2019 OHSAA Tournament: Division II State Semifinal - No. 5 Gilmour Academy vs St. Clairsville

HOT TAKES

Fundamentals: Execution proved vital in the two runs scored by Gilmour Academy. In the first, a sacrifice bunt by Jack Krebs moved Matt Christopher, the leadoff batter, to second and a fly ball by DeMell advanced Matt Christopher to third before a base hit plated the Gilmour junior. In the fourth, a sac bunt from Garrett Olsen pushed Nick Christopher into scoring position before the RBI hit from Costabile.

Player of the game: DeMell was dominant in the victory, retiring the first eight hitters for St. Clairsville as well as the last nine in the shutout performance. Nine-hole hitter Tyler Tonkovich hit an 0-2 changeup for the first hit by the Red Devils while Derek Witsberger ripped a sharp single to left in the fifth for the other base knock by St. Clairsville. DeMell had five 1-2-3 innings and did not allow a base runner to reach third, walking just one while fanning eight. The 6-5 185-pound right-hander threw 63 of 91 pitches for strikes.

Solid defense: Although losing, St. Clairsville stayed in the game with outstanding defense. In the second inning, second baseman John Luke DeFilippo made a nice diving catch in short center field to prevent the leadoff hitter from reaching base and left fielder Peyton Drake followed with a sliding catch on the next Gilmour batter. An inning later, St. Clairsville third baseman Tonkovich had a beautiful backhand stop and throw to again not allow the Gilmour first hitter of the frame to reach base. In the fourth, first baseman Will Balgo added to the gems with a nice catch reaching into the stands in foul territory with the Lancers threatening to add to the lead.