Notre Dame junior Eugene Collins (4)

Paul Boggs | Daily Times

PORTSMOUTH — Simply put, the numbers never added up right for the Notre Dame High School baseball team on Wednesday.

The young yet host Titans tallied six hits but were guilty of seven errors, and three pitchers combined to issue as many walks as hits allowed, as Ironton St. Joseph took full advantage —and prevailed 8-5 in a key Southern Ohio Conference Division I tilt at Notre Dame High School.

But perhaps the most significant self-inflicted damage done was two Flyers being hit by pitches to lead off the sixth inning.

Both Flyers eventually scored for the 6-4 lead, and Notre Dame only got one back in the bottom half —despite having the bases loaded with one out.

The Flyers — which scored two runs apiece in innings two, three, six and seven — finished off the win with a two earned-run thee-hit seventh stanza, then Drew Brown completed his winning pitching performance, retiring the Titans 1-2-3 for the second inning of the final three.

With the loss, the Titans’ title hopes in the SOC I took a significant hit —as they fell to 6-4 and 4-2 in the league, as they also lost at home to visiting Green by a count of 7-2 on April 8.

The Bobcats still lead the league at 3-0, having also swept Clay, and will host the Flyers for an even bigger encounter come Monday (April 22).

Notre Dame defeated the Flyers for their only loss —a 10-2 decision in Ironton in late March.

St. Joe is now 6-1, and 4-1 in the division.

As for what doomed senior-less Notre Dame, it was simply seven errors —and too many free passes allowed by an inexperienced pitching staff.

Against the Flyers in the first meeting, NDHS sophomore standout pitcher Luke Cassidy unfortunately suffered a partial tear of his UCL —and hasn’t pitched since.

He won’t pitch again this season either, as it was confirmed to The Portsmouth Daily Times on Wednesday that Cassidy will indeed undergo “Tommy John” surgery in mid-May.

Needless to say, but it’s not the ideal situation for these young Titans —which graduated eight seniors off last season’s squad, and shared the SOC I with St. Joe.

“Anytime a team scores more runs than they have hits, it’s a defensive malfunction for sure —whether it’s pitching or the fielding. Without Luke (Cassidy) throwing right now, teams will put the ball in play. I thought for the most part, our first two pitchers did a pretty good job. Some errors happened behind (NDHS starter) Bryce (McGraw) that weren’t his fault, but those mistakes make you throw more pitches. Everyone that is throwing for me right now has not thrown varsity,” said second-year NDHS coach Jayson Coleman.

Without any seniors, Coleman said he started “six sophomores and three juniors” on Wednesday —and added that “the youth is showing”.

“We have to grow up. We have as much potential or as much talent as anyone in the league (SOC I) or even half the teams in the SOC II (middle division of the three SOC divisions for baseball). We just have to turn that potential into performance,” said the coach. “We’re close, but just some little things here and there that add up in a big game and you end up on the losing end.”

Notre Dame sophomore Ethan Kingrey (8)

Paul Boggs | Daily Times

For an example of Coleman’s point, sophomore pitcher Ethan Kingrey was beginning his third full inning of relief of starter Bryce McGraw, but he plunked the opening two Flyers for the start of the sixth.

A sacrifice fly moved them to second and third, as Evan Balestra then reached on a dropped third strike and E-2.

With the bases loaded, Kingrey walked his counterpart Brown —bringing in Eli Whaley, who pinch ran for designated hitter Darryn Harvey.

Landon Rowe then scored on the next at-bat —an unearned run as the result of an unsuccessful fielder’s choice with the throw to the plate.

Coleman commented on the sixth.

“Their two guys that scored were the two beaned batters off the rip. We talk about walks and leadoff batters getting on base all the time, because they are going to score. That’s the one time today that pitching actually bit us. Other than that, it was errors,” he said. “But Ethan (Kingrey) has only thrown two innings all year before today. He came in and threw the ball pretty well, but he just got tired right there.”

Kingrey was the losing pitcher —despite giving up only one hit in three and two-thirds of relief, as he struck out nine of the 20 total Flyers he faced.

In fact, Kingrey’s only out which was a non-strikeout was that sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

The Flyers actually left the bases loaded in innings two, five, six and seven —but starting pitcher Carson Willis countered, by stranding a Titan apiece in his opening three innings of work.

Notre Dame junior Myles Phillips (1)

Paul Boggs | Daily Times

Brown took over in the fourth with the score tied at 4-4 —and faced the minimum three, ending the inning by getting Landon Barbarits to hit into a 6-3 lineout double play.

Between Brown’s retiring of the Titans 1-2-3 in the fifth and seventh, he faced a serious jam in the sixth —as Kingrey walked, Brody Coleman singled to right, Coleman Shaffer sacrifice bunted, and Michael Hiles walked to load the bases.

Brown got the second out with a strikeout, as Barbarits singled to center to cross Kingrey —and make it 6-5.

But Brown redeemed himself, getting Eugene Collins to ground into a 6-4 fielder’s choice to end the inning.

“We did that against Green too. Twice. But it just comes to that youth, and not quite ready for that big moment yet. That’s a pressure situation, but it’s a privilege to be in pressure situations,” said Coach Coleman. “Something is expected of you, that means you are playing meaningful games, and we’re just not quite ready for that moment yet. It is what is and we’re not sugarcoating it. We’ve had all the opportunity in the world, and just not coming through. We have to put the ball in play. Bases loaded with one out in the sixth, we had a strikeout instead of putting the ball in play. You might not score, but if you don’t put the ball in play, you’re definitely not going to score.”

The Titans held leads of 1-0 after the opening at-bat, and 3-2 after two, but never led after the third.

Collins walked with one out in the first, then scored on Myles Phillips’ RBI-single.

Collins singled in two runs in the second, and Brody Coleman singled in Cassidy in the third for the 4-4 tie —as Cassidy reached on St. Joseph’s only error.

But what Brown did for the Flyers from there was limit the Titans to one run on two hits over the final four innings.

He did walk three, but fanned three too.

Coach Coleman made no excuses for his young club.

Notre Dame junior catcher Landon Barbarits

Paul Boggs | Daily Times

“We just have to grow, gain experience, keep playing games and we’ll get better,” he said. “We needed this one to stay in control (in the SOC I), now we need to win out and have to have help. We want to win the league, but I’m more concerned with getting our guys to grow up and turn the page and make plays in pressure situations and pressure games. Come through in those instead of not coming through. It’s just youth, and in a big-time game, we have some kids that are just not ready for that moment yet. I’m proud of them for the way we fought, but have to grow up a little bit and make some plays.”

* * *

St. Joseph 022 002 2 —8 6 1

Notre Dame 121 001 0 —5 6 7

SJHS: Carson Willis 3IP, 4R, 3ER, 4H, 0HB, 3BB, 0IBB, 0WP, 4K, 16BF; Drew Brown 4IP, 1R, 1ER, 2H, 0HB, 3BB, 0IBB, 0WP, 3K, 16BF

NDHS: Bryce McGraw 2 1/3IP, 4R, 2ER, 3H, 1HB, 2BB, 0IBB, 1WP, 2K, 16BF; Ethan Kingrey 3 1/3IP, 4R, 3ER, 1H, 2HB, 3BB, 0IBB, 1WP, 9K, 20BF; Eugene Collins 1IP, 0R, 0ER, 2H, 0HB, 1BB, 0IBB, 0WP, 1K, 6BF

W —Drew Brown; L —Ethan Kingrey

Reach Paul Boggs at (740) 353-3101 ext. 1926, by email at [email protected], or on X @paulboggssports © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved