"It feels amazing": Colts reverse the curse, win Division II district title in dominating fashion

BLUFFTON — The curse is broken.

Last year, the Clear Fork Colts entered the district tournament as the No. 1 seed and got beat in the sectional final 6-1 by Bellevue ending their postseason before it even started.

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Fast forward to Saturday afternoon and the Colts are Division II district champions, finally eliminating the sour taste in their mouths that stayed there for an entire year. Clear Fork beat St. Marys Memorial 11-1 in five innings to advance to next week's regional semifinals at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Bowling Green's Carter Park against Parma Padua Franciscan.

"I have never been there, and I am looking forward to it," Clear Fork coach Gabe Kennedy said. "Every single part of it. We will stay fresh and ready to go. We want our kids' minds to stay fresh, and we hope that transfers into the regional. It is a joy to stand over there on third base and watch our guys play this game."

The Colts struck quickly in the bottom of the first inning, scoring five runs to take complete control. Nate Lind started the game off with a single followed by a Luke Schlosser walk and Jay Jackson getting hit by a pitch. Mason Sansom drew a bases-loaded walk for the first run of the game before Chandler Ball drove in a pair of runs on a single up the middle. Champ DeLancy added two more runs on a single to right, and it was all Colts.

"Our kids are hungry," Kennedy said. "We felt like we had a really good team coming into the year and started 1-2, which wasn't what we wanted, but now, our kids have medals around their necks, are district champs and are taking pictures with their families and having the time of their life. This is why I do this. I am very lucky."

For staring pitcher Garett Hotz, it was a blessing, but even with a five-run lead, he stayed the course.

"It didn't change anything for me," Hotz said. "I know they were here for a reason. That is a good team, so I knew I couldn't relax. I did have a few insurance runs, but I still needed to go out there, pitch my game, trust my team and get it done."

Hotz finished allowing one unearned run on two hits with six strikeouts and two walks in five innings of work. He fed off of the adrenaline of the game and the chirping from the St. Marys dugout.

"I go out there and pitch with a lot of emotion because that is how I play, and that is when I am at my best," Hotz said. "I think it really gets the team into it, too. Any time I can give us some momentum on the mound, I'll take it."

The biggest play of the game came in the fourth inning after Hotz walked a batter with one out before picking him off at first and following it up with a strikeout two pitches later. It was the fifth runner he picked off this season.

"It helps me a lot because it allows me to hold runners on and keep them honest," Hotz said. "If I can pick someone off, it flips the momentum, and it cuts their leads down when they get back on base and makes them think twice about stealing, which takes a lot of pressure off of my catcher."

Clear Fork scored three more in the fourth as Sansom reached on an error after a bunt, Schlosser scored on a wild pitch and Jay Jackson plated a run after a balk. With Sansom at second base, Champ DeLancy laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Sansom scored all the way from second on a huge hustle play to give the Colts every ounce of momentum.

"Collectively, my coaches know that I am usually not the one being asked to bunt because I don't get them down very often," Sansom said with a laugh. "But my coach asked it of me, and I accepted the job, got it down and moved the runners. Our game plan was to make them make plays and put pressure on them, and I ended up being safe, and it worked out."

When he got the chance to make a huge play with his legs, he took it.

"We are always taught to run hard no matter what," Sansom said. "I timed the pitcher up well when he delivered, and I got a big lead and a nice jump. Coach Kennedy was telling me to round it, and I was feeling too good not to go, so I went."

It allowed the Colts to take momentum into the fifth inning, scoring three more runs to end it.

"That really gave us a ton of energy," Sansom said. "It was crazy because I slide and then look up and there are three teammates standing there in my face hyping me up. That boosted our energy and helped us close this thing out."

The Colts scored three runs in the fifth with two outs after Lind got hit by a pitch and scored on a Schlosser triple. Jackson followed suit with an RBI double before stealing third and scoring on an overthrow to end it

"It was huge," Kennedy said. "We play with emotion, but we don't let it control us. It happens to some good players, but we control what we can control and play the type of baseball we play. I want our kids to compete and play with emotion. That makes me happy as a head coach. I am happiest when my kids are competing."

Schlosser and Hotz led the way with two hits apiece while Lind, Jackson and DeLancy had one hit apiece. Ball collected three RBIs while Schlosser, Sansom and DeLancy had one apiece.

The Colts won their first district championship since 2017, the second of back-to-back titles. Saturday was their first Division II title after winning it in Division III previously.

But most importantly, they put last year in the rear view mirror.

"It feels amazing," Sansom said. "Last year, we were the No. 1 seed and got upset, which didn't feel good and left a sour taste in my mouth. Our goal this year was to win a district title, and it feels really good to achieve that."

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Clear Fork Colts beat St. Marys Memorial in Division II regional championship