West Branch runner Jeremiah Thomas is cut down at the plate in the sixth inning of the second Div. II semi-final game at Canal Park. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
Jeremiah Carmella went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Caleb Driessen pitched a complete-game shutout for tradition-rich Hamilton Badin, which is seeking its first state title since 1996.
Akron, OH – For a miserable stretch of about three weeks, Jeremiah Carmella was in a bad place.
The sophomore designated hitter required a complete tune-up before Hamilton Badin’s latest state tournament run.
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“I went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in our Great American Ballpark game against (Cincinnati) St. Xavier and that was the start of five or six games with no hits,” he said. “Coach had to build me back up in a big way. He encouraged me to stay simple and not stress too much in hopes of getting out of it. He reassured me that it would come back eventually and to just be patient. I finally got a hit (in a regional semifinal) against Indian Hill and it seemed to snap me out of it.”
Carmella has finally returned to form, and it’s a good thing for the Rams.
He went 3-for-4 with three RBI as Badin blanked Parma Padua 5-0 in a Division II state semifinal Friday at Canal Park.
Carmella broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a sharp RBI single to left field, then struck the big blow with a two-RBI single in a four-run fifth to break things wide open.
“I was a little nervous with this being such a big stage and all, and I had to step out of the batter’s box a couple times to take a deep breath,” Carmella said. “I actually felt pretty confident up there once I collected myself.”
The Rams (27-6) appeared to catch a break on the game’s first run. Padua left fielder Trey Martin snagged Carmella’s sharp single on one hop with designs set on throwing out Kyle Anderson at the plate. But third baseman Lucas Palange leaped high and inexplicably cut off the throw, ruining any chance of cutting him down.
Nine players reached the plate in Badin’s big fifth inning. Austin Vangen hit a leadoff double, then watched Cooper Ollis and Chandler reach by walks.
Indian Creek’s Landon Pownall scores in the third inning of Friday’s Div. II semi-final game with West Branch.
Chase Luebbe singled in a run and Kade Bowling brought in another with a sacrifice fly before Carmella knocked in two with his third single of the day.
“That was sure a good inning for us,” Badin coach Brion Treadway said. “Our guys just did their jobs, putting together quality at-bats, drawing walks and moving guys over. They really did a great job keeping their composure. I’d say the best quality about our guys is that they don’t let pressure mount.”
The deluge provided more than enough support for pitcher Caleb Driessen, who ran his record to 7-1 with an efficient if not dominant performance in which he allowed just three hits (two in the seventh inning) with six strikeouts and just one walk.
“That first run in the fourth really boosted my confidence, then the fifth allowed me to just breathe and attack batters,” Driessen said. “That fifth inning changed everything. It really energized us.”
Starter Nathan Krayzel threw 101 pitches in just 4 and ⅔ innings for Padua (19-10-1) and it appeared to take a toll in the decisive fifth as he struggled to find the plate.
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Badin hasn’t allowed a run in the postseason, spanning 40 innings.
“That’s who we are. We compete on the mound and play great defense,” Treadway said.
While sixth-ranked Badin is making a record 15th state tournament appearance, it has won just two titles, the last coming in 1996.
“It’s hard not to feel the emotions of the past,” Treadway said. “We’ve gotten here a lot and not won. The emotion hits me but not the guys so much. They’re all about taking care of business.”
Beloit West Branch 4, Wintersville Indian Creek 2
Anthony Perry and Charlie Biskup delivered two-out RBI hits in the sixth inning, helping West Branch overtake Indian Creek in a Division II state semi.
Beau Alazaus went the distance for the Warriors (28-6), running his record to 11-1. He scattered five hits and was in lockdown mode after Indian Creek took a 2-1 lead in the third.
Losing pitcher Silas Hyde drove in both runs for Indian Creek (22-7).
Both teams were making their first state tournament appearances.
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