Cincinnati Steam

Steam Outlast Cows to Advance to Winners Bracket Finals

(Xenia, OH) – When right fielder Jon Edgington caught the final out, fourteen innings and four hours and fifteen minutes after the first pitch was thrown Cincinnati had advanced to the Winner Bracket Finals at Noon on Thursday to face the winner of Lima Locos and Columbus All Americans. The Steam capped off the marathon by scoring three runs in the top of the fourteenth inning to stake them to a lead that they would not relinquish, defeating the Delaware Cows 7-4. The Steam led 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Delaware scored three runs off starter Charlie Leesman and reliever Mike Korfhagen to tie the ball game. Delaware threatened in the tenth and eleventh but Joel Ernst worked his way out of those jams and became the victorious pitcher by pitching five innings of stellar relief.

The Cincinnati Steam wasted no time jumping on the Cows in their quest to win the GLSCL Post Season Tournament by putting two runs on the scoreboard in the top of the 1^st off Delaware’s top notch pitcher Tyler Wilson. Wilson, recipient of the league’s pitcher of the year award and pro pitching prospect of the year award, was roughed up by Brandon Besl and a bout of wildness. Ryan Strausborger led off the game with a single up the middle but was doubled off after Zach Hurley hit a soft liner back to the pitcher. Wilson didn’t help himself when he issued a two out walk to Tommy Nurre. Brandon Besl then hit a laser to the left centerfield gap that scored Nurre all the way from first to put the Steam ahead 1-0. With Besl on second and two out Billy O’Conner put a ball down the right field line that plated Besl for the second run of the inning. Wilson’s wildness continued in the second inning by the Steam could not capitalize with the bases loaded, after a single and back to back walks.

Delaware cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth inning when Jamel Scott walked and stole second as Ben Thomas was struck out swinging. When Scott stole second the throw by Billy O’Conner skipped past Ryan Strausborger and into centerfield allowing Scott to advance to third. With one out, Logan Hronis successfully completed the suicide squeeze to put the Cows on the scoreboard.

Cincinnati added to their lead and got a little insurance as they put another 2 runs on the scoreboard in the top of the 6^th inning. After lead off hitter Billy O’Conner reached on a throwing error, Jon Edgington pushed a bunt down the first base line and avoided the attempted tag by first baseman Ryan Meade. With runners on first and second and no one out, Steve Brown ripped a single to right center that scored O’Conner and moved Edgington to third. Edgington scored the second run of the inning on a fielder’s choice, rbi grounder by Brad Gschwind.

The game remained 4-1 Steam until the bottom of the eighth when starter Charlie Leesman walked lead off hitter Logan Hronis. Hronis was forced at second on a grounder hit by Brian DeLucia. DeLucia advanced to second when Jacob Spaeth was hit by a pitch, the last that Leesman would hurl on the day. Reliever Mike Korfhagen comes on to strike out the first hitter he faces, Cory Kovanda. During Kovanda’s at bat, DeLucia advanced to third when Billy O’Conner attempted to pick off Spaeth at first but O’Conner’s throw drilled Spaeth and rolled slightly away. With first and third and two outs, Korfhagen gave up an rbi single to Ryan Meade making the score 2-1. Korfhagen walked Logan Williams to load the bases and Justin Riddell singled to left plating Spaeth and Meade to tie the game at 4. Steve Matre came in and got Jamel Scott to hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

The game continued on until the fourteenth inning, when Billy O’Conner started the inning off with a single to right. Jon Edgington moved O’Conner over to second with a sacrifice bunt. O’Conner scored on a double by Steve Brown, then Brown scored on a two out double by Nate Fields. Fields then scored on a base hit by Ryan Strausborger to give the Steam a 7-4 lead. With insurance runs Joel Ernst shut down the Cows in the bottom of the fourteenth to preserve the victory for the Steam.

The Steam will play either Lima or Columbus at Noon on Thursday at the Xenia Sports Comple

WP – Ernst LP – Tracy
Hitting Leaders:

Steam – Strausborger (rbi), Besl (2-6, double, rbi, run scored), O’Conner (3-6, rbi, 2 runs scored), S.. Brown (3-6, double, 2 rbi), Gschwind (rbi), Fields (double, rbi)

Cows – Spaeth (2-6, run scored), Kovanda (2-7), Meade (2-6, rbi, run scored), Riddell (2 rbi), Hronis (rbi)