Fenwick started in high gear against the Spartans in advancing to a sectional title game next Thursday against either Badin or Bellbrook at West Carrollton. The Badin-Bellbrook game will be played Friday.
“This is how we have played all year,” Fenwick second baseman Jared Kauffman said after going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored while driving in a run. “Coach has preached getting the next base all year. Out of the box, we are thinking two (bases).”
The Falcons took a 2-0 lead in the first when Kauffman scored on a wild pitch and Jim Gephart scored on Matt Davenport’s ground out.
Fenwick tacked four more on in the second inning thanks to three Valley View errors for a 6-0 lead that was never really threatened.
“The first couple of innings, we didn’t show up,” Valley View coach Josh Sears said after his squad finished 4-16. “But our emotions picked up once we knew we could be in the game. I’m very proud of these guys and how they battled, but when you are down six, it is tough to come back.”
The Spartans got their lone run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Woods, but left two runners on. Valley View also loaded the bases in the sixth with one out and could not score.
“Sometimes we get complacent,” Kauffman said. “One bad at-bat turns into another and we just have to find a way to get our energy picked back up because it is contagious.”
The Falcons got an RBI single from Cameron Gallo in the fourth and plated three runs in the fifth on singles by Joe Sora and Gephart before ending the game with a shot down the third-base line with two outs in the sixth by Alan Nix that scored Davenport.
“Hopefully this builds our confidence,” Maus said. “We are used to playing five days a week, and now we play two games and sit three and that can be hard to do. I think it helped us being aggressive tonight. When a team comes in they are a little helter-skelter getting warmed up, but once they settled in, they (Valley View) played well.”
Sophomore Colin Wood was 2-for-3 with a double for Valley View.
Valley View 001-000—1-6-4
Fenwick 240-131—11-11-1
WP — Drew O’Brien (8-0); LP — Austin Lewis (3-4). Records: V 4-16, F 20-7
About the Author