NEWARK ― Something had to give on May 11 when longtime rivals Newark and Lancaster played for the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division baseball championship before a big crowd at Joe Neff Field.
Either the Wildcats would win their first league title in 20 years, or the Golden Gales would wear the crown for the first time since 2022 by avenging an earlier loss at home to Newark.
In a splendid pitchers duel between right-handers Brody Broeckel of the Golden Gales and Newark’s Moses Crane, both teams put the ball in play, but the Wildcats couldn’t find any gaps and fell 2-0 to Lancaster.
Neither team committed an error and each had six hits in a game that took only about an hour and a half to complete. Broeckel threw just 74 pitches, striking out one and walking one, while Crane had 85 pitches with three strikeouts and two walks. But it was the Gales leaving with a 17-4 record, 13-1 atop the league after a big celebration, while Newark slipped to 17-4, 12-2.
“This is the only thing we’ve thought about all year,” said Broeckel, who improved to 8-0. “We wanted this for coach (Corey) Conn, ourselves, everyone. We’re so close as a team. We knew it was right within our grasp, and we had to go get it. I don’t think we had won here in a few years, either.”
The Wildcats left runners in scoring position in three of the first four innings, leading to their downfall.
“We hit the ball hard and put some balls out there, but they were playing us deep,” coach Michael Wheeler said. “We couldn’t get anything to come together for us. Moses pitched his butt off and we played well behind him.”
Designated hitter Ben Thimmes had a one-out double in the fifth inning. Pinch runner Donovan McFarland took third on a passed ball, and Broeckel helped himself with a perfectly-placed squeeze bunt for a 1-0 lead.
A big insurance run scored in the sixth when Coleson Ross walked and was sacrificed to second by Levi Greiner. After Brayden Montgomery bounced out, Kam Griffith lined out a two-out RBI double to left center.
Brody Randall doubled with two out in the first for Newark but was left stranded. The Wildcats put runners at second and third with one out in the second, as Luke Miller singled, Kodie Steele had a sacrifice bunt, then Trenton Wilson singled and stole second. But Broeckel induced a strikeout and popup, then left Steele at second in the fourth after his two-out double.
Broeckel retired nine of the last 10 batters, including the final seven.
“Everyone talks about the one-on-one pitching matchup, but you have eight others behind you and another in front of you,” he said. “They hit some balls in the gaps and some hard ground balls, and we made all the plays. I knew that once we got one (run), it was over.”
The teams could see each other again for a rubber match in a Division I district final on May 28. Seventh seed Newark hosts No. 12 Hilliard Darby (11-10) on May 26 in a district semifinal, while Lancaster got the No. 8 seed and jumped in the Wildcats’ bracket, playing at No. 6 seed Dublin Coffman.
“They (Darby) play in a very tough league, and you know how it is in Division I baseball,” Wheeler said. “Anyone can beat anyone.”
In the meantime, Newark still has five regular-season games left to get ready, including a May 14 home test against fourth seed Pickerington North.
“We have a couple of days to bounce back and piece it back together,” Wheeler said.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Lancaster baseball wins pitchers duel, league championship at Newark
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
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