Not off the Press: The postseason begins
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
This past week saw seven of 10 Highland County baseball and softball teams bow out of the sectional tournament, wrapping up their seasons in the process. Some teams finished their regular season after being eliminated from the tournament, while others are still playing regular-season games. Long story short … the spring season is wrapping up quickly.
On another note, Highland County had some track & field champions in their respective leagues, so I send my congratulations to those individuals who were standing at the top of the podium at their respective league meets.
Once again, this past week was close to being washed out due to all the rain, but with this being tournament time, teams waited out lengthy rain delays or played in the rain. Though it was a soggy weekend, I managed to see LC baseball on Friday following a 55-minute rain delay, Fairfield softball on Saturday as they played in the rain and Whiteoak baseball in the rain on Sunday at VA Memorial Stadium in district play in Chillicothe.
Though it is a sad time when teams get knocked out of their respective tournaments, we still have three teams remaining in the postseason with Fairfield baseball this Tuesday, Fairfield softball this Tuesday and Whiteoak softball making up their sectional final game hopefully today.
• Games I watched this postseason
I started out my tournament trail by traveling to Circleville to cover the Hillsboro Indians baseball team against the Tigers on Monday. Even though the Indians lost that game and broke their seven-game winning streak in the process, HHS has had a great second half of the season. What was even better was how they responded after the loss, by defeating the South Central Ohio League leader Miami Trace to shake things up in league play.
One thing about that Circleville game was how their pitcher (John Klinebriel) kept HHS off-balanced the entire game, and HHS can hit the baseball. Just one of those great pitching performances I like to watch.
Tuesday was for the SCOL track & field championships … the first day of the event. There were a lot of good athletes in that event held in Washington C.H. It was also fun to see some friends and old classmates who are now coaches.
On Wednesday, I watched the Lady Tigers of McClain fall out of the postseason against Sheridan in a 10-inning thriller, which was one of those games I thought would never end. This was the best softball game I've watched all season long. The game had all the elements that made it great … pitchers battling, timely hitting and two teams who you could really tell wanted the win. Though MHS lost, they had a great season by winning the SCOL softball title.
Thursday's game attended was the Fairfield Lions mostly dominating the Clay Panthers, though the final score of 9-7 doesn't show how much control the Lions were. It was a good win by FHS to get ready for the district tournament on Tuesday.
Then on Friday, it was the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs and Huntington Huntsmen playing sectional baseball at LCHS. Again, Highland County lost another team, but the entire product of work by LC was very good this season, losing just once in the Southern Hills League in the process of winning the Division I SHL title for the second straight season. Huntington is a very sound fundamental team, but LC just didn't have it that day, which happens from time to time. Again, it was a good season by the Mustangs. In the past two seasons, LC has gone 25-1 in the SHL.
My week continued through the weekend, watching the Fairfield Lady Lions dominate Western Latham in the sectional title game at FHS. Everything was in check for the Lady Lions, especially their defense, and that makes Coach Zimmerman and Coach Purtell very happy this time of the year. Again, FHS overcame some weather elements, but none of that seemed to matter as they won their 10th straight sectional title and 25th in school history, which I find amazing. To put it in perspective, only three Highland County teams won a sectional title this season, so winning 10 in a row is something to be proud of.
This Sunday wasn't meant for resting in the sports editor's business when I covered Whiteoak baseball at the district semifinal at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe. I'm not complaining because covering baseball is fun, and it's even a hobby of mine. Though WHS lost big, they too had a productive season, winning many games, and plus having one of the few baseball fields that games can be played in the rain. What stands out to me the most for WHS from Sunday was the fact they never quit. They trailed 15-4 late in the game but went out in the fifth, scored a run and put up a fight the entire game when they were at the plate.
• 10 thoughts on high school sports
1. Hard to believe the spring high school season is nearing the end, with just three baseball and softball teams and track & field entering district meets.
2. I don't like it when teams have a nine or more run lead, and they still steal bases like they are trailing by one run in the 10th inning.
