CANTON — It was one that Unioto had within reach.
The Shermans rode the crafty left arm of K.B. Perkins and a heavy dose of small ball to build a 3-1 lead on Mentor Lake Catholic entering the bottom of the sixth inning of their Division IV state semifinal on June 13 at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium.
Just as quickly, it came unraveled.
A lead-off error helped the Cougars load the bases with no outs. The result was a four-run inning from which the Shermans never recovered in a 5-3 loss.
The Shermans, in the state tournament for the first time since 1994 and winners of 14 of their last 15 games, finished 24-8 under 25th-year coach Tony Taylor. Three seniors graduate from a team that set a new standard for future Shermans.
“I was thinking it was going to be more,” Taylor said, just before addressing the team for the final time. “I thought we were going to win that game. I mean, that is the way we’ve been winning games. They outhit us, and we won. That is what we had done the last three games but luck ran out.”
Expectations will remain high in 2026. Taylor hopes the tournament experience will pay dividends for the underclassmen.
“We got to practice two, three more weeks than most people did and those stressful situations and at-bats, you can’t simulate those in practice,” Taylor said. “I mean, the stress and how much it means, you try, but it’s not that same level of intensity. When you play in close games you get better.”
Tough ending for Unioto baseball
Perkins worked out jams for much of the first five innings, yielding only Caden Boyes’ two-out RBI single in the fourth that broke up the shutout. His early-count usage of off-speed pitches kept what Taylor deemed a strong fastball hitting lineup mostly at bay.
Then the sixth came.
A dribbler to second base was misplayed into an error. Then came a lined single from Sean Walsh, as the pot was officially warming. Pete Malchesky’s RBI single and Boyes’ perfect bunt single officially brought it to a boil.
The big blow came one batter later. With the game tied and the bases loaded, No. 3 hitter A.J. Trobenter hit a soft grounder down the line against a drawn-in infield that hit the first base bag and sent two runs home.
With a new life on the hill, Radigan sent the Shermans down in order in the seventh to secure the school’s first finals berth in two previous tries — none since 2012.
Perkins struck out five and yielded 10 hits — all singles. He also had a double and single at the plate to account for both of the team’s hits.
“I really just wanted to keep them off balance because I knew they liked to hit fastballs,” Perkins said. “Just keep them off balance and mess with their timing. That was the biggest part of my plan. That’s a good team and their whole lineup can hit. … I had to be a pitcher instead of a thrower.”
‘We didn’t get enough down’
Unioto bunts led to two runs — one that led to a Patrick Radigan throwing error that sent home Perkins in the second inning, and another when David Long squeezed home Callaway Ratliff two batters later.
Unioto then mounted a rally in the sixth with a pair of four-pitch walks to start the inning, which led to Perkins’ bleeder over a drawn-in infield with runners on second and third. Taylor went to the small ball tank again, sacrificing Keegan Snyder to third. One batter later, Long’s squeeze bunt failed as Snyder was tagged out at home.
A strikeout ended the threat.
“With that pitcher, we had to get the ball in play,” Taylor said. “He was just that good. (Small ball) worked, but it didn’t work enough. We didn’t get enough (bunts) down.”
Patrick was totally Rad
Unioto managed only two hits off fireballer Radigan. He struck out 12, walked three and overcame his own miscues to get the win.
“Their pitcher man, he’s a stud,” Taylor said. “He’s a great pitcher. You can tell he wants it. Doesn’t quit, plays hard all the way through. Emotional kid. He’s going to be a dandy somewhere. I don’t know where, but he’s going to play something.”
Yet, there the Shermans were, with a 2-0 lead after four innings and still a 3-1 advantage with six outs left to attain. It was consistent with the sort of grit the Shermans showed throughout the season.
This time, they couldn’t find the late magic.
