`Creek, Troy playoff ready

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BEAVERCREEK — Both Troy and Beavercreek still had an opening date on their regular season baseball schedules, and both were still alive in the Division I sectional post season, so the two Greater Western Ohio Conference teams met up for one final regular season game on Tuesday, May 16 at Beavercreek High School.

“This will absolutely help both of us,” Troy coach Ty Welker said. “When we made it past the second round (in the sectionals), we still had two rainout dates. One of the teams was Kenton Ridge, and we played them (Monday). Fairmont was the other one, but they were eliminated.

“Within 15 minutes time, I had 4-5 schools wanting to know if we would play. Brandon (Long, Beavercreek’s coach) was the first to call. And knowing that we will be playing Springboro here (on Thursday, May 18 in the sectional title game), I asked him if we could come to his place to play. … An extra day of seeing ground balls here, should help us.”

The game was almost more help than either team expected.

Troy (17-12) scored a run in the fifth, another in the sixth, then three more in its top half of the seventh to even things up at 5-all.

Hayden Kotwica and Cole Brogan each tripled and eventually scored for the Trojans. Kotwica, Jake Daniel and Jacob Adams each scored unearned runs in the seventh to knot things up. Kotwica, Brogan and Brandon Emery had two hits each.

But the Beavers’ Joey Riedel smacked a one-out sacrifice fly to right field to score Treyben Funderburg with the game-winning run in Beavercreek’s bottom of the seventh.

Funderburg led Beavercreek (17-7) with a pair of hits (including a double), two walks and two runs scored. Corey Jordison hit a ground-rule double over the left-field fence. He also walked and scored a run in the Beavers’ win.

With the playoffs in mind, Troy used a dozen different batters, four pitchers and a courtesy runner. Beavercreek also sent a dozen players up to bat and used four pitchers.

“We had just beaten Miamisburg, and (Troy) had just defeated Fairborn, so coach Welker and I figured that a live game is always better than a practice,” Long said. “They have a solid program, and we knew it would be a good game to get us ready for Thursday.”

Both Troy and Beavercreek will play in their respective bracket sectional finals at 5 p.m. Thursday. The teams and their fans wished each other good luck after Tuesday’s contest.

No. 9 seed Troy will take on No. 2 seed Springboro in the Dayton 2 Bracket sectional title game at Beavercreek High, with the winner of that contest taking on either West Chester Lakota West or Cincinnati La Salle, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 20 at Centerville High School.

Seventh seeded Beavercreek meets up with top-seeded Vandalia Butler at Centerville High that same day in the Dayton 3 bracket sectional final. The Butler-Beavercreek winner will advance to play either Fairfield or Kings Mills Kings at 1:30 p.m. Saturday May 20 at Cincinnati Walnut Hills High School.

Troy batter Hayden Kotwica lays off an outside pitch, during Tuesday’s May 16 high school baseball game at Beavercreek High. The host Beavers won, 6-5, on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/05/web1_Troy10_PS.jpgTroy batter Hayden Kotwica lays off an outside pitch, during Tuesday’s May 16 high school baseball game at Beavercreek High. The host Beavers won, 6-5, on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek first baseman Brandon Harroff awaits the pick-off throw as Troy’s Brandon Emery dives safely back, in the second inning of Tuesday’s May 16 contest at Beavercreek High School.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/05/web1_T1diveB18_PS.jpgBeavercreek first baseman Brandon Harroff awaits the pick-off throw as Troy’s Brandon Emery dives safely back, in the second inning of Tuesday’s May 16 contest at Beavercreek High School. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Troy sophomore Jacob Adams fouls off a second-inning pitch, in a May 16 high school game against host Beavercreek.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/05/web1_jacobAdams_PS.jpgTroy sophomore Jacob Adams fouls off a second-inning pitch, in a May 16 high school game against host Beavercreek. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Assistant coach Steve Long throws batting practice to a Beavercreek junior varsity player, prior to Tuesday’s varsity high school game against visiting Troy.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/05/web1_B21battingPracticeStLong_PS.jpgAssistant coach Steve Long throws batting practice to a Beavercreek junior varsity player, prior to Tuesday’s varsity high school game against visiting Troy. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Beavercreek High coach Brandon Long (far right) goes over the ground rules with Troy coach Ty Welker (far left) and the OHSAA umpires, prior to Tuesday’s May 16 high school baseball game in Beavercreek.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/05/web1_WelkerLongUmps_PS.jpgBeavercreek High coach Brandon Long (far right) goes over the ground rules with Troy coach Ty Welker (far left) and the OHSAA umpires, prior to Tuesday’s May 16 high school baseball game in Beavercreek. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Sophomore lefthander Mitch Sumner delivers a pitch midway through Tuesday’s May 16 high school baseball game against visiting Troy.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2017/05/web1_B11Pitcher_PS.jpgSophomore lefthander Mitch Sumner delivers a pitch midway through Tuesday’s May 16 high school baseball game against visiting Troy. John Bombatch | Greene County News

By John Bombatch

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Contact John Bombatch at 937-372-4444, Ext. 2123.

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