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A Freebie
Steven McGeorge scores from third on a fourth-inning wild pitch from Kenton Ridge pitcher Jonathan McDuffie (right).
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05/09/09 - Sonny Fulks/1570wptw.com
Tipp coach Bruce Cahill was in a particularly quotable mood Friday evening.
This after his Red Devils had shut down and shut out Kenton Ridge, 7-0, behind the four-hit pitching of junior righthander Ryan Koopman.
“:How much better could it be?” smiled Cahill. “We got two-out base hits tonight. Our bunting was exceptional…we put runners in scoring position when we needed it…we got the big hit again from Camden (Sauls)…and Ryan was dominating.”
Indeed, Ryan Koopman was dominating. The irrepressible junior came out throwing strikes…12 of 13 first-inning pitches…and never looked back as he literally stifled a strong-hitting Kenton Ridge batting order that included four plus-.400 hitters in the lineup.
To 11 of he first 16 hitters in the game Koopman threw strike one on the first pitch, which makes the job of pitching so much easier for the fact of options in getting hitters out. Three times in the game, he retired the side in four minutes or less.
“We keep charts on stuff like that in the dugout,” said Koopman afterwards. “But I don’t pay a lot of attention to it during the game. I had a sense that I was throwing a lot of strikes, and I know the importance of throwing strike one. It does make it easier.”
He struck seven, didn't walk anyone, and pitched into the seventh inning before registering a 3-2 count on a hitter. Nothing could have looked easier than the performance that Koopman turned in to secure at least a share of the Central Buckeye Conference lead against the 20-4 state semi-finalists from a year ago. That is, unless you consider the offensive efficiency of his teammates.
Jordan Stum led off the first with a ringing single to right center. Jeremiah Skow advanced him to second with a textbook sacrifice bunt down the first baseline, and Camden Sauls (who else) drove him in with a single off Kenton Ridge starter Jonathan McDuffie.
In the second, more efficiency…after two were out, a walk to first baseman Todd Stover and back to back doubles by Dan Strawser and Stum plated two more runs.
In the fourth…back to back singles to open the inning, another sacrifice bunt by Strawser, a wild pitch by McDuffie and a sacrifice fly by Stum made the score 5-0.
In the fifth, the coup de grace…a leadoff single, and a laser shot home run to left off the bat of Sauls, his 11th of the season to set a new single-season marks for home runs, breaking the previous record of Ryan Lucas in 1992.
For all the focus on Koopman, the Red Devils’ pitcher could not have been more gracious in his admiration for the numbers of a teammate in what’s become a sensational senior season.
“He hit that ball really hard…so hard it looked like it might not make it over the fence,” smiled Koopman. “I’m really happy for Camden for the kind of year he’s having.”
But no happier than Bruce Cahill, who included the numbers of Sauls with the fact of a 20-win season, and the emergence of a program suddenly unified by opportunity and individual contribution. Pressed for a response, the venerable coach admitted.
“I cannot think of a team that I’ve enjoyed coaching more in my time here. When you think of the problems we had on the spring trip, the suspensions, and the lopsided losses we had early, I can remember a time when I thought we’d be lucky to have a .500 season.
“Kenton Ridge is a very good team, with five players who played on last year’s state semi-final team and four players hitter .400 or better. The significant thing about winning tonight is we might have to see them again in the tournament. Now that we’ve beaten them twice you'd want to believe it gives us a little edge. When we beat them before David Moore pitched a very strong game against them. Tonight, Ryan was even stronger.”
By the numbers…Tipp finished with 7 runs on 11 hits, committed no errors and stranded seven runners on base. Kenton Ridge managed just four hits (only one for extra bases), and the hardest hit ball of the night came in the sixth inning…a line drive off the bat of outfielder Luke Mamer that was caught in center field by Sauls.
Sauls finished the regular season with a three-hit night and three runs batted in to lift his season total to 35. Jordan Stum had two hits. David Moore had a pair of knocks. Steven McGeorge continued his hit barrage with a pair of singles.
On a night that marked the 20th win of the season, the 14th consecutive win, and good feeling the likes of which has not been experienced since the days of Ryan Lucas and the Otte brothers, pitching coach Jim Johnson summed up the game and a season of turnaround with this statement.
“You know you’re going good when they only hit one ball hard…and it’s right at someone,” said pitching coach Jim Johnson.
For sure! How much better could it be? |