“It’s life man — it happens,” senior catcher Keegan Snyder said. “The last few years we haven’t even made it past the districts. This year, this was a different team. Everybody was one person. There were no separate groups. And it just felt good to go out this way, even though we lost in the semifinals. We made it there, you know what I mean?”
sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
Unioto baseball vs. Mentor Lake Catholic: Live updates
About to get underway here at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton. A little cloudy and humid but the rain has stayed away as No. 7 Unioto readies to tangle with No. 9 Mentor Lake Catholic, located on Lake Erie east of Cleveland.
Senior right-hander Patrick Radigan on the hill for MLC. Senior lefty K.B. Perkins on the bump for Unioto.
Winner of this affair gets winner of Sandusky Perkins and Cincinnati Indian Hill in finals.
Top 7: Mentor Lake Cath. 5, Unioto baseball 3
Radigan at 104 pitches entering the 7th and gets two quick outs. He’s up to 11 Ks.
Caden Cutright with a heck of an at-bat but goes down looking as the game ends.
One bad inning cost Unioto, which finishes 24-8.
Radigan tosses two-hitter with 12 Ks and 3 BBs; Perkins wraps up fine season with five Ks and one walk but yields 10 hits and three earned runs.
Bott. 6th: Unioto baseball 3, Mentor Lake Cath. 1
Perkins still leaning heavily on the off-speed stuff. Dribbler to second is played for an error as lead-off man Hribar reaches for MLC. Then a single from Sean Walsh. Insurance run looming large — so is the inability to tack on.
Mound visit as Perkins sits at 93 pitches. MLC still not exactly knocking pelicans off the perch with their contact, but it has been placed effectively.
Malchesky lines a 1-0 pitch to center to drive in a run. Still no outs and runners on first and second with a good hitter in Boyes coming up. Bunt single loads them up with no outs.
Trobenter up in huge spot for MLC with bases loaded and no outs. Soft grounder down the first base line eludes drawn-in first baseman and goes over bag for a two-run single. Cougars lead 4-3 in swift turn of events.
Perkins gets a liner for first out, but a dropped ball on a potential double play ball on the exchange at second base costs Unioto and sends run home from third. MLC leads 5-3.
Perkins gets a K swinging to end the inning. But big damage done as Unioto trails 5-3 and down to final three outs.
Top 6th: Unioto baseball 2, Mentor Lake Cath. 1
Four-pitch walk gives No. 3 hitter Snyder a chance with a runner on and no outs, then Welch goes first to third on a wild pitch to the backstop. Big time chance here for Tanks, who are smelling blood in the water.
Another four-pitch walk as Snyder reaches. Now 1st and 3rd with no outs. Perkins coming up with a chance to do major damage as infield comes in.
This is the moment of his game. Unioto can’t let Radigan off the hook here and shift momentum.
Snyder steals second to take double play out of the mix as Perkins faces a full count.
Perkins’ bleeder to LF against a drawn-in infield, a la Luis Gonzalez, gets the run home as two defenders converge unsuccessfully. Run scores, and a bunt moves up both runners the next batter.
Here comes Long with a chance to blow her open. Squeeze attempt is foiled as umpires converge for a discussion on play at plate. Now two outs.
Long strikes out on a heater on the corner. Radigan limits the damage but now trails 3-2.
Bottom 5th: Unioto baseball 2, Mentor Lake Cath. 1:
MLC with a runner on 2nd and no outs after a lead-off single, then Nytrae moves the runner up with a groundout. Cougars with good team offense there. Now Radigan coming up.
Radigan goes down swinging on a change-up in the dirt (turf). Big second out there. Runner on 3rd with two outs.
Quinn Stayer goes down on a fine running catch in CF from Jack Welch. Ball was slicing hard toward right, but Welch got a fine jump on it. Headed to 6th.
Top 5th: Unioto baseball 2 Mentor Lake Cath. 1
Radigan with 7 Ks and 63 pitches through 4 IP. He has yielded only one hit and hasn’t walked anyone but faces a deficit.
Another defensive miscue puts leadoff runner Long on for Unioto and Caden Speakman moves him up with a bunt. Long on 2nd with one out as Braden White comes up in a big spot.
