GALION — As he made his way across the infield, Plymouth coach Jake Strayer looked at the waiting members of the local media and shook his head.
“We can’t do anything easy,” an exasperated Strayer said.
Indeed.
Second-seeded Plymouth built what appeared to be a comfortable lead in the early innings only to hold on for dear life in an 8-6 win over No. 3 Buckeye Central in the nightcap of a Division IV Galion district semifinal doubleheader Wednesday at Heise Park.
The Big Red will take on Firelands Conference rival South Central for a district title at 5 p.m. Friday in Galion. The top-seeded Trojans dispatched No. 4 Hardin Northern 10-0 in Wednesday’s early game.
“It got a whole lot tighter than I wanted it to,” Strayer said. “A win is a win. In the district semis I don’t care how we win.”
Plymouth took advantage of a pair of costly Buckeye Central errors in the bottom of the first to score three runs and added two more in the second to open a 5-0 advantage. The Bucks scratched out a run in the top of the third to make it 5-1, but Plymouth responded with a run in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth to make it 8-1.
That’s when things got interesting.
Buckeye Central scored twice in the fifth when Tyler Sanderson coaxed a bases-loaded walk and Clay Green skied a sacrifice fly to left to make it 8-3. Then in the seventh, the Bucks plated three runs on a passed ball and run-scoring base hits by Green and Graham Geissman.
With two out and the potential game-tying run at first, leadoff hitter Alex Kanney hit a hard ground ball back up the middle that glanced off Plymouth pitcher Zeth Goth’s foot. The ball was redirected to the shortstop, who threw to first to beat Kanney by a step and preserve the victory.
“Our kids at Buckeye Central don’t quit no matter what,” Bucks’ coach Chad Jensen said. “One thing about our kids is they’re going to be very successful in life. Things happen and they just let it go and move on.”
Cole Wentz went the first 4.1 innings for Plymouth, allowing three runs on three hits. Clayton Miller worked 2.1 innings before Goth came on with two out in the seventh.
Plymouth pitchers walked nine hitters, but Buckeye Central left 10 runners stranded on the base paths.
“We thought we could be patient against their pitchers,” Jensen said. “They made some good pitches when they had to.”
Kanney went the distance for the Bucks. The senior right-hander gave up seven hits while striking out seven.
“He’s our ace. He’s an All-Ohio kind of kid,” Jensen said. “He’s one of the top kids in Ohio and he proved that.”
Goth and leadoff hitter Zach Hamman led the Big Red with two hits apiece. Hamman tripled and scored three runs, while Goth doubled and drove in three.
“Zach Hamman … does exactly what you want a leadoff guy to do,” Strayer said. “He sees a lot of pitches. He fouls pitches off and he gets on base.”
Next up for Plymouth is a rubber match with South Central. The two two split the regular-season series.
“We know each other,” Strayer said. “At the start of the season it’s who we expected to be here with. They’re a darn good team.”
