CANTON — Joe Stevens didn’t become rattled.
Despite allowing four runs in the first inning to Elyria Catholic baseball team in a Division IV regional semifinal, the Central Catholic High School freshman pitcher settled in and relied on his offense behind him.
The Crusaders (22-6-1) stormed back to a 6-5 win at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, June 2. Central advanced to a regional final against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney on at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 4, also at Munson Stadium.
“I knew I didn’t have to do it all myself on the mound and that we could just come back one run at a time,” Stevens said.
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Elyria Catholic senior Zachariah Gaines was hit by a pitch to lead off the game. Noah Willett got on with a bunt single. Two batters later, Ryan White reached on an error that scored Willett. White later scored on a passed ball. Izaaiah Amarise’s sacrifice fly and Mason Knapp’s RBI single made it 4-0.
“I told them we have a sign to bunt for a hit and not worry about the sacrifice,” said Elyria Catholic head coach Bruce Lisicky. “The third baseman was playing back. It just became contagious. Our last game we started off with four runs in the first inning. Seven guys came through. Today it was just a mirror with guys feeding off each other.”
The Crusaders sent nine men to the plate in the second to answer. Lance Vlacovsky and Stevens walked to start the inning. Brock Bourquin grounded out to second to score Vlacovsky. Senior Dylan Minnie later chopped one toward the mound that the Panthers couldn’t handle, scoring Stevens.
Two batters later, on an 0-2 pitch, junior Gavin McCune poked a two-run single to right to tie it 4-4.
“Coaches give me a lot of confidence,” McCune said. “We had a lot of tight games in the regular season. I was ready for the moment and just wanted it.”
Vlacovsky led off the Central third with a single and scored on a passed ball. Senior Joseph Meyer added an insurance run with an RBI single to left.
Elyria Catholic starter Carson Platko left after just two innings.
“Last outing he was electric,” Lisicky said. “This outing, he had trouble finding the strike zone. They were working the counts.”
Gaines smoked a leadoff triple to the left field wall in the Elyria Catholic fifth. He then scored on a Willett sacrifice fly.
But Stevens retired the next two Panther hitters.
“He’s a dog. He’s a freshman,” McCune said of the Crusader pitcher. “He’s really like that. He battled back. He knew he had defense behind him. We helped him out with the four-spot in the second. It really helped and he was grooving from there.”
Bourquin, a senior, pitched two hitless innings to finish the game. With the Panther section taking their “tarps off,” Bourquin struck out Willett looking on the outside corner to end it.
After finishing as a regional finalist last season, the Crusaders will take a simple approach into Thursday.
“Just win a baseball game,” McCune said. “Don’t make it too big.”
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Central Catholic baseball ready for moment, advances to regional final
Reporting by Walt Doerschuk, Correspondent / The Repository
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