'I wasn't going to let them beat me twice': Brady Bowen leads Wooster past Medina

CLEVELAND — It wasn’t the kind of souvenir Brady Bowen wanted.

Wooster coach Steve Young gave his ace pitcher the home run off the bat off a Medina's Brennan Stobbs from the Generals’ regional semifinal loss last year to serve as a reminder of how the season ended.

Bowen wasn’t going to let it happen again.

Wooster got its revenge in Tuesday’s Division I district semifinal, with Bowen tossing a complete game gem to lead the Generals to a 2-1 win over the Bees to advance to a second straight district title game.

2023 Flashback: Elisha Steiner stonewalls St. Ignatius, leads Wooster to first district title in 25 years

It’ll be a district championship game rematch from 2023, with Wooster and Saint Ignatius facing off Thursday at 5 p.m. back at Talty Field in Cleveland. The Generals upset Ignatius last season for their first district title in 25 years.

"I haven't stopped thinking about it since," Bowen said. "He gave me that ball during our exit meeting last year and I had put it in my room. ... I didn't stop thinking about it. Then they jumped on us (in the seeding selection) and I was like, 'I want them.' I knew I wasn't going to let them beat me twice."

Bowen didn’t have his best day in last year’s loss to Medina to conclude a breakout sophomore season, lasting just 1⅔ innings in the 5-0 loss. But even if he pitched at his best, it wouldn't have mattered with the Bees' Owen Cavey tossing a no-hitter. Tuesday brought the same two hurlers to the mound, and this time the results were much different.

While Cavey again proved difficult for Wooster to hit, the Generals made the most of their opportunity in the fourth inning, taking advantage of Medina miscues to get on the scoreboard first. And it was a pair of freshmen who made it happen.

Aidan McMillan drew his second walk of the game — the only two walks surrendered by Cavey — to get on base to start the inning. After McMillan advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a bunt, fellow freshman Brock Bowen approached the plate. His grounder to first base forced a play at the plate that sailed past Medina catcher Joey Mack to score McMillan. Brock scored later in the inning on another throwing error to make it 2-0.

"At this point in the season, these guys are ready," Young said. "They're no longer freshmen. They've played so many big league games, so many high-stakes, competitive non-league games that they're ready."

Cavey allowed just two hits over five innings of work, striking out nine batters while surrendering no earned runs.

Meanwhile, Bowen was locked in from the start, tossing six innings of scoreless ball until the final inning. Bowen didn't overpower the Bees — and he typically doesn't overpower too many opponents — but made them work for every bit of contact. Medina rarely put solid metal on the ball against Bowen, who finished with four strikeouts while scattering six hits and walking three.

"He wanted the ball," Wooster coach Steve Young said. "He did not want to give it back up. A couple times I was looking at him because his pitch count was higher that it had been all year today. ... He was ready to fight me if I took him out. He's our bulldog. He's our competitor."

With the bases loaded in the seventh with one out and a rising pitch count, Young counted on Bowen to get the Generals out of their biggest jam of the game — with the season on the line. Even if the ball wasn't flying out of his hand with quite as much oomph during those final few at bats, there was no doubt who was finishing the game for Wooster.

"This was his game," Young said. "We were either going to (lose) it or win it with him. And we did."

Bowen hunkered down, producing a weak ground ball to third baseman Will Tirakis for the second out and a fly out to Hayden Meese in center for the game-ender.

After a several years of early playoff exits, the Generals are making a habit of beating bigger, proven programs in the way.

"They're an amazing program, but I want that," Bowen said. "I want our team to play the best of the best. I know we're a very competitive program. I know we can beat anyone."

And now, Ignatius — a 14-time state semifinalist that beat Wooster 11-1 earlier in the year — stands in the way again.

"I feel like it's meant to be," Bowen said. "... We played a horrible game (earlier in the year). It's another time for redemption."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Baseball: Bowen leads Wooster past Medina in district semis