Pirates fend off Rams 10-8

BOWLING GREEN — Survive and advance.That's something you hear a lot at tournament time, and Perkins lived it Wednesday.The Pirates had 15 hits — six for extra bases — and led by six runs early in the game before sweating out a 10-8 win against Upper Sandusky in a Division IV regional semifinal at Warren E. Steller Field.Upper scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and had two runners on when Braxden Martin — who came on relief — got a strikeout and a popout to send the Pirates to the Elite Eight.Perkins (20-9) will play the Benedictine-Napoleon semifinal winner at 5 p.m. Thursday for a spot in the state semifinals.Kash Koch started on the mound for the Pirates and went six-plus workmanlike innings. He threw four scoreless frames — including the first three — but Upper got to him with three runs in the fourth and sixth innings.Koch was laboring at the end and was pulled after Upper's first two batters in the seventh reached.One reason why Koch was gassed was his performance at the plate. He was 4 for 5 and scored three runs. In the sixth, he singled and scored on Blake Parker's triple. A lot of running on a hot day.Koch's 101-pitch effort means that Talon Walton and Martin — who threw 24 pitches to earn a save — are available to pitch in Thursday's regional championship game.Koch struck out the first two Upper batters and finished with four strikeouts and three walks.Perkins bunched its hits with Koch, Parker and Quentin Binette — the fifth, sixth and seventh batters in the order — going 9 for 13 with six runs and six batted in.Parker singled, doubled and tripled. His two-out double in the third scored Koch, who singled, to give Perkins a 3-0 run. Binette, who doubled in the Pirates' first two runs in the second inning, followed with a run-scoring single and finished with four RBI.The spacious outfield at Bowling Green State University — 345 feet down the lines, 400 to center field — and a strong wind blowing straight out to center, was an asset for Perkins' speedy lineup.Leadoff hitter Bryce Davie led off the fourth with a shot over Upper center fielder Caine Rupe's head and didn't stop running until he reached home plate for an inside-the-park home run. That gave Perkins a 5-0 lead.Davie had two hits and Dylan Crabtree, Martin, Carter Koch and Sam Schweinfurth all had hits.Schweinfurth's sixth-inning double with two out scored Carter Koch to give Perkins a 9-3 lead.Martin tripled with one out in seventh and scored on Talon Walton's sacrifice fly to give Perkins a 10-6 lead.Upper (18-5) ace Josh Heilman pitched the first five innings, giving up 11 hits and striking out four. He had two hits at the plate, including a triple to lead off the Rams' three-run sixth inning."We had two outs a couple times and they got big hits," said Upper coach Jerry Smalley, who is retiring after 12 years leading the Rams. "The 5 through 8 hitters killed us. It wasn't the top. I was worried about the top and those kids hit the ball today."Kasen Gottfried had two singles for Upper, including a hit in the bottom of the seventh to chase Koch.Martin came on and issued a walk to load the bases with nobody out and Perkins holding a four-run lead. A fielder's choice and throwing error scored two runs before Martin hit a batter. He responded with a strikeout and the final out of the game. Warriors blanked by Russia in regional semiCEDARVILLE – The Mohawk offense has been productive throughout the 2025 season. Wednesday, however it faced one of the best pitchers in the state and certainly in Division VII in Russia's Braylon Cordonnier. Cordonnier, a Marshall University commit, shut down the Mohawk lineup as the Raiders won 9-0 in a Division VII regional semifinal at Cedarville University.Cordonnier pitched a complete game, allowing just two hits with 13 strikeouts and a pair of walks.The Raiders (17-11) plated single runs in the second and fourth innings before piling on seven insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.Levi Tiell and Kaleb Bish both singled for the Warriors (22-7).Kaleb Bish suffered the loss on the hill, giving up two unearned runs on a single hit in three innings. Hunter Haynes and Elias Magallanes also pitched.