3. Congrats to all the players who have made their respective All-League teams.
4. With all the rain, rumors were the OHSAA was going to add canoeing to the list of sports for the spring.
5. Schedules get confusing when teams play postseason and regular-season games in the same week.
6. I learned ties in baseball don't count towards overall records.
7. Again, I strongly believe two or three above-average pitchers on a team do more than having two or three great hitters when the tournament rolls around. Pitching, not hitting, will win championships in the postseason.
8. For some reason, I liked the uniforms the St. Joseph wore in their district game. I didn't watch the game, but when they came in the stadium on Sunday, they reminded me of the old Milwaukee Brewers during the Robin Yount days.
9. Just think, if the football practice rule would have been passed by the OHSAA, we would be talking more about football this time of year. Would have been nice to fill the void left by the NFL. If we were in most states, we'd be talking about topics for the upcoming season.
10. Want to send a big congratulations to Kyle Carson of Fairfield and what turned out to be a 15-game hitting streak.
• Stat of the Week
Against state-ranked Southern in the district semifinals, the Whiteoak Wildcats forced seven full counts while at the plate.
• Another Stat of the Week
In four trips to the plate, Southern's Dustin Carter didn't have an official at-bat as he was hit by a pitch twice and drew two walks against Whiteoak.
• Quote of the Week
"We had a great season. I'm proud of these kids and all the hard work they put in. Today was disappointing, but you can't be disappointed about the effort and the season we had." — Chris Veidt, Whiteoak baseball head coach
• (Another) Quote of the Week
"We scrapped … they scrapped. They didn't quit … we didn't quit, and we came out on top." — Jeff Miller, Fairfield baseball head coach following the sectional title game against Clay.
• (A third and final) Quote of the Week
"We were pleased with the mental toughness. The element was just as much as anything. We needed to get this game done today, so being mentally tough and playing through the rain was good." — Tom Purtell, Fairfield assistant softball coach following Saturday's game against Western Latham.
• Non-high school sports thought
Watch the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Playoffs … you won't be disappointed.
• One final item of business
If there is a better place to watch high school baseball than VA Memorial Stadium, I'd like to know. Though it rained Sunday, I just love watching baseball at that venue.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
On another note, Highland County had some track & field champions in their respective leagues, so I send my congratulations to those individuals who were standing at the top of the podium at their respective league meets.
Once again, this past week was close to being washed out due to all the rain, but with this being tournament time, teams waited out lengthy rain delays or played in the rain. Though it was a soggy weekend, I managed to see LC baseball on Friday following a 55-minute rain delay, Fairfield softball on Saturday as they played in the rain and Whiteoak baseball in the rain on Sunday at VA Memorial Stadium in district play in Chillicothe.
Though it is a sad time when teams get knocked out of their respective tournaments, we still have three teams remaining in the postseason with Fairfield baseball this Tuesday, Fairfield softball this Tuesday and Whiteoak softball making up their sectional final game hopefully today.
• Games I watched this postseason
I started out my tournament trail by traveling to Circleville to cover the Hillsboro Indians baseball team against the Tigers on Monday. Even though the Indians lost that game and broke their seven-game winning streak in the process, HHS has had a great second half of the season. What was even better was how they responded after the loss, by defeating the South Central Ohio League leader Miami Trace to shake things up in league play.
One thing about that Circleville game was how their pitcher (John Klinebriel) kept HHS off-balanced the entire game, and HHS can hit the baseball. Just one of those great pitching performances I like to watch.
Tuesday was for the SCOL track & field championships … the first day of the event. There were a lot of good athletes in that event held in Washington C.H. It was also fun to see some friends and old classmates who are now coaches.
On Wednesday, I watched the Lady Tigers of McClain fall out of the postseason against Sheridan in a 10-inning thriller, which was one of those games I thought would never end. This was the best softball game I've watched all season long. The game had all the elements that made it great … pitchers battling, timely hitting and two teams who you could really tell wanted the win. Though MHS lost, they had a great season by winning the SCOL softball title.
