MADISON TOWNSHIP — The deck may have been stacked against them, but the Warriors never stopped battling.
Sandusky Perkins starter Braun Miller struggled early but settled down and limited Ontario to four hits in the Pirates’ run rule-shortened 11-1 victory in the Division II district championship game at Madison High School.
Ontario capped its odds-defying season with a record of 19-4, a Northern Ohio League championship and a Division II district runner-up trophy.
“Our kids came in expecting to win this game. They’re not happy with the silver trophy,” Ontario coach Dan Gorbett said. “I just try to emphasize the positive. I don’t think anybody thought Ontario would be in the Division II district championship game. We’re the second smallest D-II team in the state and we’re here playing. I’m just very, very proud of the kids.”
A hard-throwing left-handed junior, who already has verbally committed to Ohio State, Miller ran into trouble in the first three innings. Ontario had a pair of first-inning hits, but left two runners stranded in the first and another in the second.
Trailing 1-0, the Warriors finally got to Miller in the top of the third. Paul Homan laced a one-out opposite-field double to right and stole second before clean-up hitter Tyler Gorbett drew a two-out walk to put men at first and third. On a designed play, Gorbett broke for second early than deliberately tripped between first and second. As Miller stepped off the rubber and made a move toward Gorbett, Homan broke for home. Miller’s throw to the plate was high and Homan, who collided with Perkins catcher Tyler Puckrin, was safe.
“That was actually a designed play,” the elder Gorbett said of his son’s stumble between first and second. “He was supposed to trip, but it looked like he got shot by a sniper. It did work. We’re going to call that the sniper play from now on.”
Tyler Gorbett was left stranded at second in the third and Miller settled down after that. He retired the side in order on nine pitches in the fourth and again in the fifth before getting into a jam in the sixth. He walked two and hit a batter to load the bases with two out before being lifted in favor of reliever Luke Fraley, who picked up the win against Lexington in Thursday’s district semifinal. Fraley recorded a strikeout to end the threat.
“Braun Miller was really good for a long time,” Sandusky Perkins coach Ray Neill said. “When he is throwing it confidently, he’s very good but there are times when that shell becomes a little shaken.
“When you’re fortunate enough to have a Luke Fraley to bring in behind him, you go do it.”
Perkins got to Ontario starter Mason Goodwin for three runs in the fourth, then blew it open with three more off Homan, who came on in relief, in the fifth. The inning was kept alive by a controversial ruling. Homan struck out Perkins clean-up hitter Kyle Lewis for what should have been the second out of the inning, but the umpires ruled that Ontario catcher Brad Dretzka didn’t catch the third strike before the ball hit the ground. Dretzka’s throw to first struck Lewis in the back and allowed Devin Dubbert to score. Connor Mapus later delivered a two-out, two-run single to give the Pirates a 7-1 lead.
Perkins ended the game early with four more runs in the sixth. Fraley, Lewis and Mapus all drove in runs.
“We had it tied at 1-1 … but then the wheels fell off from there,” Gorbett said. “The first three innings we played a great game, but the last innings not so much.”
Homan had two of Ontario’s four hits, including a double. Gorbett and Dretzka each had singles.
Perkins (24-4) advances to next week’s regional tournament at Tiffin University and will play LaGrange Keystone at 5 p.m.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
