Hoehn comes up big
CENTER TWP — To say that Alex Hoehn helped his own cause would be a major understatement.
Center Township's starting pitcher went 4-for-4 at the plate, including a double, and scored a run as his team remained alive in the Butler County Area Baseball League tournament with a 4-3 win over Meridian Thursday evening.
Hoehn's one-out double in the bottom of the seventh inning, set the table for Center's walk-off victory.
Following the two-base hit, Nate Delano was intentionally walked and courtesy runner Jake Somerville scored moments later when an errant throw skipped into foul territory following Trevor Gahagan's groundball.
Hoehn now has eight hits in his last eight at-bats and is 10 for his last 11.
“He was in a bit of a slump a while back, but 20 minutes hitting off the tee makes a big difference for him,” said Center Township manager Allen Hoehn.
Center Township (12-8) advances to the double-elimination tourney's loser's bracket final against Saxonburg. That game will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday at Laura Doerr Park.
“We knew we had the potential to get this far, but we were not playing well earlier in the season,” said Alex Hoehn. “We've picked up a lot of momentum.”
Hoehn's bat was part of Center's three-run first inning. He singled with one out and when his ball was misplayed in the outfield, teammate Trent Vandervort scored the game's first run. It was one of three Meridian errors in the inning. The second one allowed Somerville and Hoehn to score.
Meridian (10-9) would commit another error in the second, but left-fielder Zack Slomers threw Jordan Levin out at the plate for the third out and the score remained 3-0.
Meridian starting pitcher Kevin King refused to let the game get out of hand despite the shaky defense behind him. He pitched five consecutive scoreless innings before Center's unearned run in the seventh.
“Kevin didn't pitch a whole lot for us this season, but injuries (to other players) put him on the mound today,” said Meridian manager Tyler Friel. “But no matter where he's playing, he's such a competitor.”
Alex Hoehn stifled Meridian's offense through five innings, allowing no runs on two hits in that span. But Friel saw his team's bats come alive in the sixth.
With two outs, Zack Slomers doubled home Jake Slomers. Austin Reay then drilled a double that scored McGwire Covert and Zack Slomers to tie the game.
Allen Hoehn said still being alive this late in the season takes a bit of luck.
“A lot of it comes down to who's here on a given night,” he said. “Between vacations and guys playing on other teams, sometimes you don't have your best players. Fortunately for us, we had a pretty good team put together tonight.”
Meridian 000 003 0 — 3 5 5
Center Twp. 300 000 1 — 4 13 0
W: Alex Hoehn 7 IP (7K, 4BB). L: Kevin King 6.1 IP (3K, 1BB).
Meridian (10-9): Austin Reay 2-2B 2RBI, Zack Slomers 2B R RBI, McGwire Covert 1B R
Center Township (12-8): Trent Vandervort 2-1B R, Jake Somerville 1B 2R, Alex Hoehn 3-1B 2B R, Trevor Gahagan 3-1B, Luke Heade 2B
Saturday: Center Township vs. Saxonburg, loser's bracket final, 6 p.m. at Laura Doerr Park
