Margaretta's upset bid ends with Gibsonburg run in 8th

FREMONT — Margaretta nearly pulled off an upset using small ball, then got beat when Gibsonburg manufactured the biggest run of the game. The Golden Bears scored in the bottom of the eighth inning to turn back the Polar Bears 4-3 in a Division VI district semifinal at Alumni Field on Wednesday. Gibsonburg leadoff batter Reese Walby led off the bottom of the eighth with a line drive smash off the glove of Margaretta shortstop Robbie LaCourse for an infield hit. Grant Dawson followed with a slow chopper to third and reached base. Two batters, nothing out of the infield. Walby then took off (no sign from his coach) and had third stolen easily. Margaretta catcher Memphis McKenzie fired to third, but the ball sailed into left field and Walby jogged home with the winning run. "He took it; Reese has a great baseball IQ," Gibsonburg coach Kyle Rase said. "I'm fine with him doing that because he has a good mind and good experience. Great competitor. I joked that it worked like we drew it up — steal third and the ball goes into left field. "I've coached 20 years and I don't know if we've ever won a game like that. We'll take it — it's the tournament and we'll move on." Gibsonburg, the top seed in the district, improved to 18-6 and will play Evergreen in the district final at 5 p.m. Friday. Both teams finished with four hits and three errors. Gibsonburg starter Nolan Hoover, an All-Ohio pitcher who will play next year at Terra State, struck out 14 and threw 125 pitches while going the distance. "I still feel good; I've been training for it," Hoover said. "A situation like today when they need me, I can go that far. It worked out well. I was focused on getting ahead in the count and not giving them pitches they want to swing at." Hoover was batting when Walby won the game with his legs. "I was preparing to bunt and saw him take off," Hoover said. "It's all on Reece for good baserunning, being aggressive and getting it done." Sixth-seeded Margaretta (11-18) was thinking upset till the end. Leadoff batter Zach Gray reached four times on three hits and a walk. He stole two bases and scored the game's first two runs. Gray led off the game with an infield hit and and scored on a passed ball. He reached on another infield hit in the third and went to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Bren Smith grounded to short and Gray scored to give Margaretta a 2-0 lead. Gibsonburg's Grant Dawson smashed a two-run, two-out triple to right field to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third. Margaretta regained the lead in the fourth when Isaac Lochotzki reached on an error and scored on Carter Kelley's groundout. The Polar Bears almost scored again in the fifth after Gray walked and stole second. With one out, a third strike got away from Gibsonburg catcher Thomas Hockenberry, who threw to first as Gray rounded third. Spencer Waugaman's return throw was perfect and Gray was out at the plate. "It was a bang-bang play at home," Margaretta coach Ray Neill said. "Give their first baseman credit — he made a good throw when he had to make a good throw. If he makes any throw off the base either way, Zach's safe." With the Polar Bears leading 3-2 in the sixth, Hoover walked and eventually scored on an error with one out to tie the game. "We had two strikes on a batter and a runner got to third on a breaking ball," Neill said. "We pulled the infield in and got a ground ball right at one of our infielders but just didn't make the play." Margaretta got a strong start on the mound from Brayden Windau, who went the first four innings before being relieved by Lochotzki and Mason Kromer. "I'm proud of my kids for getting here and battling today," Neill said. "We made one of the better pitchers in the area throw 125 pitches. There were some tough plays that we've been making that we didn't make today that helped them get some guys across the white plate. "The sad part is we've got guys who were getting better at the end of the year and having fun and the season's over. We've gotten better. Our approach is better, our energy is better — all that stuff." Margaretta 101 100 00 — 3 4 3Gibsbonburg 002 001 01 — 4 4 3 WP: Hoover. LP: Kromer 3B: (G) Dawson