MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — His fastball wasn’t overpowering, but what Shelby’s Dillon Thornsberry lacked in velocity, the crafty left-hander made up for with moxie.
A 6-foot-2 junior, Thornsberry twirled a one-hitter as the Whippets knocked off Ontario 4-1 in the opening game of a Division II district semifinal doubleheader at Madison.
Shelby (16-9) will play Bellevue for a district title and a berth in next week’s regional tournament at 2 p.m. Saturday at Madison. Bellevue beat Lexington 11-3 in Thursday’s nightcap.
Taking advantage of an arsenal of off-speed pitches, Thornsberry kept the Warriors (21-5) off balance all afternoon. He struck out just two, walked three and didn’t surrender a hit until Tyler Weber lined a clean single to center in the sixth. Mason Goodwin, who had two loud outs earlier in the game, knocked in Ontario’s lone run later in the inning with a groundout to short.
“I had no idea (about the no hitter),” Thornsberry said. “I wasn’t focused on that one bit. I was just focused on getting the win.
“I was told just to throw strikes, be consistent and let the defense play, so that is what I did.”
Thornsberry threw 92 pitches. He needed just 57 pitches to get through the first five innings.
“We put him in there because we have complete trust in him,” Shelby coach Jon Amicone said. “He pitched extremely well in the sectional championship game, too.
“In the biggest time of the year Dillon Thornsberry has stepped up. He has been our leader. He carried the whole team on his back and that is what great players do.”
Up to the Task: Shelby’s defense didn’t let down Thornsberry. The Whippets committed just one error.
“They made several outstanding plays,” Ontario coach Dan Gorbett said. “He was just throwing strikes and they played great defense.”
Emergency Duty: The Whippets scored a run in the top of the first on a run-scoring double by Alex Paulo. The sophomore was pressed into service when Brennan Armstrong injured himself swinging at a pitch. Paulo, who inherited Armstrong’s 1-2 count, fouled a pitch off before belting a double to left-center to plate Brandon Schneider, who was hit by a pitch to start the game.
“It was definitely a huge hit, coming in on a 1-2 count,” Thornsberry said. “It was game-changing.
“As a pitcher … it’s a sigh of relief when you get a lead in the first inning.”
The Whippets added another run in the second when Darien Payne was hit by a pitch, took second on an errant pick-off attempt and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored on Ontario’s second error of the inning.”
Insurance: The Whippets scored twice in the top of the seventh off Paul Homan, who came on in relief of starter Goodwin in the sixth. Thornsberry and Carter Brooks each drove in a run.
“After them getting one in the fifth, they had momentum,” Amicone said. “For us to manufacture some runs was absolutely huge for us.”
Out of Character: The Warriors committed six errors and hit two batters, both of whom came around to score.
“You’re not going to win a lot of baseball games with six errors and one hit, that’s the bottom line,” Gorbett said. “That is the most errors we’ve had in a game in my six years as head coach.
“It’s a crazy game.”
“They made several outstanding plays,” Ontario coach Dan Gorbett said. “He was just throwing strikes and they played great defense.”
