EDITOR’S NOTE: Source Media Properties Malaki Stanfield also contributed to this report.
GROVE CITY — Mount Vernon’s fine baseball tournament run came to an end on Wednesday afternoon in a 5-2 loss to Big Walnut at the Division II regional semifinal tournament in Grove City.
“We can’t beat ourselves, every game we have ‘lost’ we have not lost, we have beat ourselves,” Yellow Jackets coach Nate Hunt said before the game. “Good teams will take advantage of every mistake that you make and at this level, they are all good teams.”
The Golden Eagles certainly qualify as a good team.
Big Walnut struck first in the bottom of the third on freshman Ethan Baker’s RBI double. Sophomore Nolan Buirley plated Baker with a single and Brady Taylor’s sacrifice fly pushed the margin to 3-0.
But the Jackets answered in the fourth. Senior Zac Clow smacked a single and senior Ezra Kurek muscled a two-run homer over the left field fence to slice the gap to 3-2.
Big Walnut kept the pressure on, scoring runs in the bottom of the fourth on a throwing error, and tacking on their final run of the day in the bottom of the fifth off a sacrifice fly from senior Jax Lawrence.
Mount Vernon rallied in its last at-bat in the seventh, loading the bases with a hit-by-pitch, an error, and a fielder’s choice.
But after a strikeout, Caden Theibert’s lined out to right field. Freshman Greyson Deem tried to tag up but was gunned out at the plate to end the game.
“I was watching the ball, not thinking he (the outfielder) was going to make the play,” Hunt said. “Once the ball was caught, I was going to say go ahead but he was already gone and the fielder threw an absolute rocket.”
Mount Vernon finished the game with 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 errors, while Big Walnut had 5 runs on 7 hits and 1 error.
Nick Weiss was the winning pitcher for the Golden Eagles.
“When it comes to the difference in the game, Nick Weiss, I do not know what his numbers are (ERA just over 1), but the dude is a competitor,” Hunt said. “He is a part of the reason they are where they are.”
The Yellow Jackets finished the season with a record of 17-12.
The photos below were taken by Malaki Stanfield.