White draws a walk to bring up gritty Jaxon Zickafoose to the dish with two on and one out. Another one who came up big in the basketball tournament for Tanks.
Radigan’s ninth strikeout gets himself out of a jam. Headed to bottom 5.
Bott. 4th Unioto baseball 2, Mentor Lake Cath. 0
Tyler Hribar with a hard single up the middle to give MLC a leadoff runner. then moves to second on a bunt. Perkins showing the spry athleticism off the mound there.
I will be interested to see if Perkins continues to use his breaking stuff to set up the fastball the third time through the order. He’s got a solid three-pitch mix going.
Callaway Ratliff makes a fine bare-handed play on the run to get the runner at first for second out, but Boyes follows with a single up the middle to plate Hribar. It’s now 2-1 with two outs.
Perkins gets a strong hitter in A.J. Trobenter, who leads the Cougs in average, to fly out and get out of the inning.
Top 4th: Unioto baseball 2, Mentor Lake Catholic 0
Radigan gets two down in order to start the inning, including a nice backdoor curve to Perkins for a K looking. Definitely looking much more comfortable with the release point on that.
Another K swinging to end the inning.
Bott. 3rd: Unioto baseball 2, Mentor Lake Cath. 0
Bad throw on a ball in the hole puts a runner on second with no outs. Good stick coming up in Nyetrae, who looks like he could serve as weekend bouncer at The Dock.
Nyetrae lines out to left, runner on second with one out. Then a deep fly to center moves up the runner. Perkins trying to get out of another pickle.
Perkins gets an F9 to end the threat. Headed to 4th
Top 3rd: Unioto baseball 2, Mentor Lake Cath. 0
Radigan looks like a guy with a really good heater who can dominate when his breaking ball is on. Looks like he is starting to get the feel. Two good hooks to Caden Cutright for the first out, then gets two more outs in succession.
Headed to bottom third.
Bottom 2nd: Unioto baseball 2, Mentor Lake Cath. 0
Quick out for Perkins, but then issues a walk and allows a single to Pete Malchesky. Two on, one out for Boyes.
Perkins makes a diving stab at a bunt, but a bad throw to second prevents the double play. Now 2 out and runners on first and second.
Perkins finishes it off with a K on another left-on-left matchup. Threat ends with no damage.
Top 2nd: Unioto baseball 0, Mentor Lake Cath. 0
Unioto with an early threat as Perkins blasts a ground-rule double to RF. Glove man had no chance. Man on 2nd with no outs.
Bunt back to Radigan results in a bad throw down LF line to send Perkins home standing. Early miscue for MLC as Unioto takes 1-0 lead and leaves Callaway Ratliff (the name of the year IMO) on 2nd with no outs. Then he moves up on a wild pitch.
Perfect squeeze from David Long sends home the Big Bertha (or ERC, or Mavrik, or AI Smoke). Its now 2-0 Unioto with one out.
Radigan struggling with the breaking ball so far. Visibly frustrated a bit but gets the next two outs in succession.
Bottom 1st: Mentor Lake Catholic coming to bat, scoreless tie
Perkins was a linchpin for Unioto in basketball in some really big games in postseason. I’d expect he will be ready for this, the biggest baseball game of his life.
Perkins setting early tone with the off-speed, gets Caden Boyes swinging for first out. Then a dribbler to first for the second. Third batter hit by pitch, then Micah Nyetrae laces a single past SS. Walk loads them up for Danny Locker.
Perkins knuckles up, gets Locker on four pitches with a change-up left-on-left.
Top 1st: Unioto baseball coming to bat
Radigan’s fastball is as advertised. First three batters go down on Ks. Looks like Perkins will need to be on his game again for Tanks.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Unioto baseball vs. Mentor Lake Catholic: Late turn of events sinks Shermans
Reporting by Sam Blackburn, Chillicothe Gazette / Chillicothe Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
