Paden City Comes Up Short in OVAC Title Game Vs. Donahue
Bishop Donahue scored early and often to defeat Paden City 11-0 in the OVAC Class-A Championship May 1 at I-470 Complex.
The Bishops put four runs on the score board in the first inning with two walks, a hit by pitch and three singles against the Wildcats junior flame thrower Luke Cooper who also struck out the final two Donahue batters to get out of a bases loaded jam.
Paden City Hayden Hizer opened the bottom half with a rope to left that was caught. Levi Meadows was robbed of a hit by the Donahue shortstop on a nice defensive play. Cooper then smacked one up the gut for Paden City’s only hit of the game.
Neither team scored in the second, but Donahue tacked on two runs in the third and five more in the fifth to gain the 11-0 mercy-rule shutout.
Cooper took the loss from the mound. He struck out four, walked five and hit a batter, while Issac Hall finished up, walked one and didn’t strike out a batter.
“I tried to talk to my kids about being nervous for this game because we have never been in this situation before,” Paden City Head Coach Brent Croasmun said. “You got to give Donahue a whole lot of credit. They have been here before, they’ve won some championships here. They know what it’s all about. Jesse Padlow had a great game tonight, he had great command of the game from the beginning to the end and I think we were a bit nervous, and we just didn’t do anything.”
Padlow finished the game with six strike outs from the mound and was just as effective at the plate, knocking in two runs on three hits.
Paden City’s Hizer made an outstanding defensive play robbing a Bishop batter a base hit in the fourth inning.
In a game which could have gone either way, Wheeling Central left P.C. with a victory dropping the Cats to 14-4 on the season.
Solid hitting in the early innings saw Central take a 5-3 lead into the fourth and extend the margin to 6-3 in the fifth. However, the Cats behind some big bats of their own pulled even at six in the bottom of the inning. The Maroon Knights than tallied four more in the sixth to move in front 10-6. The Cats however came right back and put three more on the board and went into the seventh down 10-9.
Levi Meadows came on in relief and retired Central in order but the Cats couldn’t produce any offense in the bottom of the inning and Central went home with a big win.
The Cats left several on base in the middle innings and a long drive to deep center by Isiac Hall barely missed clearing the fence and fell in for a double but he was left stranded on second along with a runner on third.
Luke Cooper slammed one over the left field fence for Paden City and added a single, while Zach Heasley added two singles and Michael Wilcox drilled a single and a double on the night.
Zach Heasley went the distance striking out six for the wildcats, while pounding out two hits, and an RBI Thursday April 30 in Hannibal.
Hayden Hizer drove in a run for Paden City and Luke Cooper smashed two hits of his own as the Cats moved to 10-3 on the season.
The Paden City Wildcats inched by River 8-6 April 29 at Hannibal, scoring two runs in the second and third innings, three in the fourth and one run in the seventh. Hurler Aaron Heasley claimed the win from the mound, striking out six and issuing three passes. Heasley also singled, doubled and drove in one, while Luke Cooper singled and doubled. Hayden Hizer singled and brought home one run. Cooper also went to the mound in the seventh for the save, striking out two.
Chase Wichterman took the loss for River with two strike outs and three walks. Offensively for the Pilots, Zac Smith hit three singles and as many RBIs, while Cole Isaly smacked two single and brought two home.
The homestanding Paden City Wildcats won a double header against the Hundred Hornets April 27, winning game one 15-1 on 11 hits and three errors and prevailing 17-2 in game two on 14 hits and one error. Craig Allen took the first win from the mound with eight strike outs, while adding two singles and an RBI.
Hayden Hizer had two doubles, a single and brought home three teammates, while Luke Cooper doubled, singled and brought home three. Kennedy Cain singled with one RBI, Colton Elliott doubled, while Jake Pierce had a single and one RBI.
In the night cap, Paden City 17-2 on 14 hits and an error. Winning hurler Aaron Heasley sat down seven Hornet batters and walked one and added a single and an RBI on the offensive side of the bat. Hizer tripled, singled twice and brought home a teammate, while Levi Meadows had three single and two RBIs. Luke Cooper had a double, Elliott and two singles and three RBIs, while Allen singled twice and brought home two runs. Andrew Dennis contributed two RBIs and a single.
For the Hornets, losing pitcher was Morris, who struck our four and walked one, while Hunter Goff hit in Hundred’s two runs.