Bellevue sweeps Vermilion, sets up clear title scenario

BELLEVUE — Bellevue's baseball players woke up Saturday with a big day ahead of them. The Redmen hosted Vermilion in a pair of must-win baseball games, then had prom in the evening. The best way to have a good prom? Win those two ballgames first. "That's a thing I was thinking about," Bellevue senior Tyler Ray said. "We had a one-inning game coming up, and one inning could've ruined my whole senior prom." Bellevue (11-7, 7-3 SBC Lake) made sure to keep the spirits up. First was the completion of a game that started on April 19 and was called after 10 innings tied 4-4. The Redmen scored three in the 11th to win 7-4 on Saturday morning. Then came the regularly scheduled contest, in which Bellevue struck for three early runs and held on late in a 5-3 victory over the Sailors (6-11, 3-8). "We haven't been a great first-inning team this year, but we knew we had to get out early and get some baserunners on," Bellevue junior Cody Lindsey said. The pair of wins keeps Bellevue in control of its SBC Lake Division destiny. The Redmen host Tiffin Columbian (11-7, 7-2) on Monday and wrap up the league slate against Sandusky on Friday. If the Redmen win those two games, they'll earn no worse than a share of the league championship. That idea would've seemed a bit far-fetched in the early going when an inexperienced group dropped its first two league contests. But Bellevue has hit its stride at the right time. "I've got a lot of really good kids, high-character kids," Bellevue coach Andy Dennings said. "I've got kids that believe in the team and expected to win… We just have been playing a little better." Saturday's proceedings began with the 11th-inning resumption, a weird spot for both teams. Bellevue had to play as the visiting team on its home field, and it was essentially a one-inning game unless both teams failed to score. "It's one of those where you really just don't know," Dennings said. "You prepare like it's the first inning of the game, but you're like hey, we've got to get one. Make them chase and make them worry when it's weirdly on our field with them as the home team." Seth Bova sparked the Redmen in the top of the 11th with a one-out single to right-center, then Dylan Barger's speed put pressure on the defense to force an error on a groundball. Vermilion got a popout for the second out, then chose to intentionally walk Ray and load the bases for Zayne Claus. Before Claus could put the ball in play, a low pitch skipped away from the catcher and created chaos. Bova hesitated, then sprinted home. The throw toward the plate was wide, which brought Barger wheeling around third to score, too. "I joked with (Bova), 'If you went when I told you to go, we might've only gotten one run that inning,'" Dennings said. "He hesitated, which created more of a wild scramble around there. Obviously that worked in our favor." Ray, who began the play leading off first, was soon racing for third base as Barger ran home. Vermilion tried to throw out Ray at third, but the throw sailed into left field. So Ray headed home, too, sliding gracefully head first across the turf batter's box before hopping up to flex and let out a scream. "Thought I'd take a chance and break for home," Ray said. "Slid in there and it sealed the deal pretty much." Barger pitched the bottom of the 11th and allowed a single and a walk but no runs. He painted a full-count pitch on the outside corner for a strikeout looking to secure the rapid win. "Dylan did a nice job on the mound there," Dennings said. Bellevue carried that momentum into the next game. Claus tossed a scoreless first, then the Redmen scored three. They only notched one hit in the inning, but three walks and two errors put Bellevue out in front 3-0. Carter Ruffing delivered an RBI single during the frame, hitting the ball hard the other way through the right side. "We rolled into the second one with some good momentum," Dennings said. Vermilion answered with two in the third on RBI singles from AJ Gerber and Logan Peterson, but Bellevue got those two right back in the bottom half. Lindsey delivered an RBI single, and a grounder from Tyson Baptista that was misplayed allowed another run to score. The day's biggest pitch came in the fourth, after Vermilion had loaded the bases and got a run home to pull within 5-3. Claus was laboring, trying to finish off the frame himself, and induced a grounder up the middle. Shortstop Sam Hosang ranged to his left, flipped underhand to Baptista at second, and Baptista quickly fired to Logan Damron at first for the 6-4-3 double play to escape. "That was a big one," Dennings said. "Zayne was a little tired. We were just trying to get through the fourth with all the games we've got coming." Bellevue wouldn't score any more runs, but neither would Vermilion. One big right-hander replaced another as Lindsey took the mound and earned the extended save with three hitless innings, including a five-pitch fifth. "Coach Dennings told me earlier in the week there was a chance I might have to come in in relief," Lindsey said. "Just had to get my mind right before." Lindsey polished off the win with a 1-2-3 seventh, getting a lineout to Barger in center before groundouts to Kaden Cramer and then Baptista ended the game. Bellevue only struck out one hitter in the seven innings between Claus and Lindsey, but the defense handled almost all chances smoothly. "Cody came in and was really clean and crisp," Dennings said. "... That's two games in a row we've played well defensively." It's quite the spot for Bellevue to be in. The Redmen started the season 1-3, losing league contests to Norwalk and Perkins right off the bat. It looked like the case of a team with a lot of young players new to the varsity level just not quite being ready. But all of a sudden, Bellevue proved itself with a five-game winning streak in mid-April that included victories over Sandusky, Columbian and Clyde. A second down spell didn't deter the youthful Redmen, either, and they got the ship back on course. The winding road has set up one of the games of the season Monday in Bellevue against Columbian. With a lot to play for and a rival from Tiffin coming to town, the Redmen will surely be ready. "We can't be looking ahead," Ray said. "Tiffin's a good team. We've got to get them." Completion of April 19 game Bellevue 200 200 000 03 — 7 11 3Vermilion 101 200 000 00 — 4 3 1 WP: Barger. LP: Schwarck 2B: (B) Ray Game 2 Vermilion 002 100 0 — 3 4 3Bellevue 302 000 x — 5 5 2 WP: Claus. LP: Schwarck. SV: Lindsey