It took 100 pitches, but Goshen High School senior Brett Dietrich tossed a gem against Batavia on Tuesday, April 2.
Dietrich went six innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits while striking out 13 for the Warriors. He also drove in two of Goshen’s 10 runs in the Warriors’ 10-1 win.
“He was throwing the ball well,” Goshen head coach Greg Tissot said. “Every time he takes the mound, we feel confident that we’re going to get a win from him.”
It was a close game through 3.5 innings. Batavia stranded a pair of two-out walks in the second inning, but outside of those free passes neither team really threatened until the bottom of the third.
Goshen’s Tucker O’Donnell got hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a flyout, Trey Armacost reached on an error that sent O’Donnell to second. Colby King singled, driving in O’Donnell to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. Armacost was thrown out at second, and a flyout by Dietrich ended the inning.
Batavia stranded a leadoff single at third base in the fourth inning, and things began to unravel for the Bulldogs from there. Connor Holmes was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the fourth, and one batter later he scored on a home run to right field by Trevor Adams.
“We lost focus,” Batavia head coach Geoff Carter said. “[Jared Teke] was cruising. It was 1-0, it should have been 1-1. We lost focus, and they started taking bases on us. They strung together some hits, but taking bases on us is our fault. They’re taking the extra one, that turns into a run. We boot it around a little bit…that’s not going to win.”
Goshen added three runs in the fifth inning. Connor Crawford was hit by a pitch, then Armacost singled. King brought home both runners with a base hit. One out later, Holmes singled, scoring King from second base.
Batavia’s lone run came in the sixth. Corbin Richardson singled. After a strikeout, Austin Hurt was hit by a pitch. Kaleb Moell’s grounder to short resulted in an error that scored Richardson.
The Warriors added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. O’Donnell walked, Crawford was hit with another pitch, and a sacrifice by Armacost moved both runners up.
King scored both runners with a single to center. He was one of several Warriors who gave the team solid at-bats.
“We got key at-bats from King,” Tissot said. “Adams hit a home run. Once you get a few runs on the board, it starts flowing. You just need to get that first hit out of the way.”
That same inning, Dietrich walked, then stole second. Holmes singled, scoring King and moving Dietrich to third. Adams singled home Dietrich, but Holmes was thrown out at the plate.
Richardson and Hurt finished with Batavia’s only two hits. Richardson scored the team’s lone run, with Moell picking up the RBI.
On the mound, Teke finished with six runs allowed on six hits in 4.1 innings. Five of the runs were earned. He struck out two and walked two others.
“He started the game really well,” Carter said. “We didn’t really have a lot to go off of, but [Teke] through four was going well.”
His counterpart’s success in limiting the Batavia bats made it difficult for the Bulldogs to rally from any deficit.
“That makes coming back really tough,” Carter said. “When he was throwing his off-speed for strikes, that makes a big difference. Our approach needs to change, too.”
Nate Billingsley tossed the seventh inning for Goshen, striking out a pair of batters on 14 pitches. He didn’t allow a hit or walk.
Offensively, Goshen’s nine hits came from four players. Armacost went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the leadoff spot. King finished with three hits in three at-bats. He drove in five runs and scored two.
Dietrich went 0-for-3, but he walked and scored a run. Holmes had two hits and two RBI in three at-bats, while Adams finished 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and a run scored.
Batavia is back on the field on Thursday, April 11 with a road game at Western Hills. That game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Goshen is slated to be off until Saturday, April 13, when the Warriors host Indian Hill at 2 p.m.
For a gallery of photos from Goshen’s baseball and softball wins over Batavia, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ClerSunSports.