitches were as efficient as his body language and led Russia to a 2-0 victory in 90 errorless minutes of baseball to hand Anna its first Shelby County Athletic League defeat.
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Unverferth threw a first-pitch strike – mostly on fastballs – to more than half of the Anna hitters. He fell behind 2-0 to only one hitter. He allowed four singles but never more than one an inning. He struck out five. And no Anna batter was able to coax Unverferth into a walk.
“I just liked how I got on top, and then from there I can just flip curve balls and just do whatever,” Unverferth said with a slight shrug of the shoulders. “I got a defense behind me. Whatever happens, happens. It’s probably our best game that we put together.”
Russia coach Kevin Phlipot didn’t shrug his shoulders at Unverferth’s pitching. He liked the get-ahead pitches and the stuff Unverferth showed the Rockets.
Junior pitcher Cooper Unverferth pitched a complete game striking out five, walking none, and giving up four hits with no runs.
“His fastball had a life to it, and he was beating them with that a little more than usual,” Phlipot said.
When Unverferth isn’t pitching, he’s catching. But right now, with starting pitchers Braylon Cordonnier and Maddox Goubeaux unable to pitch because of injuries, Russia needs Unverferth to pitch like an ace in big games. He might shrug his shoulders at that thought, but no one else on the team is.
“That was everything you can ask for as an infielder,” said Cordonnier, who is playing every game at shortstop for now. “Four hits, no earned runs, no errors. That helps him along, but he did fantastic.”
No walks and no errors were key factors for the Raiders in a low-scoring game. Cordonnier gobbled up six ground balls, started a double play to end the fifth and three times needed his strong arm to throw out runners on grounders that seemed destined to be infield hits.
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“Cooper did outstanding and defense behind him was phenomenal,” Phlipot said. “Braylon, what can you say? He’s as good as it gets. He made three plus plays in the hole and not too many arms are going to make those throws.”
Russia (7-5, 6-1) created a three-way tie in the SCAL with Anna (10-6, 6-1) and For Loramie (8-5, 6-1). After the late start for the basketball players on the team and the reshuffling of the starting staff, Phlipot likes the momentum of five wins in the Raiders’ last six games. The loss was to Fort Loramie.
Cooper Unverferth slides safely into second base after singling home the Raiders’ second run.
“That’s as good as a quality win as we’ve had,” Phlipot said. “We knew they were a good offensive team. Very impressive job what Cooper did.”
The Raiders are coming off three straight state tournament appearances that began with the 2022 championship. If Cordonnier and Goubeaux make it back to the mound, the Raiders’ pitching depth will be difficult to rival in Division VII.
“They’re still a work in progress,” Phlipot said. “They’re doing their jobs in practice to get themselves ready as soon as they possibly can. They’re obviously one of the best combos in the area, so that would be a huge lift for us mentally all the way around.”
Cordonnier tore a tendon in the middle finger on his right hand and played the basketball season with it in a brace. The tendon healed, but because the brace was needed to keep the finger straight, he’s working to make the finger flexible and strong enough to be able to pitch.
“I’m throwing bullpens with this brace on and working with our athletic trainer just to try to get back,” Cordonnier said. “It’s feeling pretty good. I’ll work through this week and then next week and see where we’re at.”
Russia’s Braylon Cordonnier is safe on a pickoff attempt because Anna’s Carson Pleiman doesn’t get the tag in time.
For now, Unverferth will be called upon to get the toughest outs.
“Making Cooper our No. 1 that’s a big task on his hands,” Cordonnier said. “But we’ve got a bunch of guys who can pitch and are getting the opportunity. If I’m able to come back and Maddox Goubeaux’s able to come back, we’ll be pretty solid.”
Anna, despite the loss, likes its chances to win the league and have a say in the Division VI tournament.
“I feel good,” second-year coach Tony Metzler said. “Now it comes down to the second half. We play them late in the year on May 19. Hopefully that comes down to a league title game.”
If that final game of the season is for the league title, it will likely come down to taking advantage of the few opportunities either team is likely to get. Russia was that team Monday.
Parker Lloyd safely slides into third as Anna’s Kale Hoying backhands the throw.
Anna pitchers Troy Wolters, for the first three innings, and Aiden Keller held the Raiders to four hits.
“We threw, well, we threw strikes, and they kept us in a game,” Metzler said. “Obviously, our defense is pretty good, so we know if we throw strikes it’ll always keep us in a game.”
Wolters hit Micah Grieshop with a pitch to start the second inning. Zeb Borchers bunted him to second and freshman Parker Lloyd singled him to third. Benjamin York followed with a sacrifice fly to left for a 1-0 lead.
Cordonnier drew a one-out walk in the third, stole second and scored when Unverferth singled to center. Unverferth took the same view of his hit as he did his pitching.
“I feel like I did my job,” he said.
In more ways than one.
Russia right fielder Benjamin York catches a fly ball hit by Anna’s Aiden Keller.
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