Owen Kunk pitched brilliantly into the fifth, was tagged with the 2-1 loss to Waynedale in the state semi-final. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Coldwater’s season, and quest for an eighth title, came to an end at the hand of a hot pitcher and a pivotal fifth inning in the Division V state semi-final.
Akron, OH. —It was a befitting baseball game that lined up No. 1 against No. 2 in the state Division V rankings.
A well-polished gem is what it was, a game right out of Chapter One of a pitching manual with the important parts in boldface.
Unfortunately for Coldwater, No. 2 won in the OHSAA Division V state semifinals in Canal Park.
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Waynedale, the Avis of Division V as No. 2, beat Coldwater, the Hertz of Division V as No. 1, by a thin as onion skin score, 2-1, in a game that featured a double dose of pitching.
The heaviest dose, however, was administered by hard-throwing Waynedale right-hander Shane Coblentz, a two-hitter with eight strikeouts.
All eight of his strtikeouts came in row and at the time he trailed, 1-0.
That’s because Coldwater’s tall, soft-tossing Owen Kunk had Waynedale shut out on one hit for four innings.
Then, disaster.
With two outs and nobody on, Kunk gave up a single to No.9 hitter Hudson Barkman. When leadoff hitter and opposing pitcher Coblentz singled, Coldwater coach Cory Klenke went to his bullpen.
Why not? Relief pitcher Mason Smith is as reliable as your average Labrador Retriever — 4-0, six saves, 0.92 earned run average.
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But not on this day. No retrieving to be done.
He walked Tristan Franks on a full count on which a couple of pitches were debatable to fill the bases. Cameron Miller lasered a two-run single to center, all the runs Coblentz needed.
Coldwater has practically established squatter’s rights in the state tournament with seven titles and 22 appearances in the semifinals.
Mason Smith steals third in the second inning, and later scored the Cavs’ only run on a sacrifice fly to center.
But there will be no title trophy lugged back to Coldwater this year, but not because the Cavaliers didn’t give it their best.
Mason Welsch singled with two outs in the first and the Cavaliers didn’t produce another hit until there was one out in the seventh.
That was Coldwater’s last gasp. With one out, Braylen Brockberger singled and was the potential tying run.
Mason Smith drove one deep to right field, a drive that most likely would have been a home run in a high school park. But this was in Canal Park, home of the Double-A Akron Rubber Ducks on the Eastern League. A big park and a big out.
Smith was in the middle of everything. He walked to open the second, was bunted to second, stole third and scored on Bennett Spriggs’ grounder.
Then he pitched in relief and hit the deep fly ball.
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Big park. Just another fly ball. Waynedale right fielder Hudson Barkman chased it down. Coldwater’s season ended when Cody Depweg grounded into a fielder’s choice.
“The longer you hold on to a 1-0 lead, the more you feel like you have a definite chance,” said Klenke after his Cavaliers finished the season 28-3, a season that began with a loss to Benjamin Logan and then 19 straight victories.
Mason Smith was in the middle of everything…welcomed to the dugout after scoring the Cavs’ run in the second.
“At the end of the day (and at the end of the season), we didn’t string enough hits together,” he added. “We only ended up with two and one was in the very last inning.”
And the very last inning it was, but Coldwater strung together hits and wins all season like a Native American stringing beads.
“It’s hard to win at this level when you only get two hits,” Klenke said and he could have added it is hard to win at any level with only two hits.
And about those eight strikeouts in a row?
“Coblentz is a really good pitcher,” said Klenke. “I feel our hitters are better than eight of ‘em striking out in a row. We battled, but just didn’t have good enough at bats.
“We played good enough defense to win, we pitched it well enough to win because Owen (Kunk) did a great job on the mound.”
“We told the team, as a coaching staff we don’t have any regrets and neither should they. If we had to make the moves over, we’d make the exact same moves.” – Cory Klenke
In 4 2/3 innings, Kunk gave up two runs and four hits while walking one and striking out three. And the two runs charged to him scored when Mason Smith gave up the two-run single.
“We told the team, as a coaching staff we don’t have any regrets and neither should they,” said Klenke. “If we had to make the moves over, we’d make the exact same moves.
“You can always go through close games and there are a handful of things where you can say, ‘Gosh, if they only went our way,’’ he added.
“Even their big hit for two runs that went up the middle. . .that was a great pitch, right where we wanted it. The kid made a good swing on it and got us on it.”
And it was a case of No. 2 taking No. 1in a well-played, well-pitched game that could, as they say, gone either way — the wrong way for Coldwater.
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