CANAL WINCHESTER –— Lancaster junior pitcher Brody Broeckel is built differently. His mental toughness is off the charts.
The first four batters he faced against Canal Winchester all reached base as Broeckel gave up a leadoff double, walked a batter, hit a batter, and the cleanup hitter clobbered a grand slam.
Most pitchers would have folded, but not Broeckel. He remained composed and unfazed. He was able to get the next three batters out on his way to retiring the next 15 hitters he faced. More importantly, he didn’t allow a run in the final six innings.
Trailing 4-1, Broeckel then helped ignite the Gales’ offense in the second inning by leading off with a triple. Lancaster plated three runs to tie it, and the Gales would go on to pick up a huge 7-4 Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division win on Monday, April 20.
Lancaster improved to 10-2 overall and 6-0 in the OCC, with a huge league game looming at home against Newark on April 22.
Broeckel led the Gales’ offense by going 4-for-4, scoring three runs and stealing three bases. On the mound, he went the distance, giving up five hits, with three of those coming in the first inning, and struck out seven.
“I’ve never really had that happen before, giving up a grand slam or having that bad of an inning,” Broeckel said. “I walked in the dugout after that inning and just completely washed it. I knew I was leading off, and I had to get things started. The biggest thing is knowing things like that happen in baseball, and of course, you don’t expect to give up a grand slam in the first inning, but the biggest thing was for us to respond in the next inning. It just took away all their energy, and then I just locked it in.
“In the first inning, I was trying to be too fine and place pitches, and after the first inning, I concentrated on throwing strikes and let them hit it because I have a great defense behind me. All my teammates picked me up, and I trusted them, and they trusted me, and it allowed me to go out there with confidence.”
Lancaster coach Corey Conn said he knew Broeckel would bounce back after the rough first inning.
“He is such a great competitor, and it was obviously not an ideal start to the game for him, but his mentality is going to allow him to compete and come through for us,” Conn said. “It was special to him to compete and come through for us. He was able to rest, lock in, and go into that battle and compete mode. For us to answer back in the second was huge because they had all the momentum, and he was the one who started it for us.”
After scoring a run in the top of the first inning on a Carson Miller infield RBI single, the Gales were able to come up with timely hits in the second inning to plate three runs.
Broeckel started it with his triple, and he scampered home on a perfect bunt for a single by Cale Meyer. After a flyout, Coleson Ross walked, and Levi Greiner was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brayden Montgomery drew a walk to force home a run, and Kam Griffith followed with a sacrifice fly to score the third run.
Lancaster took the lead for good in the third inning when it scored two runs, and once again, Broeckel started it by ripping a one-out single. He quickly got into scoring position by stealing second base. Meyer delivered once again with an RBI single. He would score by advancing to second on a wild pitch, stealing third, and scoring when the catcher threw the ball past third on the steal.
Lancaster added an insurance run in the fifth inning, when, who else, but Broeckel, leading off with a single and stealing second. Meyer laid down another perfect bunt, and Jack Pompey followed with a sacrifice bunt to score Broeckel. Meyer finished with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster’s Brody Broeckel recovers from early grand slam
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
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