2023 Mid-State League
- Thread starter The Dock
- Start date
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
I dunno if I’m good, but, yeah, got to help call our last game. The odds of that happening is pretty rare (since it’s a combination of multiple things), but I did the best I could. Made the most of the opportunity.
Coach Buckeye
New member
Berne Union beat Newark Catholic 7-4 go on to play in District finals against Northmoor
StealCurtain
Member
Northmor’s defense was outstanding versus FCA. There were 4-5 highlight worthy plays that could have changed the game. They will be a tough out if they continue to play defense like that. They also barreled a lot of baseballs against a pitcher that several top teams struggled against this year.
Berne should be able to give them a game. They clearly will be confident after knocking off #1 seed Newark Catholic. I just wonder who is going to be on the mound? Moore?
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
The big bracket is hell.
I know it was kind of a “hold back (the big arm) and hope” approach for some of the teams last night. Berne was the only one that seemed to employ the ‘we need to win this however we can, and come what will may on Wednesday — if there is a Wednesday’ approach and threw the arm kitchen sink in Newark. In that situation, there was no other realistic chance of pulling the upset as NC’s batting order is a terror.
FCA had the right idea (for several reasons) — it’s just Northmor tatted a big third inning to cement home not just a (comparatively) big lead but also a “we’re going to keep attacking every pitch we like, hold off on the ones we don’t like and we’re going to do it as long as we can.” Northmor was a brick wall defensively, and their strategy of using the ‘2b’ arm to start (and sticking with him throughout) has set the table well for Wednesday. NC rolled the dice and came up snake eyes. Credit, though, to Berne for playing the better game and setting the tone early.
I know it was kind of a “hold back (the big arm) and hope” approach for some of the teams last night. Berne was the only one that seemed to employ the ‘we need to win this however we can, and come what will may on Wednesday — if there is a Wednesday’ approach and threw the arm kitchen sink in Newark. In that situation, there was no other realistic chance of pulling the upset as NC’s batting order is a terror.
FCA had the right idea (for several reasons) — it’s just Northmor tatted a big third inning to cement home not just a (comparatively) big lead but also a “we’re going to keep attacking every pitch we like, hold off on the ones we don’t like and we’re going to do it as long as we can.” Northmor was a brick wall defensively, and their strategy of using the ‘2b’ arm to start (and sticking with him throughout) has set the table well for Wednesday. NC rolled the dice and came up snake eyes. Credit, though, to Berne for playing the better game and setting the tone early.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
Great career for FCA’s seniors, especially the twins. They raised the standard of their program the moment they stepped foot. Carried the baton handed off to them by their older brother, and blazed the trail.
Hard way to end, but they can hang their hat on what was accomplished along the way and have a great opportunity to continue being teammates down the road at OCU.
Hard way to end, but they can hang their hat on what was accomplished along the way and have a great opportunity to continue being teammates down the road at OCU.
Coach Buckeye
New member
It was a great game It was definitely a huge win for Berne but the Fairfield County Sports Network guys said it right everyone on that team did something great to get that win defensively or offensively. Berne definitely wasn’t expected to make it even past the first tournament game but showed some grit threw out the season and carried that threw to the tournament. Hats off to Coaches of Berne Union for putting Sugar Grove back on the map for the first time since 1938.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
Yeah. This run, the district title, the road to make it happen, what it was looking like on paper and the various points where BU was under the gun in the process… running that distance, fighting through the obstacles and rallying on an [N runs > outs to spare] deficit to keep the season alive is just astronomical odds being beaten.
Some dudes on this year’s team that were on the field at Beavers in ‘21, the one that got away. To be able to turn the script, and come out on the more preferable side, that’s fantastic.
Have seen, or followed closely from afar, all of the Central District Titles in D4 the past 10-15 years. Never seen or come to know anything like what Berne pulled off, and certainly haven’t seen a District Champ like this year’s Berne.
Some dudes on this year’s team that were on the field at Beavers in ‘21, the one that got away. To be able to turn the script, and come out on the more preferable side, that’s fantastic.
Have seen, or followed closely from afar, all of the Central District Titles in D4 the past 10-15 years. Never seen or come to know anything like what Berne pulled off, and certainly haven’t seen a District Champ like this year’s Berne.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
Beware, the Raiders of ROO-shee...
Congrats! You've made it to the regionals. Plenty of reason to celebrate, especially in light of how far the team has come and how it's been a magical postseason to date. The amount of reasons to celebrate, and the general excitement, exceeds the amount of time left to work with in preparation for the Sweet 16.
