Senecas will have to bounce back once again

CANTON – Wild pitches, chasing pitches, overthrows, and not enough hits off of Cam Elwer is what sealed the deal for Calvert. It became deja vu of last year's semifinal against Newark Catholic.Other than the first inning of the regional semifinal, Calvert wasn't making this many errors in a game.In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Senecas had the bases loaded for the first time all game, ready for scoring."We thought Branyan (Coleman) had beat (the throw) there," coach Matt Coleman said. "The call didn't go our way. Neither did the steal where they got an extra run. You will have that though because baseball isn't fair. The best team doesn't always win; it's a very good team over there. We left some chances out there but this is a big park and they can play a little different when they are ahead. They moved their guys back, and that's how it went."A bang-bang out call on a bobbled ball at first base from a grounder by Branyan Coleman ended the run for Calvert. Before then, the bats were hot and in the bottom of the sixth, Calvert got two runs on, closing the gap from 5-0 to 5-2.It was too little too late, even with Logan Ritzler nailing a triple and was driven in by Vincenzo Lyons in the seventh, making it 5-3.For the six seniors, which was the core group of the team will be missed. That includes Connor Moyer, Cameron Moyer, AJ Shoemaker, Cohen Stull, Luke Waire, and Ritzler. The team was 4-for-4 as far as Sandusky Bay Conference River title holders, and for the seniors, they came to state three out of the four years. They hold the title for most wins in four years, 107-14.As the next season rolls in, so will the challenges.Calvert is moving to the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, and will be facing uphill battles against teams such as Carey, who won the N10 title outright this season, as well as Division VI regional runner-up Seneca East.All the while figuring out how to rebuild the core, new lineup, new rotation, new positions, and coming back to either Akron or Canton to finish up business that will have to wait until next season."I think it has to be for them,"coach Coleman said. "I know these guys have high goals. We will have six returners for next year, that are starters and some other guys that will be battling and will compete. "Yes, most teams' goal is to win a state title, but there is a lot of work that goes into getting to this point and we got to make up for some guys that have put the time in. There will definitely be a battle for positions for sure."