OXFORD, Ohio – In the most important game of his life, Jack Ryan pitched the game of a lifetime.
The St. Xavier senior, recently named one of two Cincinnati Enquirer Ohio baseball players of the year this week, threw a no-hitter against archrival Elder to send the Bombers baseball team to the regional finals.
St. Xavier edged Elder 1-0 in the Division I, Region 4 semifinals of the Ohio High School Athletic Association baseball tournament at Miami University’s Hayden Park.
Ryan walked four and struck out nine, lowering his ERA under 2.00 and improving his record to 7-2. The Boston College commit threw about 95 pitches.
“He just mixed his pitches well and got ahead,” said St. X head coach Don DiGiacomo. “We played solid defense behind him. Tournament baseball is about throwing strikes, playing clean defense and putting balls in play. We put more balls in play than they did, and I thought that was the difference in the game.”
St. Xavier, 24-5, advances to the regional final June 4. Elder finishes 19-11.
“Four years, first time we’ve been here,” Ryan said. “We got it done against a really good ball club over there. The cherry on top was the no-hitter.
“Fastball, slider were on point. Early in the game I felt like I could throw my fast ball wherever. Late, I kind of lost the feel for it, my hand was kind of cramping a little bit, so I battled through that. Found a way to get it done.”
The Bombers got the only run they needed in the third inning. Senior Dillon Brus was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Elder junior pitcher Caleb McComas tried to pick him off first but the throw went awry and Brus went to third. Jackson Sherrard brought him in with a squeeze bunt and reached first safely.
The next batter, junior Logan Von Holle, launched a long drive to right center. The ball bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double, preventing Sherrard from scoring. McComas retired the next batter to end the inning.
McComas, Elder’s ace pitcher (6-3, 1.85), injured a knee in the first inning when he slipped on the mound while throwing to first on a pickoff play. After several minutes being looked at by trainers, he stayed in the game. Elder head coach Mark Thompson replaced him after three innings for junior Brady Andriacco (6-1), who shut out the Bombers the rest of the way.
“Hopefully it’s nothing too serious,” Thompson said. “He tried to gut it out there, and Brady came in and really did a nice job.”
Said St. X’s DiGiacomo: “I feel absolutely horrible for their guy. What a gutty performance by him. McComas is one of the best pitchers in the state of Ohio, and he gutted it out today. Coach Thompson’s a legend. He does a great job coaching his kids. Just proud of the way we played.”
Ryan benefitted from strong defense. In the fourth, he walked Jack Rosenacker with two outs, the first baserunner he conceded. The next batter, Carson Smith, hit a long fly to left center that Von Holle tracked down on the run.
In the sixth, Ryan walked two batters, and Elder had runners on first and third with two outs. Jared Lammers hit it hard to shortstop Braden Bricking, who made a nice play to scoop up the ball and went to second himself to get the force.
“Jack Ryan pitched a hell of a game,” Thompson said. “He’s a competitor. We had the right guy in the sixth there, just smoked it up the middle and they played it right. Hats off to them. They played a great game and Jack was just outstanding.”
Ryan loves his defense and said it’s a key part of a team that he thinks can win a state title.
“All year Logan’s been a gazelle out in center tracking down every ball,” Ryan said. “Bricking is a boss in the infield, making play after play. (Third baseman) Dom Dials is a great defender. We got a really good defensive squad. Sam Sprengard behind the plate was awesome.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: St. Xavier gets no-hitter from Jack Ryan, bests Elder in regional semifinals
Reporting by James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
