35 YEARS AGO: Bellevue won area's only state baseball title with Schubert's arm, late-game heroics

BELLEVUE — Bellevue was one strike from a state baseball championship and the dugout was shifting into dogpile mode. Redmen coach Ed Nasonti held his team back as star pitcher Brian Schubert summoned one more quality fastball from a well-used right arm. With a runner on third base in the top of the seventh inning, Schubert struck out the final batter in Bellevue's come-from-behind 3-2 win over Wellston in the 1985 Class AA state championship game at Trautman Field on Ohio State University's campus. "Brian throws a fastball on the outside corner and froze the batter," Nasonti recalled. "We were in the first-base dugout. The ump turned sideways and you could see he was going to ring him up. It was like slow motion. I thought, 'We won this.' It was one of the greatest moments of my life in sports." Bellevue won that state title on June 1, 1985 — 35 years ago Monday. An improbable postseason run by the Redmen — who finished with a .500 record in conference play before riding Schubert's arm in the postseason — ended with what remains the only state baseball title by a Sandusky-area school. "It's really hard to win in baseball. You have to win eight games and have a little luck along the way," Nasonti said. "We had some rain when we needed it." The championship game was played on a Saturday morning and the team bus arrived back in Bellevue in the afternoon. The Redmen took a couple passes up and down Main Street and were met by a large, raucous crowd in the high school parking lot. "It's something I'll never forget," Schubert said. "The community really supported us. It was so much fun." Schubert's strong arm High school tournament ball is a one-and-done proposition, which makes pitching the great equalizer. Despite finishing 7-7 in the tough Northern Ohio League, Bellevue felt it could compete with any team when Schubert was on the mound. That's where he was at the start of all eight tourney games. Timely rain and a couple blowouts gave the Bellevue ace needed rest in the first three rounds of the postseason, but two games in two days in Columbus would test Schubert's resolve — and Nasonti's nerve. Bellevue edged Steubenville Central Catholic 6-4 in the state semifinals as Schubert struck out nine while throwing a lot of pitches. "As soon as the game was over we put Brian's arm on ice," said Nasonti. The next day, the young coach faced a decision that wouldn't even be considered today. Could Schubert pitch in the championship game? Before Bellevue met Wellston for the title on a Saturday morning, Nasonti chatted up No. 2 pitcher Mark Ziegler. "We were really concerned. I remember telling Mark that if Brian can't go you might have to pitch in the championship game. His face turned white," Nasonti said. "I probably asked Brian three or four times, 'How's your am feeling?' " Turns out it was feeling fine, lively even. Assistant coach John Howard kept a close eye on Schubert in the pregame bullpen and liked what he saw. "If his arm was hurting we weren't going to throw him, but he said he felt good," Nasonti said. "John even said he was throwing harder than the day before." Schubert rose to the occasion and struck out 10 Wellston batters while giving up no earned runs. He pitched back-to-back four-hitters to top off a fabulous postseason run. Bellevue went 8-0, and so did Schubert. At the time, the 6-foot-4 junior with the reliable fastball and wicked curve thought nothing of the heavy workload. "I get asked that a lot, and I would do it all over in a heartbeat," said Schubert, who now is Bellevue's athletic director. "It didn't phase me at all. We were in an era where you didn't think about pitch counts. I understand the concerns, but it was a different time." Rally time Despite Schubert's strong pitching, Bellevue found itself trailing Wellston 2-0 when the Redmen came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. Tim Schwartz reached on an error and Chris Missler — the team's leading hitter with a .390 average — singled to put two runners on. Steve Falter, who earlier in the game was called out for missing home plate, costing his team a valuable run, crushed his second double of the game to score pinch-runner Chris Miano, pulling Bellevue to within 2-1. That set the stage for more heroics. With one out, Mike Strayer stepped to the plate and fell behind in the count 1-and-2. He responded by ripping a shot down the left-field line that hit the fence, scoring Missler and Falter, who left no doubt that the go-ahead run would count. "He stomped his foot right on the middle of the plate," Nasonti said. Strayer, admiring his dramatic hit, stopped at first base. "We thought it might go out," said Nasonti, who was coaching at third. "I think he was too excited (to run)." The hitting heroics weren't the only big plays that day for Bellevue. In the top of the fourth, right fielder