Perkins falls a run short in state championship game

AKRON — Perkins' run to a state baseball championship hit a roadblock at third base. The Pirates had four baserunners reach third without scoring in the Division IV state championship game Sunday morning at Canal Park. That proved to be the difference in a 3-2 loss to Mentor Lake Catholic. The Cougars scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and turned back a bases-loaded Perkins rally in the top of the seventh to win the first baseball title in Lake Catholic history. "We played hard; one inning will get you," Perkins coach TJ Blanton said. "One inning there we gave up three, but for the most part we outplayed them. We outhit them. Defensively, I thought we played better. "It was a great game and came down to the last pitch. That's baseball." Perkins, making its first trip to the title game, had nobody on with two out in the seventh when Carter Koch was hit by a pitch. Sam Schweinfurth followed with a single to center on an 0-2 curveball from Tyler Hribar, who relieved LC starter Shea Sievers in the fourth inning and did not allow a run. "We're always gonna fight," Schweinfurth said. "I was thinking curve ball because it was 0-2. I was thinking he was gonna try to throw me some junk. I was sitting on it. I saw it and drove it up the middle." Bryce Davie loaded the bases when LC's shortstop couldn't handle a ground ball to his right. That brought the Pirates' leading hitter, Dylan Crabtree, to the plate. Perkins' lone senior fell behind in the count 0-2 before hitting a fly ball to shallow left field. Sean Walsh caught it and the Pirates ended their season with a 22-10 record. "That's a big moment," Blanton said. "Our only senior, and either way I was gonna be proud of him. He had a helluva season; nothing to hang his head about. He took control of this team and did his job this year. "The good thing for him is this is not his last baseball game. He's going off to play college baseball (at Findlay)." Perkins had hits in six of seven innings and took a 1-0 lead in the first when Crabtree singled, stole second and third and scored when the catcher AJ Trobenter's throw went into left field. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the second. Kash Koch led off with a double and Blake Parker walked. They both moved up a base on a double steal. Kash Koch scored on a Carter Koch groundout to shortstop, but Parker was stranded at third when Schweinfurth lined out to left. In the fourth, Kash Koch singled with one out. He went to third on a Quentin Binette single but was out trying to score on a wild pitch. In the fifth, LC's Trobenter caught Davie stealing after Perkins' leadoff hitter singled. "We were gonna live and die with our aggressiveness," Blanton said. "We're not gonna change our game style because they throw one guy out. We're gonna keep challenging. "We stole a few in the first two innings and then he threw a couple guys out. We were trying to put our guys in position where if we get a base hit, we score. The catcher made some good throws." The Cougars (26-4) broke through in the fifth inning with three runs. Perkins starting pitcher Talon Walton — who faced 10 total batters in the second, third and fourth innings — gave up a leadoff double to Walsh to start the bottom of the fifth. Walks to the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters loaded the bases. "I just couldn't find the zone, struggling out there," Walton said. "I gave up some walks and they started hitting." After Walton got leadoff hitter Caden Boyes to pop out, Trobenter — who had two of LC's five hits — drove in two runs with a single to tie the game at 2-2. Brayden Mann singled to deliver what proved to be the game-winning run. "They had that one inning. I think we outplayed them," Kash Koch said. "The umpire got a tight zone and we had to adjust to it the best we could. It definitely tightened up that inning they scored three runs. Basically, Talon had to throw it right over the middle. Anything else was a ball." Perkins had another chance in the sixth when Crabtree reached on an error and was awarded second base on the overthrow. Braxden Martin's sacrifice bunt put Crabtree on third with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended the threat. Hribar got the pitching win with 3 1/3 scoreless innings. The junior did not pitch in the Cougars' first six tournament games. "I was just looking to keep my team in the game," Hribar said. "I knew our offense would be able to come back if I kept it to two. I was looking to establish my fastball and work my curve ball in for strikes so I could control the hitters' mindset." He got ahead in the count to get Crabtree for the final out. "I wanted to get the last batter and don't overthrow and throw a wild pitch," he said. "It was a fastball, high and outside. I pointed up and I knew my left fielder would get to it." Lake Catholic coach Brian Leroy had no qualms about using Hribar in a pressure situation. "Our guys have gone the distance in most of the (tournament) games," he said. "We had a plan today — Shea to Tyler then Frankie (Trinetti) if we needed him. (Hribar is) a great mixup guy between those two. We trust Tyler. He's been great all year and we had no problem putting him out there. He's a tough kid." He had to be in the final inning. "It's a state final; you're not gonna have an easy time of it," Leroy said. "Great teams are all that's left. We knew they were gonna put some guys on. We just had to finish it out." Perkins — which made previous trips to the final four in 2007 and 2014 before losing in the semifinals — is looking forward to making another run next year. "At the beginning of the season we had some tough losses, but we fought through them," Walton said. "No one saw us going this far. We made a name for ourselves." A large crowd of Perkins fans turned out for the game at the home of the Akron RubberDucks, the Cleveland Guardians' Double-A affiliate. The weather was perfect Sunday — 74 degrees. It was the Pirates' second state runner-up trophy in a major sport this school year. Six of the nine baseball starters played for the Perkins football team that was a state runner-up last December. The experience of winning five baseball tournament games should give a boost to a seasoned group of returning players in 2026. "Just getting down here is amazing," said Kash Koch, one of five junior starters. "We lost and it's gonna sting, but we return 19 guys so our goal is to be right back here next year and win the whole thing." Perkins 110 000 0 — 2 7 1Lake Catholic 000 030 X — 3 5 3 WP: Hribar. LP: Walton 2B: (P) K. Koch; (LC) Trobenter, Walsh