Maxwell's masterpiece leads St. Paul

May 4—NORWALK — For two years, Kole Maxwell watched and learned.

After the third inning on Thursday, the St. Paul junior pitcher couldn't help but think of past standouts he shared the baseball diamond with — including one of his own siblings.

Then as the Firelands Conference game against Western Reserve wore on, Maxwell went places almost no high school pitcher has ever gone.

In the 2-0 win over the Roughriders, Maxwell struck out 20 batters out of the 21 outs he recorded in a complete-game one-hit shutout at Norwalk Area Contractors Park.

The performance wasn't just a single-game record at St. Paul. It also goes down as one of the greatest pitched games in Ohio history.

The 20 strikeouts in a seven-inning game is unofficially the 18th in OHSAA history. It's the 27th such game of 20 or 21 strikeouts in a seven-inning game.

"That's awesome," Maxwell said of the state record book. "I don't even know what else to say, because I didn't think I'd ever be on that list."

For the game, Maxwell threw 111 pitches, with 85 strikes (76 percent). Thirteen of the 20 strikeouts were swinging. He threw 21 first-pitch strikes to the 27 batters faced.

In a game that had few baserunners and just two runs in the bottom of the sixth, St. Paul head coach Aaron Fries said his ace pitcher carried the Flyers in more ways than one.

"His competitive spirit willed us to victory on a day we did not play particularly well," Fries said after the Flyers improved to 10-9 overall and 6-4 in the FC. "Sometimes you need somebody to grab the bull by the horns, and Kole was that guy today."

Maxwell lost his no-hit bid in the top of the sixth when starting pitcher Chris Buchanan — who pitched a great game in his own right for the Roughriders (8-8, 5-5) — hit a one-out single deep in the hole at third base.

While admitting he never once thought about the no-hitter to avoid jinxing himself, Maxwell did realize he had struck out eight batters in a row to start the game. The third out of the third inning was a runner caught stealing.

"At that point, I thought of my ex-teammate Scotty (Adelman) and how he used to put up huge K numbers," Maxwell said. "Around that point, I thought I had a chance to do that."

Adelman led the Flyers to 19 wins and the FC title in 2021, and is currently pitching for NCAA Division II Tiffin University. Maxwell also had a front row seat last season with older brother, Kaden, who also had big pitching performances for the Flyers.

But on Thursday, it was Kole cementing himself with another dominant outing against the 'Riders — which he admitted was key.

Back on April 18, Maxwell also threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Western Reserve in Collins.

"I pitched like I did any other day, but I think it helped that I knew their lineup," Maxwell said. "That was the first time I faced a team twice in my career, and I knew what pitches to throw from the game a couple of weeks ago. I did my homework, and it helped a lot."

Despite the performance, the 'Riders had every opportunity to take the lead in the top of the sixth in a scoreless game.

Cooper Zunis walked, then Buchanan's single put runners on first and third with one out. After an eight-pitch at-bat against Logan Weigel — who had the lone non-strikeout with a ground ball out in the fourth — ended in a strikeout, Buchanan advanced to second.

But with two runners in scoring position, Maxwell got Rhett Grose to strikeout for his 17th of the game.

In the bottom of the sixth, Ashton Stang reached on an error and Maxwell walked for two runners with no outs. Buchanan then got a strikeout and a fielder's choice around a walk to Jacob Bocock, but then came the lone runs of the game.

On an 0-1 pitch, Maxwell was able to score on a wild pitch, then an error on the same pitch allowed Bocock to score for the game's only two runs.

"Kole got a great jump on a ball in the dirt," Fries said. "He did a great job, not only with his performance on the mound, but with his base running."

In the top of the seventh, Western had a two-out baserunner on an error, but Maxwell struck out the side for the fifth time in the game to end it.

Buchanan also allowed just one base hit — with the runner caught stealing at second base in the first inning — in the defeat. He struck out seven and walked six with the two unearned runs in six innings. He threw 109 pitches (56 strikes).

Maxwell is now 4-2 with a 0.38 ERA in six appearances. He's allowed two earned runs on 15 hits with 70 strikeouts and 15 walks in 36 2/3 innings.

"I think last year I underperformed," said Maxwell, who pitches for the T3 Warhawks out of Avon in travel baseball.

"This past year I put in a lot of work with travel baseball and the weight room, and I think it just shows on the mound."

Out of the FC race, Maxwell is hoping recent performances can give the team a boost heading into the sectional tournament in the near future.

"I think our record doesn't describe the team we have," he said. "Thomas (Zuccaro) has been exceptional all year at catcher and in the batter's box, but we have young guys and veterans making plays. I think we have put the work in and can still break through come tournament time."

W. Reserve 000 000 0 — 0 1 2

St. Paul 000 002 x — 2 1 3

WP: Maxwell; LP: Buchanan