Baseball: Hartley Hawks overcome midseason lull to reach OHSAA Division II state semifinal
Losers of three games in a row and with a 9-6 record in early May, the Hartley baseball season was at a crossroads.
“With the downs we went through, were we really going to get back up and have a good season or were we just going to let everything die?” senior center fielder DuShaun Tucker said. “Our goal, with nine seniors, we wanted to make the season really memorable. We sparked back up and just kept going.”
The Hawks responded to the midseason lull by winning five of six to close the regular season, and they upset top-seeded Granville 12-5 on May 25 to win a Division II district championship despite being a No. 7 seed.
“It’s just special,” senior third baseman and pitcher Dimitri Boumis said. “With this group of guys it was rocky through the middle of the year, but (we) really (came) together.”
Hartley’s spirit showed in the sixth inning of the state semifinal.
After the Hilltoppers scored five times in the top of the inning, the Hawks responded with four runs and had a runner on second before the rally ended.
Eight of the program’s nine seniors were key contributors as Hartley competed at state for just the third time, with the others coming in 1991 when it lost in a semifinal and in 1996 when it won the Division IV title.
“It was fun, and these guys tomorrow or in a couple days will know it,” coach Tim Heinmiller said. “It hurts so much more when you make it this far and you lose. We lost in a district semifinal last year and we had just as much talent. We challenged them at the beginning of the year not to be afraid of success, and they stepped into it. Everybody bought in and everybody had a role. We’re just going to keep (our) heads up. ... I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Senior Emmett Gillies, an Akron commit, threw 118 pitches and gave up three earned runs in six innings against Chardon. It was his only losing decision during a season in which he went 7-1 with a 1.56 ERA.
He also went 2-for-4 and scored one run against the Hilltoppers.
Alex Blain (SS), Lukas Graham (DH), Landen Paulus (RF), Alex Ramicone (OF) and Jake Scurlock (2B) were other seniors who played key roles.
Junior Peyton Underwood, who was one of the team’s top pitchers and started at catcher, finished second in RBI with 26. Boumis led with 27.
Sophomore Rory Ralston (INF) had a pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth against Chardon, and sophomores Gavin Feeney (OF) and Donovan Tucker (INF) were pinch runners in the state semifinal.
Sophomore Brendan Laret played first base and started four games at pitcher.
Sophomore Warren Markwood played third base when Boumis wasn’t pitching.
Junior Matthew Geist (P/INF) and freshman Malcolm Gillies (1B/OF) are others who will look to fill bigger roles next season.
Hartley went a combined 35-17 the last two seasons.
“One thing that separated (the senior class) is that we all worked,” Graham said. “Our junior year we were young, but we all fought as a team. We got to our senior year and it was game time. We came together as a family and we fought until the end. We’re the third team to (reach the state tournament) in Hartley history, so I can’t complain. I love these guys.”
julrey@thisweeknews.com
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HARTLEY BASEBALL
•Record: 19-10 overall
•CCL standings: St. Charles (6-2), Watterson (6-2), Hartley (5-3), DeSales (3-5), Ready (0-8)
•Seniors lost: Alex Blain, Dimitri Boumis, Blake Franz, Emmett Gillies, Lukas Graham, Landen Paulus, Alex Ramicone, Jake Scurlock and DuShaun Tucker
•Key returnees: Brendan Laret, Warren Markwood, Rory Ralston, Donovan Tucker and Peyton Underwood
•Postseason: Def. Heath 12-0, def. Jonathan Alder 2-1, def. Granville 12-5, def. Washington Court House 5-2, def. Steubenville 5-0, lost to Chardon 6-5 in Division II state semifinal
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Baseball: Hartley overcomes lull to reach state semifinal
