After reaching third on a bizarre play, Parker Van Engelenhoven tries to steal home but is denied the plate by Newark catcher Keaton McClain. Liberty would not threaten again, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 victory over the Patriots. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Newark stunned second-ranked Olentangy Liberty 1-0 as aggressive — and perhaps overzealous — base-running took center stage. Third-ranked Orange manufactured a run in the bottom of the seventh for a walk-off win over defending state champion Olentangy.
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Olentangy Liberty coach Ty Brenning used simple math to break down Newark’s 1-0 regional semifinal upset of the Patriots – second-ranked in the Division I state coaches poll – Tuesday at sun-drenched Beavers Field.
“We have three bang-bang plays at the plate in the game,” Brenning said, “and two of the three went against us and went their way. In a pitcher’s duel, that’s huge.”
But the final bang-bang in the bottom of the sixth inning rang the loudest.
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After hitting a lead-off triple (more on that wacky play later), Liberty starting pitcher Parker Van Engelenhoven ultimately was thrown out at the plate attempting to steal home.
“The guys on the bench were yelling ‘Step off, step off,’ but instead I went to a slide step and got him anyway,” Newark pitcher Brody Randall said. “I wasn’t surprised they tried it. Good teams find ways to score, and also I saw the guy on first (Knox Brenning) trying to steal second so I knew something was up. We were going to let him have second, anyway.”
The veteran coach didn’t consider trying the steal of home especially daring even with runners at the corners and only one out.
“Runs are at a premium and our batter was down 0-1 in the count,” Brenning said. “The way I look at it, four things can happen on that play and three things would have gone our way. When the outcome rests on a knife’s edge with two excellent pitchers out there … our guys want to be in that moment.”
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Brody Randall went the distance against the Patriots as the Wildcats advanced to the regional final against Olentangy Orange.
The game’s only run came in the top of the first inning and it was very similar to the play that victimized Liberty.
After a Bodie Smith walk put Newark runners on the corners with two out, Wildcats coach Mike Wheeler decided to roll the dice with a double steal attempt. At the tail end of the rundown, Patriots first baseman Drew Hauenstein couldn’t apply the tag and his throw to the plate was too late to get Brody Driskell, who slid under the tag by Brenning.
“We were trying to put some pressure on them in the first because we knew it was going to be tough scoring runs on Van Engelenhoven,” Wheeler said. “We didn’t execute (the pickle play) quite the way we wanted, but we got the run in and that’s all that matters.”
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In the bottom half of the first, Liberty (24-7) suffered three bad breaks. Louie Santangelo hit a leadoff double. But Newark shortstop Moses Crane made a diving grab off a sharply hit ground ball by Van Engelenhoven to save a run. The next batter, Evan Thacker, hit an infield chopper that struck Santangelo in the basepath for an out.
Luke Miller and Brody Driskel celebrate after the final out against Olentangy Liberty.
Brenning singled Thacker to third, but Thacker turned the bag too aggressively and was caught in a rundown.
In the third, Liberty shortstop Ryan Stickel potentially saved two runs with an inning-ending leaping grab.
On the Van Engelenhoven gapper in the sixth, Newark left fielder Trenton Wilson appeared to have a beat on the ball, but center fielder Bodie Smith converged with him and the ball dropped. Smith, one of Newark’s top players, was helped off the field with a non-contact knee injury that many have speculated is serious.
Except for the base-running drama, the pitchers stole the show.
Randall, a sophomore left-handed, allowed just five hits with three strikeouts and three walks in a complete-game effort to tame a Patriots offense scoring nearly seven runs per game.
Landyn Ankrum tries to add to Newark’s lead but is denied by Liberty catcher Knox Brenning.
“I got a lot of intel from a whole lot of people,” Randall said. “It took so much pressure off to get that first run in the first. We kind of knew it might be a pitcher’s duel, but maybe not 1-0.”
Van Engelenhoven, a senior Louisville signee and two-time first-team All-Ohio choice, scattered six hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in 6 ⅔ innings.
It marked the third straight regional semifinal defeat for Liberty.
“We got the best version of Parker today,” Ty Brenning said. “Give that Randall kid his props. He pitched a really good game against our veteran lineup. For a sophomore, to keep his wits on that steal of home try … that was really impressive.”
Newark (21-7) was making its first regional appearance since 2008, when Wheeler was a senior pitcher/shortstop for the Wildcats.
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Olentangy Orange 3, Olentangy 2
The modern author of small-ball, Orange coach Tom Marker was foaming at the mouth for a chance to manufacture a run with the score tied heading to the bottom of the seventh.
Zane Konczak was hit by a Rocco Bucci pitch to open the frame. Griffin Zavislak singled and took second on an ill-advised outfield throw to put the Pioneers in business. After Jake Luling was intentionally walked to load the bases with no outs, Maverick Scholvin felt like a kid in a candy store.
Zane Konczak crosses home plate after teammate Maverick Scholvin rips a pitch down the left field line for a walk-off win for the Pioneers.
“I’m just looking to get the barrel on it and drive it, whether it’s a ground ball or a sacrifice, it didn’t really matter,” Scholvin said.
Scholvin ripped the first pitch over the third base bag into the corner to give Orange (23-5) a walk-off win and a berth against Newark in the regional final at 2 p.m. Thursday.
The experience of playing in the regionals four straight seasons and five of the past six may have given the Pioneers the mental edge to unseat the defending state champion.
“We talk a lot about professional at-bats, and if we get you to a seven-inning game we always have a chance,” Marker said. “For us, it’s not about individuals. We develop teams.”
Just seventh-seeded in the district tournament, Olentangy (17-12) saw a golden opportunity in the top of the seventh go up in smoke.
Kyle Troutman led off with a wind-carried double to the center field fence.
Ty Gebhardt sacrifice-bunted Troutman to third.
Olentangy coach Ryan Lucas called for a squeeze bunt play, but Bucci – a Virginia Tech commit – apparently didn’t get the signal as he pulled back the bat and Troutman was easily tagged out at the plate.
Zane Konczak is hit by a pitch to open the seventh. He would ultimately score the game-winning run on a Maverick Scholvin bases-loaded hit.
“I take the blame for that because I called it,” Lucas said. “We had opportunities throughout the game and didn’t capitalize. We just didn’t get that big two-out hit you need to win big games like this.”
Orange parlayed three hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt into two runs in the fourth inning to take the lead.
Olentangy got both runs back in the top of the fifth on behalf of two walks, a bunt single, a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch.
“In my opinion, Olentangy Orange is the best team in the state of Ohio and for our team to achieve what we did tonight and all season long is incredible,” Lucas said. “We played to our full potential and that’s all you can ask.”
Maverick Scholvin is mobbed by teammates after his seventh-inning heroics sent the Pioneers to the regional final.
Orange will be seeking a second state tournament bid, having been runner-up in 2023.