Russia’s Braylon Cordonnier collected three hits and was on base four times Thursday in the win over Houston. (Press Pros Photos by Julie McMaken Wright)
A blowout 15-1 win over Houston Thursday highlighted the talent and experience of Russia in Division IV, yes…as well as the disproportionate priority for baseball in too many communities across Ohio.
Russia, OH – We won’t dwell on the details of Russia’s 15-1 run-rule win over Houston (4-9) Thursday afternoon.
The Raiders’ (11-3) blowout of Shelby County League rival Houston was over nearly before it began as Russia scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first…on a double by Braylon Cordonnier, a triple by Jude Counts, a sac fly by Zeb Schulze, and some sloppy play by Houston…who before it was over would misplay three popups, a fly ball in center, and fail to field base hits to the outfield three times – seven errors in all by a team that can ill afford to give away free bases.
Publisher/editor Sonny Fulks writes area sports and Ohio State baseball for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Then Russia added four more in the bottom of the second, and after a scoreless third…tacked on seven more in the bottom of the fourth when the ceiling literally fell in on Houston.
Russia won it with 15 runs on 14 hits and committed one error.
Houston lost the game with 1 run (unearned) on no hits, and committed seven errors.
So dominant was Russia on offense that it overshadowed a no-hitter (five innings) by starting pitcher Ben Rinderle, who walked five, and allowed hard contact just once on a ground ball to short…but no hits. Remarkably, it marked the third no-hitter in a week by Russia pitchers (Jude Counts vs. Fairlawn on Monday), and Maddox Goubeaux against Jackson Center on Tuesday…and their fifth, overall, for the season.
“We had a goal to just get through this week,” said coach Kevin Phlipot. “We wanted to get through it healthy, with no missteps, and win the league.”
Russia leads the SCL standings with with an 8-0 mark, and two games ahead of second place Anna. Unusual for a conference with a strong baseball legacy, the Raiders appear destined to indeed win the league in the absence of a predictable challenger, outside of Fort Loramie (5-2) and Anna (6-2).
But….
Russia’s Ben Rinderle pitched the third no-hitter for the Raiders in a week – their fifth for the season.
“The real test is coming,” says Phlipot, whose Raiders host Division III #1 Coldwater on Saturday morning (10 am), then ready themselves for New Bremen, Lima Shawnee, Marion Local, and Piqua over the next four weeks.
And four interesting weeks, as Division IV baseball across Ohio will be anticipating another Raiders tournament run in an attempt to gain a berth in the Final Four for a third consecutive season. They won the title in 2022, and fell in the championship game last year, losing to Berlin Hiland.
And the prospect is real, with many core players back from those two teams (Cordonnier, Jude Counts, Hayden Quinter, Felix Francis, and Brayden Monnin), and largely the same group that competed in the state basketball Final Four the past two seasons.
“It would be rare to get there three years in a row,” says junior shortstop Braylon Cordonnier. “Most teams around here hardly make it once, much less two years in a row.”
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Their talent is unquestionable, with two dominant pitchers (Cordonnier and Counts), and unmatched big-game experience that sets them apart from nearly every team in the southwest district.
But Thursday’s blowout also highlighted another anticipated issue in Ohio high school baseball…the increasing lack of priority for baseball in many communities that see fewer play beyond age fourteen, and many that do are forced to learn through on-the-job training.
Russia ran often and stole six bases (along with 15 hits) in their latest win.
Such was the case with Houston on Tuesday, who committed seven errors physically, as well as errors in technique as a result of simply not playing enough baseball. And Houston is not unique.
Across Ohio you once found a school district here and there where baseball paled in comparison to the priority shown for the revenue sports. Now some counties have multiple schools where there aren’t enough players…or a community culture for baseball.
“We’re losing the ‘tweeners’ and the ‘late bloomers’,” said one major league scout this spring at an Ohio State game. “Those kids who used to become good players as juniors and seniors. They don’t get that far now.”
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Why?
“Select baseball,” say some, where kids either can’t afford to play in the summer, or don’t get asked. When they don’t get asked they get discouraged and quit the game altogether.
Or, if they don’t quit, they’re left to make it on their own without adequate mentorship and coaching – the better kids missing that used to help the later-developing kids along. You don’t have that anymore.
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“Coldwater is the best example of their kids staying together during the summer,” said an observer this week at the Cavaliers game with Versailles. “The team you see in summer baseball is the team that’s playing now in high school.”
Coldwater has done this since the days of Lou Brunswick bringing ACME baseball to the community, and it’s led to seven state titles in baseball.
“We’re losing kids to other sports and activities at an alarming rate,” said that same major league scout. “And the kid that doesn’t play high school baseball now…his kids won’t play either, or his grandkids. Amateur baseball lacks leadership at all levels.”
Which is something that Russia, Minster, Fort Loramie, Troy, Butler and Coldwater seem to have in abundance – communities with strong priority for baseball. It’s classic ‘haves’ versus ‘have nots’ in a sport that was once called the national pastime.
“The only way you learn is by playing,” said former Piqua coach Jim Hardman. And good to his word, Hardman spent his summers running a free daily baseball school at the ballpark for any kid who wanted to catch fly balls, ground balls, take batting practice, and run the bases. Hardman was the undisputed leader of baseball in Piqua, and local kids flocked to him to learn and be recognized.
You don’t see that anymore. Instead, you see a run-rule game every day. You see three no-hitters in a week.
And most alarming…no more ‘tweeners’ and ‘late bloomers’. Kids who never knew the joy of a daily baseball school.
Kids whose own kids will likely never know the joy of playing…high school baseball!