Randy Drennan overran a Wellston single. The runner tried to reach third, but Drennan's throw to second baseman Scott Collins was relayed to third baseman Jeff Doster in time to gun down the runner, who had rounded the bag. An inning later, Schwartz, the catcher, threw out a runner attempting to steal third base. Schubert appreciated the backup. "We had good athletes," he said. "You give Bellevue kids quality coaching and show them you care and are there for the right reasons, the proof is in the pudding." Close calls Bellevue won two close ones in Columbus, but the Redmen were used to tight games. They won their sectional opener by scoring three late runs to defeat Willard 7-4. Bellevue, which had lost twice to Willard in the regular season, rode a two-run homer by Falter in the seventh. The Redmen didn't look like championship material on that chilly day. The game was close and they didn't have many fans at Perkins High School because Bellevue's track invitational was held at the same time. Still, the timely win gave the Redmen a boost of confidence. After hammering Perkins in the sectional final, the Redmen made another amazing comeback, scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh to edge Colonel Crawford 7-6 in a district opener. Mark Hansard delivered the game-winning triple. The Redmen routed Huron to advance to the regional. A 5-2 win over Milbury Lake set up a showdown against two-time defending state champion Coldwater, a school with one of the best athletic pedigrees in Ohio. Schubert knew nothing of the Cavaliers' postseason history. "Sometimes there's more pressure when you're playing local teams for the third time," he said. "I didn't know who Coldwater was." Schubert, who would go on to play at Kent State and be named Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year as a senior, struck out 13 and hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to give the Redmen a 4-2 lead. They would hold on for a 4-3 victory and a trip to Columbus. It was a great accomplishment for an unranked team that finished just 14-8 in the regular season. Despite the early tournament magic, there were still plenty of doubters. Dennis Sabo, a photographer for the Bellevue Gazette, wasn't sure the Redmen could defeat mighty Coldwater. He drove to the regional game in Lima with his father, who exuded more confidence. "He's 95 and still gives me crap: 'Remember the time you thought they were going to lose?' I just wasn't sure we could defeat the defending champs," Sabo said. Baseball dad Another Bellevue baseball dad shared some timely wisdom with his son at a critical moment in the tournament. Schubert was laboring in the state semifinal game when Nasonti heard a familiar voice. "I was standing in the dugout thinking, 'He's aiming it.' All of a sudden my dad sticks his head around the dugout and says, 'Hey, Ed, you gotta go talk to him,' " Nasonti said. "We've got bases loaded, one out, but we got out of that inning and ended up hanging on." Nasonti's father, Sandy, now 88, worked at a factory and didn't see a lot of his son's games. When the trip to Columbus was discussed, Sandy initially balked. "He said, 'I'm not going to black cat you guys,' " Nasonti recalled his dad saying. "I said, 'You're going, dad.' " It turned out to be the right decision. After the Redmen clinched the championship, Sandy and Ed Nasonti posed for a photo outside the dugout, a father's pride readily apparent. After the game, Nasonti, who was just 26 years old and in his third season as head coach, remembers a business-like atmosphere in the locker room. "I don't think any of us realized the magnitude of it all," he said. "The older you get, the more you appreciate it." A day later six of the players graduated, capping an unforgettable weekend. Nasonti, a three-sport star at Bellevue before playing college football at Toledo, would coach the baseball team seven more seasons and took over as Bellevue's football coach in 1991. He's led the Redmen to 230 football victories and will soon begin his 40th season in coaching. Schubert, whose dad Sam was Bellevue's basketball coach in the 1970s before a long stint as athletic director, appreciated what his young coach brought to the team. "Coach was very much respected and a very good motivator," Schubert said. "You knew he always had your back and was fighting for you. He was always prepared. We couldn't have been more ready." ----- ----- Bellevue's 1985 postseason run SECTIONAL Willard, W 7-4 Perkins, W 15-1 DISTRICT Col. Crawford, W 7-6 Huron, W 16-3 REGIONAL Milbury Lake, W 5-2 Coldwater, W 4-3 STATE FINALS Steubenville CC, W 6-4 Wellston, W 3-2 ----- Redmen roster Seniors Scott Collins, Rich Dendinger, Jeff Doster, Steve Falter, Mark Lehmkuhl, Tim Schwartz Juniors Neil Carlson, Newt Daiello, Randy Drennan, Mark Hansard, Chris Miano, Brian Schubert, Ed Sieger, Mike Strayer, Paul Trickett, Mark Ziegler Sophomores Eric Keefer, Chris Missler