Senecas erupt for 16 runs in regional win

OBERLIN – If someone would've told Calvert coach Matt Coleman that his team would give up five runs in the top of the first and his starting pitcher would only throw two innings, things would have be going wrong for the No. 1 Senecas … right?Well, Tuesday the Senecas did give up a five-run top of the first to Maplewood in a Division VII regional semifinal at Oberlin College, but the follow up to that was Calvert scoring six runs in the bottom-half of the first …. then adding seven more in the second … and two more in the third.In a mighty response to a dreadful start, the Senecas battered Maplewood's starting pitcher and moved on to the regional final after a 16-5 victory."We shot ourselves in the foot … I hope that's about as bad we can play defensively with three errors in the first a couple other mental errors, so I guess it was a wake-up call that we needed," Coleman said. "The bats were ready to go and respond. I liked the poise we showed when we came into the dugout, they were ready to hit. Vinny (Lyons) set the tone in that first at-bat getting to 3-2 (count) and then hitting a double to left center and we were aggressive and (Tyson Webster) was pitching in the zone."It was the response we needed to see. We talk a lot about the response and controlling the lever, it felt like today we did that after the first half-inning."Maplewood (17-10) scored the first five runs on just two hits as Calvert had the three costly errors to extend the inning. But then the bats got going as Lyons doubled, AJ Shoemaker was hit by a pitch, Connor Moyer lined an RBI single and then with two outs, Tucker Coleman had an RBI single to right-center, Landon King had an infield hit, Branyan Coleman singled to right bringing in two runs and then another on an errant throw home and then Logan Ritzler singled to left bringing in a run in a huge six-run frame."I was a little bit scared in left to be honest because they weren't really hitting us hard, but they were finding the holes and we had some mistakes," Lyons said. "It was scary being down five right at the start of a regional game, but we knew it was a pitcher we could handle. "I just wanted to hit something hard because I know if I start things off with something hit hard it gets everyone up and excited and they know they can do that too. That's huge in these games with the leadoff guy getting on. Getting six runs right back was huge. We were just playing for each other, and we found a way to win today."After the rough start, Tucker Coleman got the Rangers to go 1-2-3 in the top of the second, and then the Senecas got the bats going again – this time for seven more runs.Lyons started things off once again with a double, while Shoemaker hit an RBI double, Charlie Palm singled, Cameron Moyer sliced an RBI single to center, Tucker Coleman blooped in an RBI single, King roped an RBI double down the left field line, Ritzler drove in a run with an infield hit, Lyons scorched a triple to right and then Shoemaker added his second RBI of the inning with a single to center.After two innings, the Senecas (26-2) pounded out 15 hits as Lyons had a triple and two doubles in three plate appearances."We were just juiced up for sure in those first two innings," Lyons said. "I came back to the dugout the first time and everyone was amped up cheering for me and our team … I mean we're all going for the same goal which is to win. That felt amazing."After those first two innings Calvert built a 13-5 lead, so coach Coleman took out his son Tucker, and put in senior Cohen Stull on the mound. Stull didn't give up a single hit in his two innings, including striking out the side in the fourth.Calvert added two more insurance runs in the third as King drove in a run with a grounder to second and then Conley Stull scored on a passed ball.Then Cameron Moyer finished things on the hill as Calvert used three pitchers, but kept them all under 50 pitches in the win – plus didn't have to use SBC Player of the Year Ritzler."We wanted to keep everyone under 50 pitches was the goal and we did that despite Tucker being close there in that first inning throwing a lot of pitches, but we knew Cohen was a guy that would be ready to go if called upon," coach Coleman said. "It played itself out, we had confidence in him because he's a really good pitcher and then we have confidence in Cam too. "It's great to have guys that have played a lot and pitched a lot to accept their roles throughout the season. If we want to accomplish what we want to accomplish we have to unselfish as a team and I felt like we did that again today."Next up for the Senecas is Kidron Central Christian (15-10), who edged Medina Christian 4-3 in the other regional semifinal Tuesday.