Ethel and Sebastopol won't be strangers when they meet in the second round of the MHSAA 1A baseball playoffs, beginning Thursday.
Although they are in different regions, the Tigers and Bobcats met twice late in the regular season. Ethel won 4-3 April 20 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Six days later, Sebstopol won 3-2. Both teams totaled nine hits in the two games, showing how evenly matched they are.
“They're very deep in pitching and they have three or four hitters who are hard outs,” Ethel Coach Chris Schuster said of Sebastopol.
The best-of-three series begins at Ethel Thursday, followed by a Friday game at Sebastopol, then back to Ethel Saturday if a third game is needed. First pitch for each game is set for 7 p.m.
The Tigers get that extra home game as the higher seed. Ethel won Region 5-1A. Sebastopol tied Stringer atop 7-1A, each with a 5-1 record, but is a second seed as a result of total runs in their two games.
Ethel’s Cameron McCuller keeps his foot on the base as he reaches for the ball. Sam Fioretti / The Star-Herald
The home team won the two regular season games between Ethel and Sebastopol.
“That's a really big thing,” Schuster said.
He said it will take more than three or four guys hitting well to beat Sebastopol.
“It's going to take all nine finding a way to get on base,” said the coach.
Ethel advanced with an opening round sweep of Lumberton, 10-0 and 7-2. The first game ended when Ethel scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a walk off double by Cyrus Rone. Reeves Threadgill, Hayden Graves, Kameron McCuller and Rone each had two RBIs.
Threadgill worked the first three innings, allowing one hit with four strikeouts. McCuller finished up, fanning two in two hitless innings.
Alex Schuster was the story in the 7-2 game. He had a single, triple and home run, with two RBIs and two runs scored, and pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts.
“Lumberton had really a good pitcher,” Coach Schuster said of Andrew Townsend. He blanked the Tigers through the first two innings.
Gabe Cain singled in the third and Schuster followed with a home run. The Tigers added two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth. Rone had two hits, an RBI and scored a run.
Sebastopol defeated West Bolivar 15-0 and 17-0 in three inning no hitters by Ben Myers and Jacob Williams, who combined for 15 strikeouts in six innings. Makaious Michaels had two homers, a double and eight RBIs in the 15-0 game.