Thursday's game attended was the Fairfield Lions mostly dominating the Clay Panthers, though the final score of 9-7 doesn't show how much control the Lions were. It was a good win by FHS to get ready for the district tournament on Tuesday.
Then on Friday, it was the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs and Huntington Huntsmen playing sectional baseball at LCHS. Again, Highland County lost another team, but the entire product of work by LC was very good this season, losing just once in the Southern Hills League in the process of winning the Division I SHL title for the second straight season. Huntington is a very sound fundamental team, but LC just didn't have it that day, which happens from time to time. Again, it was a good season by the Mustangs. In the past two seasons, LC has gone 25-1 in the SHL.
My week continued through the weekend, watching the Fairfield Lady Lions dominate Western Latham in the sectional title game at FHS. Everything was in check for the Lady Lions, especially their defense, and that makes Coach Zimmerman and Coach Purtell very happy this time of the year. Again, FHS overcame some weather elements, but none of that seemed to matter as they won their 10th straight sectional title and 25th in school history, which I find amazing. To put it in perspective, only three Highland County teams won a sectional title this season, so winning 10 in a row is something to be proud of.
This Sunday wasn't meant for resting in the sports editor's business when I covered Whiteoak baseball at the district semifinal at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe. I'm not complaining because covering baseball is fun, and it's even a hobby of mine. Though WHS lost big, they too had a productive season, winning many games, and plus having one of the few baseball fields that games can be played in the rain. What stands out to me the most for WHS from Sunday was the fact they never quit. They trailed 15-4 late in the game but went out in the fifth, scored a run and put up a fight the entire game when they were at the plate.
• 10 thoughts on high school sports
1. Hard to believe the spring high school season is nearing the end, with just three baseball and softball teams and track & field entering district meets.
2. I don't like it when teams have a nine or more run lead, and they still steal bases like they are trailing by one run in the 10th inning.
3. Congrats to all the players who have made their respective All-League teams.
4. With all the rain, rumors were the OHSAA was going to add canoeing to the list of sports for the spring.
5. Schedules get confusing when teams play postseason and regular-season games in the same week.
6. I learned ties in baseball don't count towards overall records.
7. Again, I strongly believe two or three above-average pitchers on a team do more than having two or three great hitters when the tournament rolls around. Pitching, not hitting, will win championships in the postseason.
8. For some reason, I liked the uniforms the St. Joseph wore in their district game. I didn't watch the game, but when they came in the stadium on Sunday, they reminded me of the old Milwaukee Brewers during the Robin Yount days.
9. Just think, if the football practice rule would have been passed by the OHSAA, we would be talking more about football this time of year. Would have been nice to fill the void left by the NFL. If we were in most states, we'd be talking about topics for the upcoming season.
10. Want to send a big congratulations to Kyle Carson of Fairfield and what turned out to be a 15-game hitting streak.
• Stat of the Week
Against state-ranked Southern in the district semifinals, the Whiteoak Wildcats forced seven full counts while at the plate.
• Another Stat of the Week
In four trips to the plate, Southern's Dustin Carter didn't have an official at-bat as he was hit by a pitch twice and drew two walks against Whiteoak.
• Quote of the Week
"We had a great season. I'm proud of these kids and all the hard work they put in. Today was disappointing, but you can't be disappointed about the effort and the season we had." — Chris Veidt, Whiteoak baseball head coach
• (Another) Quote of the Week
"We scrapped … they scrapped. They didn't quit … we didn't quit, and we came out on top." — Jeff Miller, Fairfield baseball head coach following the sectional title game against Clay.
• (A third and final) Quote of the Week
"We were pleased with the mental toughness. The element was just as much as anything. We needed to get this game done today, so being mentally tough and playing through the rain was good." — Tom Purtell, Fairfield assistant softball coach following Saturday's game against Western Latham.
• Non-high school sports thought
Watch the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Playoffs … you won't be disappointed.
• One final item of business
If there is a better place to watch high school baseball than VA Memorial Stadium, I'd like to know. Though it rained Sunday, I just love watching baseball at that venue.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]