By Laurence Hilliard
There are big innings and there are really BIG innings. Kosciusko used two of the latter to defeat New
Albany in a 4A baseball playoff series.
The Whippets trailed 5-2 in the first game but exploded for 11 runs in the fifth for a 13-7 victory. After
New Albany evened the series by pushing across a run in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 victory,
Kosciusko won Tuesday’s decisive game 12-3 thanks to a 10-run inning.
“It’s hard to knock these guys down,” said Kosciusko coach Cole McBride. “It would have been really
easy to lay down, but we refused to do so.”
New Albany starter Jake Thomas blanked the Whippets on one hit through three innings as the Bulldogs
took a 3-0 lead. But the roof caved in on him in the fourth. He was replaced on the mound by Cooper
Dodds after getting only one out and giving up 10 runs.
Aiden Howard started the rally with a double and Barrett Kuhn was hit by a pitch. Jon Wyatt Ruscoe hit a
sharp grounder to second baseman Parker Hicks that looked like a possible 4-6-3 double play. But his
throw pulled shortstop Jeb Bolen off second base and Ruscoe narrowly beat the relay to first loading the
bases.
The next two batters, Ryan Tillman and Bailey Powers, worked the count to 3-2 and drew run-scoring
walks. Successive singles by Braxton Smith and Andrew Mancell each produced a run, putting the
Whippets ahead 4-3. Holden McGee doubled in two runs and two more scored on a single by Bennie
Powell.
Thomas finally got an out when left fielder Colin Nolen made an over-the-shoulder catch on a deep fly by
Howard. Kuhn then hit a two-run home run, well over the left field wall and into the night. It was his first
homer ever and he’s not sure how far it went. “I just sort of blacked out as soon as it hit the bat.”
The Whippets added two runs without a hit in the fifth on three hit batters, two walks and a sacrifice fly
by Howard.
Howard started on the mound for Kosciusko. He gave up two hits, a walk and hit a batter in the first, but
no runs thanks to Ruscoe in right. Ethan Conlee doubled with one out and Logan Voyles followed with a
single. But a perfect one-bounce throw by Ruscoe enabled Kuhn to put the tag on Conlee as he attempted
to score.
Howard got out of the inning by fanning Bolen to leave the baes loaded.
New Albany went ahead when Voyles led off the third with a home run, and the Bulldogs added a second
run that inning on a balk.
McGee replaced Howard on the mound to start the fourth and surrendered a home run to the first batter he
faced Darion Jackson that made it 3-0. McGee wasn’t fazed.
“It was no big deal. I was thinking that I would get the next batter. I had my defense behind me.”
He blanked the Bulldogs the rest of the way on two hits, with four strikeouts and started a 1-6-3 double
play to end the fifth inning.
McBride did not say anything to his team when the Whippets fell behind. “It wasn’t anything I did. Just
chip away. One pitch at a time. One inning at a time.”
Kosciusko will play at Ripley Friday to begin the third round. Ripley advanced in dramatic fashion
Tuesday. The Tigers trailed Newton County 2-0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Hunter Kuhl
singled in a run and Cooper Davis followed with a walk off two-run homer,
If Newton County had won, Kosciusko would have started the series at home. The Whippets are 4-0 at
home in the playoffs, scoring 43 runs, but 0-2 on the road.
Kosciusko and Ripley are both region winners, the Tigers in 1-4A and the Whippets in 3-4A. Ripley gets
to start at home and will have home field if there is third game because that goes to the team from the
lower number region this year.
