Landon Schwartz looks for a call from the home plate umpire as he scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning off Drew Buschur’s double. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
St. Henry came back from a three-run deficit to score 10 times in the sixth inning, blowing past Bellefontaine in the state quarterfinals of the ACME Tournament Saturday in Kalida, 10-4.
Kalida, OH – The thought did strike me…while watching the St. Henry ACME team struggle through the first five innings of Saturday’s state quarterfinals match with Bellefontaine.
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The Chiefs (they used to be Chieftains) held a confident three-run lead behind the pitching of Maddox Miller going to the sixth, when St. Hank suddenly erupted, sending sixteen men to the plate, collecting five hits, benefiting from 7 Bellefontaine walks, and lighting the cherry bomb with a bases-clearing double by Drew Buschur.
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In a half inning that took 30 minutes to play, the ‘Skins played and looked like the high school ‘Skins of April and May, eventually winning 10-4 to advance to Sunday’s semi-final round with Archbold to be played at the beautiful St. Michael Park in downtown Kalida.
And yes, as I watched the thought did strike me. Kudos to you, Lou Brunswick, for thinking of this…developmental community baseball for boys thirty years before anyone thought to profit off summer baseball for boys.
Before ‘travel ball’ could eliminate a percentage of the gene pool of slow and late-boomers that can’t afford to play, or are discouraged to continue with baseball through their senior year in high school.
I was, in fact, reminded of a conversation with the venerable Brunswick in August of 2016, when he spoke to me personally about the role of ACME, and why he believed it was a formative, beneficial idea even as early as 1960, long before his five state titles and 750 games won at Coldwater High School.
I met him at McSober’s Sports Bar, in Coldwater that day, quite by accident. I was there to meet the Cavaliers football coach for lunch and for a football interview, only to see Brunswick sitting at the bar sipping his customary afternoon libation while picking at a plate of french fries for lunch.
After pleasantries and a reminder of my interest in community baseball, I asked:
Before his bases-clearing double in the sixth, Drew Buschur made this fine running play for an out in the third.
“Tell me, Lou, how did you know fifty six years ago to suggest ACME…before someone could claim that they thought of it first…before someone could make summer baseball a financial windfall…and before it could be questioned as to its development value compared to the more elite competition argument yet to come?
“How did you know you were doing something positive by creating a means to play summer baseball that kept kids from the same community together in a learning and bonding environment? How did you know that kids who grow up together function and achieve more together, and do it for the sake and pride of what they could accomplish together? How did you know?”
He stirred at that ‘seven and seven’ and cocked his head to one side, where he could gauge, I guess, the sincerity of my question. Because surely, he’d heard it a thousand times before.
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“Because I know boys,” he said with that smile that Lou always had. “I have boys of my own. I watched what made them function and grow up better together. Boys will always do better together if you give them an outlet…and if they’re challenged. Baseball’s the best outlet in the summer because you know they’re together. And there’s no better challenge than to learn how to win together. It lasts. Why we’re still talking about it.”
Saturday’s win over Bellefontaine was the perfect example of what he meant, now more than sixty five years after he and a few other visionaries started ACME. The ‘Chieftains’ crept out to a lead with single runs in the second, third, and fifth innings off St. Henry starter Austin Kunk, who for the day would last all seven innings, scatter three runs on ten hits, striking four and walking four. Not great, but good enough to win when you completely believe in the value of your teammates and their will to play patiently long enough to win.
Bellefontaine’s Maddox Miller pitched a gem for the first five…saw the sky fall in the top of the sixth.
To the argument that ACME baseball is a notch in competition below that of ‘elite’ travel ball, that part was would have been difficult to prove through five innings. Bellefontaine’s Maddox Miller threw strikes, changed speeds, and spun the ball effectively enough to keep St. Henry hitters off balance through the first two trips through the order – no different than any competitive level of baseball. Through four innings St. Hank had no runs on just five hits, the loudest being a fourth inning double by Austin Kunk.
But it was a hot, miserable day to play on the artificial surface at St. Michael. And leading 3-0 as he came out for the sixth, Maddox Miller suddenly showed a crack in his armor. He quit throwing strikes.
And just as perceptive as they were during the spring, the Redskins became patient at the plate to take pitches out of the zone and let the pressure build on Miller. With the bases loaded he hit Landon Schwartz, driving in the first Redskins run of the game, Tate Boeckman, who singled to open the inning. And after a visit to the mound by his coach, Miller served the first ensuing pitch to third baseman Drew Buschur…a cookie right in the heart of the plate. Buschur lashed it to right field for a double, driving in three runs, and the ‘Skins took the lead, 4-3.
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“It was right there for me, a cookie,” said Burschur with a grin. “I just took it. I was thinking in the on deck circle, do I take the first pitch or swing? And it was right there. I just took a cut.”
Miller was gone at that point, replaced by position player Sammy Kline, who also had trouble finding the plate. He eventually walked them full, only to have Cooper Laguire drive in two more with a double to the gap. More walks followed, along with singles from Kunk and Schwartz, now hitting for the second time in the inning. And by the time it was over St. Henry had scored ten times, walked 7 times, and sent sixteen men to the plate. Game, set, and match…Redskins!
Former coach at Bellefontaine, and a Ohio Coaches Hall of Famer, Lou Brunswick’s son, Mark Brunswick, looks on during Saturday’s game.
Bellefontaine would come back to score an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 10-4, but it was irrelevant as the heat and the impact of a ten-run, 16-men-to-the-plate inning was just too much for the Chiefs to navigate.
St. Henry advanced to Sunday’s round with their 10 runs on 10 hits and committed one error.
Bellefontaine went home to plan for the fall sports season with 4 runs on 10 hits and committed two errors.
Miserably hot, Austin Kunk relied on his teammates for eventual run support…while he kept things close enough to give themselves a chance. The essence of competitive baseball, and ironically, why coaches like Lou Brunswick, St. Henry high school coach Mike Gast, and ACME coach Tyler Bruns lean on ACME to develop team trust along with the skills necessary to compete.
“This was the epitome of ACME baseball,” said Bruns, afterwards. “I agree that there’s nothing about travel baseball that’s different than what you saw in a competitive ACME game today. Kids learned, and that’s all you ask, and we were able to get some of our Junior ACME kids in the game to run the bases. Maybe our heads got out of the game there in the early innings, but we came right back in the sixth to be as loud as we ever are.”
Austin Kunk withstood the heat and humidity to throw a complete game, 10-hit win over Bellefontaine.
Austin Kunk swore it was as hot as he’s ever been. The challenge was what he expects in a state tournament. And to be in it with his trusted teammates is exactly the experience he wants.
“It was hard to get your breath,” said Kunk. “But we’re a close-knit group, we’ve got a lot of heart, and we battle through a lot of tough stuff. We played really well today. We’re pretty good one through nine, and it showed today.”
For Drew Buschur, he shared that there’s nothing greater than that of achieving something as a team, with your friends, and for the community.
“To me, it’s coming out here after the high school season is over, and still getting our work. It’s awesome. Guys carry their way through it, and we have fun. I love this. I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else.”
And dollars to dimes, Lou Brunswick watched approvingly, legs crossed somewhere in that folding chair…smiling as he always did. Lou knew boys, and baseball.
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