Seventh-inning breath: Highland can exhale after winning a district baseball title over NC

SUNBURY — It wasn't a tip on any pitches, and it wasn't a quick reminder of a hitting lesson that led to the game-winning hit.

No, something else echoed in mind of Jace Brooks as he walked to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning of a tied Division III district championship baseball game.

"Coach (Donovan) Kline always tells us to practice this 7-1-7 breathing where you breathe in through your nose for seven seconds and hold it for a second and you breathe out seven seconds through your mouth," Brooks explained. "That just calms nerves, and I get back in the box and let it go. It works."

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Indeed it did. The Highland senior ripped a single to right field to score Kort Sears and lift the Scots to their fourth baseball district championship in program history, beating No. 6 seed Newark Catholic 6-5 Thursday night at Big Walnut.

The Scots, seeded No. 2 in the Central District, last went to the Sweet 16 in 2021 and will now play in the Patrick Henry regional in northwest Ohio on Thursday, May 30, at 5 p.m. against either Liberty-Benton or Coldwater in a semifinal game. While Highland was ranked No. 10 in the last state coaches poll, L-B is No. 3 and Coldwater No. 5.

The seventh-inning breath

Newark Catholic led from the third batter of the game as the Green Wave scored two runs in the top of the first inning and added another in the fifth for a 3-1 edge. Highland (26-3) responded with a four-run bottom half of the inning to take a 5-3 lead, but NC (14-13) tied it in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Rocco Capretta and later a balk and an error.

"We battled and they’re a good team," Newark Catholic coach Ron Graves said. "We knew they execute the bunt extremely well. If you’re not clean and you don’t field it, things happen. That’s what (happened) in that fifth inning where they scored four runs. We just didn’t execute some stuff, and they came up with the big hit."

The Scots would get a pair of even bigger hits in their half of the seventh inning.

"I talked to (assistant coach) Travis Church and said, 'Wouldn’t it be nice if Kort just hit a home run right now and ended this so we don’t have to coach or think.' He hit a triple and was pretty close," Kline said.

Sears was confident that if he got on base, one of the Scots to follow would bring him in. He made it easier on them by lacing a triple to the right-center field gap to start the rally.

"I got a pitch to hit, and I unleashed on it and got myself to third and put us in a good spot," Sears said.

With no outs and the leadoff batter on third base, Graves intentionally walked Zach Church and Hayden Kline to load the bases in hopes of a force out at the plate.

The walkoff single

"Catholic did the same thing any good team would do and let them on and put a little pressure on us," Coach Kline said. "I called the squeeze a pitch too early I think and put Jace Brooks in a hole, but he battled."

Brooks fouled off the bunt attempt, but he wasn't flustered by the miscue. He simply took another breath and stepped back in the batter's box.

"He left it right over the middle, so I hit it," Brooks said. "You’ve got to put something in play. We tried to bunt first, and he threw it at me the way you’re supposed to and I couldn’t get it down. I then went for the hit and got it."

While it was his first game-winning hit for a district championship, he and his teammates have hit a few during the regular season. In the district semifinal against No. 11 seed Columbus Academy, Highland fell behind 4-0 and needed a late comeback to beat the Vikings, too.

"One through nine, they’re pretty good. They were all hard outs," Graves said of the Scots. "They threw some left-handers in there, and it makes for a tough outing."

Game balls

For Newark Catholic, Miller Hutchison produced an RBI triple in the first inning and later added two singles, while Alex Nagel hit two singles, and Capretta and Bryan McAnally each had RBI singles. Owen Przymierski and Kane Stephey teamed on the mound, striking out three and walking three including the two intentionals.

"We were close in so many games during the year, but we were bringing on a lot of young guys," Graves said. "We have some seniors who are leaders, but the pitching staff was all pretty much younger guys. It took us a while. We kind of had to feel out the first third of the year and try to get things aligned."

The Green Wave won seven straight games coming into Thursday's district final in a season where they honored the memory of legendary state hall of fame head coach John Cannizzaro who died before the season.

"We had people in spots where they were comfortable and making plays. That’s what changed the season around," Graves said.

Church started for the Scots and was relieved by Drew Altizer in the fifth inning. Kline was Highland's third pitcher who came in during the sixth inning. They combined to allow seven hits and two walks to go with 10 strikeouts with Church getting seven.

At the plate for Highland, Sears finished with a triple, double and two-run single, while Gavin Wiggand, Kline and Brooks each singled twice with Kline driving in two runs, too. Church, Rhett Russell and Evan Johnson singled once.

"Being in that special (district championship) club, it feels real good to know we’re keeping the legacy they started many years ago in the early 2000s," Sears said. "We know it’s our responsibility to keep carrying that and keep attacking every day until it’s ours. Everyone is coming for us, and we have all the confidence in the world in each other."

As long as they take a breath.

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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Highland walks off with district baseball title over Newark Catholic