College vs. Hudson Baseball Photo, May 25, 2023 (Tim Phillis – For The News-Herald)
Perseverance was a game for the college as the Preppers were stymied early against Hudson in the Division 1 final in Euclid.
However, the bases were loaded with two walks in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead, after which the batter revived. He scored four more and signed a contract early in the contest.
The Preppers won 6-2 to advance to the regional round for the second year in a row. They will face Hoban on June 1 at Oberlin College.
The Explorers took the lead with Chris Maurer’s grounder and hit a runner. But then Aaron Moss got down to business.
The sophomore pitched 6 1/3 innings and struck out 5, but the biggest challenge was waiting in the bottom of the second inning to get back on the mound. The college flipped the order as Joey Zigman, Deacon Nelson and Ryan Pattison scored.
While the college spent time batting, Moss didn’t care how they pitched when they got back on the field.
“It was pretty warm. There was a lot of energy in the dugout,” said Moss. “It wasn’t a big factor because we were up and moving, but it really helped us to concede an early goal.”
The defense of the university has also been strengthened. The infielders did the job for the Hudson team, who favored small balls. Ben Elliott led the offense in the top of the fifth with a great scoop and a short play that included a throw to first base to get a runner.
“Defense is always important and taking easy outs when possible,” Elliott said. “I’d love to help pitchers keep the count down and it’s great to see us come together and play the best baseball on defense. All of us come together at the best possible moment.” There is.”
To the left of the college infielder are three players who primarily act as shortstops, but are used to guarding the bag. Both Nelson and Moss sided with Elliot in the hot corners and were able to grab the brains of their seniors.
He is happy to support them when needed.
The trio have bonded over the season and know they are ready to take on the regional rounds.
“They are my two favorite guys on the team,” Elliott said. “They can play defense like no other. It’s great to have such a solid infield anchored. No matter where they are on the field, they’re going to play when it matters.”
The preppers weren’t able to add another point in the game, but the hitter continued to pose a threat with 14 hits. But the initial support was more than enough.
This allowed Moss to decide he didn’t need to force the Hudson line-up and change his approach a bit. Rather, he relied on backing up the back defense.
“We’ve been minimizing our errors all season, so we knew we didn’t have to take our strength off the mound,” Moss said. “They’re a good hitting team, but we knew we were going to do well, even if they pitched in contact.”
Hudson was able to return one point in the sixth inning after Cade Keown scored one on a fielder-selected ground ball.
Score
University 6, Hudson 2