It used to be the case that winning the D4 Central District title was as hard (if not harder than) winning the Regional Title that followed, but... due to the recent OHSAA reappropriation of the D4 Central District to Region 16 (the southwest region) and out of Region 15 (the southeast) -- because they stopped sending the East District champion to Region 13 (northeast) -- it's actually a much, much steeper hill to climb.
Hooray. We live in a big state, and playing in this regional gives you a firsthand glimpse as to how big the statewide baseball scene is outside of the Central District. Enjoy the moment, take it in; prepare well and play ball.
Russia: a familiar face to some Cardinal peers. Solid baseball. Good fundamentals. Very hard to beat them when they play a clean game defensively, but if they get into an error rut (and yes, they can) they can be beat.
Congrats! You've made it to the regionals. Plenty of reason to celebrate, especially in light of how far the team has come and how it's been a magical postseason to date. The amount of reasons to celebrate, and the general excitement, exceeds the amount of time left to work with in preparation for the Sweet 16.
It used to be the case that winning the D4 Central District title was as hard (if not harder than) winning the Regional Title that followed, but... due to the recent OHSAA reappropriation of the D4 Central District to Region 16 (the southwest region) and out of Region 15 (the southeast) -- because they stopped sending the East District champion to Region 13 (northeast) -- it's actually a much, much steeper hill to climb.
Hooray. We live in a big state, and playing in this regional gives you a firsthand glimpse as to how big the statewide baseball scene is outside of the Central District. Enjoy the moment, take it in; prepare well and play ball.
Russia: a familiar face to some Cardinal peers. Solid baseball. Good fundamentals. Very hard to beat them when they play a clean game defensively, but if they get into an error rut (and yes, they can) they can be beat.
Coach Buckeye
New member
Absolutely my oldest son remembers that loss it was his senior year
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
This regional sorta got kinked up when Loramie got upset. The last two years Russia has thrown the ace in the semi-final, but both years they had two really solid pitchers.
The 1A from ‘21 and ‘22, Grant Saunders, has since graduated. But, the 1B pitcher both years (the same kid that pitched the state title game, and won… out-dueling current Buckeye LHP Landon Price) is a senior this year. I’ve seen him pitch before in Legion and in HS (including this year); kid can pitch. All of those front-end rotation guys out west, be it Russia or Loramie, can pitch. Good pitching IQ, strong baselines, can hit different spots and adjust.
Tall task, but, heck, Berne’s faced plenty of tall tasks so far.
RollingTrain
Well-known member
I think the toughest Div. IV regional will be the NE this year
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
It looks like Calvert will have a somewhat easy Sweet 16 game. The other side looks harder with Dalton/Hillsdale v JFK.
Whetstone Braves Fan
Member
Congrats Berne Union. We will be pulling for you. See you in 2024 at Beavers Field again!
RollingTrain
Well-known member
Too bad there was such a stiff wind blowing in. Garrett Roach absolutely blasted two that went to the fence for Alder. On a normal day those balls are both over 400ft. The second one was maybe as hard of hit HS ball I’ve seen that would have given them the lead in the bottom of the 6th. Bottom line is you can’t have five errors on any day, let alone a district final.
RollingTrain
Well-known member
Lake Center Christian went 1-1 against JFK in the regular season and both games went 8 innings so we shall see. Calvert isn’t playing all that well right now for whatever reason. But that lineup has some serious beef (3-4-5 hitters all over 250lbs).
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
Good to know. My original point, via innuendo, was BC winning District for the (‘however many’) time in the last decade doesn’t always have to be on the front page; especially when there’s an underdog story in the same county that just won its first District crown since the interwar era.
StealCurtain
Member
There is not even an article at all from the Lancaster Eagle Gazette about Berne winning the district. Chad Cupp and that team deserve better! This is their first district title since the 1930s. Tom has his two go-tos: Lancaster and Bloom. Everyone else gets scraps.
StealCurtain
Member
I stand corrected, there was a write up today. I was looking for two days online and saw nothing.
The Dock
Persona Non Grata
Where?
Lancaster Eagle Gazette H.S. Sports Section
H.S. Sports news from Lancaster Eagle Gazette.
www.lancastereaglegazette.com
The UI for the HS sports page doesn’t show anything, even if you scroll down… until you see the win over NC (semi’s.)
It is toward the top of the page for Marion Star: https://www.marionstar.com/story/sp...toric-baseball-win-over-northmor/70250523007/
And, yes, I’m aware Rob covered it because Northmor is (somewhat) one of his teams to cover. But, the MS and the LEG are sister papers — most content appearing in either paper flows through the same central desk. In theory it should be on the LEG site, too.