Played within Metropolitan Stadium, former home of the hit-happy Minnesota Twins from the days of Rod Carew, Tony Olivia and Harmon Killebrew, it only seemed fitting that a true duel between two of the simulated high school baseball season’s best would come down to a late-inning blast.
After starting hurlers Jayden Elliott of Bellbrook and Mathew McMahan of Carroll battled to a 1-1 tie through nine innings, it took a Ben Borszcz walk-off blast in the 15th inning to give Bellbrook (4-0) a dramatic 2-1 win.
Doubles were involved in the early scoring for both teams.
First, host Bellbrook started things off with a Nolan Sizemore double into the power alley with one out in the first inning. With two out, Sizemore was able to scamper home on a single to left by Braden Norckauer.
Carroll (4-1) began the second inning with a Jacob Maurer single to center. Then with two out, Maurer raced all the way around to score on Andrew Sliper’s double to left that went to the wall.
As McMahan and Elliott settled into a pitcher’s duel, neither team’s offense seemed to be able to create much of a scoring threat.
Carroll came home with a bases loaded situation in the 11th, long after Elliott had made way for a Bellbrook reliever, but Golden Eagles third baseman Ethan Fryman threw out Justin Palette at home, and the next Patriot batter grounded out to first to end the only real late-inning scoring threat for Carroll.
Bellbrook was having an even tougher time of it. The Golden Eagles never had a base runner reach second before the Borszcz blast.
McMahan held Bellbrook to six hits in his nine innings on the mound. He struck out 11 Bellbrook batters and only walked one.
Elliott also gave up six hits, but did not walk anyone. He too struck out 11 foes.
In the extra innings, Carroll had at least one batter on base in all but the 15th inning.
Carroll out-hit Bellbrook 12-8, with Sliper and Maurer leading the way with four hits each.
Bellbrook’s Jake Todd was the lone Golden Eagle batter with more than one hit. He singled in the second and fifth innings. Borszcz had been 0-for-5 before hitting his two-out walk-off winner.
UP NEXT: The next scheduled high school baseball simulation will pit the Battlin’ Beavers of Beavercreek (3-0) against the Fairborn Skyhawks (1-2), at a game venue yet to be determined. Let us know if there is a stadium you would like featured.