DAYTON — It was exactly the recipe Bellefontaine needed to upset top-seeded Chaminade-Julienne.
The ninth-seeded Chiefs used strong pitching and a gritty offense to give the Eagles a major scare, but it was not quite enough in the end as C-J held on for a 2-1 victory in a Division II sectional final at Howell Field.
“They are the number-one team in the Southwest District and we had them on the ropes,” said Bellefontaine head coach Russ Hogue. “Baseball is a game of inches. We had a couple of bang-bang plays not go our way and they were able to come up with a timely hit. That was the difference in the game.”
Junior right-hander Jackson Frasure presented a tall order for Bellefontaine’s offense as he came into the game with a 7-2 record and 1.08 ERA. He had struck out 73 batters in 51 2/3 innings.
While Frasure proved to be worthy of his accolades — he finished with 13 strikeouts — the Chiefs made him work.
In the top of the first, Riley Neer led off with an infield single and he eventually reached third on a throwing error and stolen base.
After a strikeout, Lane Reeves was hit by a Frasure pitch.
Owen Larison then lifted a single into short left-center field that scored Neer to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles (24-5) answered with both of their runs in the bottom of the first.
With two runners on base with one out, Jacob Brunner tied the game with an RBI groundout.
C-J added a second run on an error to lead 2-1.
Neither team would score again, although the Chiefs had several opportunities.
Bellefontaine put the leadoff runner on base in four of the seven innings, and had runner at third with nobody out in the top of the sixth, but was unable to get a timely hit.
Reeves did everything in his power on the mound to give the Chiefs a chance to win.
The senior righty allowed five hits and one earned run while striking out five and walking one.
“Lane faced seven or eight guys that were hitting over .300 and shut them down over the last six innings,” said Hogue. “That was really impressive.”
Bellefontaine finished with five hits to match the Eagles’ total.
Neer was 2-3 to lead the Chiefs.
While the Chiefs’ season came to an end, there was little to feel down about.
After starting the season 1-6, Bellefontaine finished 14-5 over its final 19 games.
“Our guys learned a lot this year about handling adversity and becoming mentally tough,” said Hogue. “They showed a lot of grit and determination.
“Our five seniors have meant a lot to us. Three of the five are going to be playing at the next level and I am excited to see what they can do in college.”
C-J 2, BELLEFONTAINE 1
Chiefs 100 000 0 — 1 5 2
Eagles 200 000 X — 2 5 0
WP—Frasure; LP—Reeves.