Eagles reach state for first time

ELIDA – The Liberty-Benton dugout went dead quiet when Amanda Clearcreek's Gary Kemmerling smashed a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning of Thursday regional final.The way the Eagles have been scratching and clawing their way through this post season, though, it didn't stay quiet for long.An inning after Clearcreek tied the game, Liberty-Benton scored on two bang-bang plays to regain momentum. The Eagles added an insurance run in the seventh and beat Clearcreek 3-1 at Elida's Ed Sandy Field to capture the first regional baseball championship in school history."We'd never been in a regional final before and now we're going to state," an elated Liberty-Benton coach Matt Rader said of the Eagles, who beat Paulding 3-2 in the district tournament and won both regional games by 3-1 scores. "We scratched for runs when we needed to. We've done that all year. The kids had trust that we were going to score (after Kemmerling's home run) and they hustled and got it done. Whatever it takes to get that run that's all we cared about."Now 22-5 Liberty-Benton will face Gahanna Columbus Academy (16-16) Thursday at 10 a.m. in a Division V state semifinal at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton. Lucasville Valley (22-7) and Apple Creek Waynedale (28-3) will square off in the 1 p.m. semifinal, with the winners playing for the Division V state title 1 p.m. Friday at Credit Union Pak in Akron."Thus is huge," said Kooper Leatherman, a sophomore right-hander who allowed just two hits and struck out six in a gritty seven-inning complete game effort."If you asked me at the beginning of the season if we were to even get to the regional, I'd have said no, but heck, we're going to state, man."Starting with a fastball that's been clocked in the mid-80s, then going with more curves and change-ups, Leatherman pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first inning, then retired 12 of the next 14 batters he faced.It was all working well until one pitch got away from him.That came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kemmerling teed off on a 2-2 pitch a bit up and in and belted it over the fence in left. It was only Clearcreek's second hit of the day, but it tied the game 1-1 and changed the whole complexion at that time."I was thinking, well, dang it, I missed my spot there," Leatherman said later."I wanted that pitch way outside but it was kinda right down the middle."I trusted my team, though, to come back and score some runs."Leatherman didn't have long to wait, and it was the bottom half of the Eagles lineup that came through in the clutch.In the top of the sixth inning, Taden Troyer, hitting sixth in the lineup, lined the first pitch he saw to center for a lead-off single.Clearcreek third baseman Collin Thomas made a great diving catch on Corbin Schworm's attempted sacrifice bunt, and almost doubled Troyer off first. Jackson Knepper did get a sacrifice bunt down, though, moving Troyer to second.Pure hustle then gave L-B a run and a lead it never lost.With two outs, No. 9 hitter Grady Latta hit a slow roller to short. Clearcreek shortstop Nick Holland stumbled a bit and came up throwing, but Latta beat it out on a bang-bang play at first. Troyer, beating feet all the way, rounded third and continued for home, sliding in just under the tag in another bang-bang play at the plate."Yeah, we were a little late on each one of them," said Clearcreek coach Travis Stone."They were able to score on a routine grounder to short but credit to them. They really put pressure on us getting up the first base line and going from second to home. That was just a heads-up play."L-B's bashers at the top of the lineup tacked on one insurance run in what was almost a break-it-open seventh inning.Reid Irwin opened the inning with a grounder up the middle, his third hit of the day. Zach Elchert beat out an infield single, and Leatherman followed with a line drive to center. Irwin was thrown out at the plate on another close play, but Isaac Schworm followed with a blast to left. At least two runs would have scored had the ball stayed in the park, but it bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. Leatherman had to stop at third, Schworm at second and that's where they were when the inning ended.Leatherman then nailed it down with a strong seventh inning. He walked two batters, but also struck out two. He then got Breece Stone on a grounder to third that Elchert gobbled up and beat the runner to the bag for the final out."We had a chance there at the end to walk it off, actually two chances with two guys on base and two really good hitters (at bat)," Travis Stone said."When you look at the box score, when you look at the hits, the walks, the errors, that game could have really been a lopsided affair. I thought our kids fought like hell to keep the game manageable. They kept it competitive."L-B's first run was typical of the aggressive play on the basses that has been crucial in tournament. Connor Barbara led off the third inning with a double that one hopped the fence in left.Stone then replaced Aces starter Andrew Miller with Kemmerling, a senior right-hander. Irwin then put down a perfect bunt to the right of the mound and legged it out for an infield single. Barbara, running on the play, scored easily when a hurried throw to first was mishandled.L-Benton 001 001 1—3 11 3Clearcreek 000 010 0—2 2 2WP—Leathrerman. LP—Miller. TOP HITTERS: (L-B) Barbara 1B, 2B; Irwin 3-1B, RBI; I. Schworm 2B, RBI; Troyer 2-1B.