photo by: Kim North

Barton’s Josh Speaker, right, is congratulated by manager Billy Timko after hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning Monday night in Game 3 of the Ohio Valley Baseball League championship series. Barton won 3-2, but the Brewers lead the best-of-5 series 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday night on Russ Schwertfeger Ball Field inside Bethany Park.

CRESCENT – With its backs to the wall, Barton received a monumental pitching performance from Gavyn Romanyak and a game-winning single from Nate Silvus in extending the Ohio Valley Baseball League championship series to Game 4.

Silvus, who played at Morgan High School and is a member of the Hocking College baseball team, sent an 0-1 pitch down the line in right with the bases-loaded and one out, scoring Kobe Hill with the winning run in a 3-2 victory in Game 3 as darkness closed in on Henning Field inside Pramesa Park.

“I just knew that I hit a fastball pretty good the last time up, so I figured they would throw me something off-speed this time,” Silvus said of his game-winning hit. “I was sitting on the slider trying to hit it to the backside and knock in the run.”

Mission accomplished.

The triumph sets up Game 4 Tuesday night on Russ Schwertfeger Ball Field inside Bethany Park. The first pitch is set for 6. Another Barton (17-8) win would force a deciding Game 5 back in Belmont County on Thursday, also at 6 p.m.

“I had confidence while walking to the plate. I had been seeing the ball really well all day,” Silvus noted. “You’re always going to have some butterflies, but as soon as I hit it, I knew it was down.”

The one-out winner drove in Kobe Hill who was hit with a pitch to start the rally. Jake Winland was safe at first after his sacrifice bunt was misplayed and Colten Coss was intentionally walked with the count 3-1. With one out, Silvus sliced the ball into right field well in front of a diving Jacob Stoner as Hill raced home and Silvus was mobbed by his teammates.

“What a game,” veteran Barton manager Billy Timko said. “Baseball is a game about hitting it where they aren’t. That’s what they did to us in the first two games. We’re not dead yet.”

Romanyak pitched into the eighth inning before back-to-back hit batsmen got him lifted in favor of Ben Taylor, the losing pitcher in Game 2. Romanyak struck out five, didn’t walk a batter and threw 112 pitches, of which 69 were strikes.

“We didn’t expect him to go that far, but he did,” Timko said in praising Romanyak’s gut-check effort. “He did a good job for us.”

Taylor, who earned the win, came in with a runner on first and one out. John Santimarino fielder’s choice was mishandled as runners were on first and second. Stoner’s bunt was thrown away at first to load the bases, but Taylor got Heath Hildreth swinging for the second out. Hunter Mozingo’s shot up the middle caromed off of Taylor’s foot and went right to Winland who stepped on second to end the threat.

Santimarino, Bethany’s player/manager, said the difference in speeds affected his team’s hitting today.

“We were used to the faster pitchers and their guy today kept us off balance by changing speeds,” he explained. “We were seeing the ball really well in the first two games, but the difference in speeds got us today.”

Barton took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Josh Speaker belted a two-run bomb to deep left-center. It scored Coss who had singled with one out.

Bethany (17-10) drew even two innings later when Stoner doubled over Hill’s head in center.

Santimarino led Bethany’s seven-hit attack with two singles and a double. Russell Schwertfeger singled and doubled.

Smith had a pair of singles for Barton, which totalled five safeties.

EXTRA BASES

– Timko said he would hand the ball to Taylor for Game 4. The former Wheeling Park and Fairmont State hurler needed 19 pitches to get out of Game 3.

– Santimarino will counter with Game 2 winner, Nick Leonard. He is 6-0 this summer.

– After breezing through four innings in just 45 minutes, Game 3 took 2-hours, 15-minutes to complete.

– Bethany continued to double its pleasure with two more double plays, bringing its total to seven in the three games.

– Veteran Matt Brooks suffered the loss. He went the distance, throwing 115 pitches, with 77 being strikes. He struck out four and walked five, two intentionally.

– Ryan Zielinski (home plate) and Donnie Madzia (bases) were the umpires.

– Bethany has never won an OVBL title. It has, however,, been runner up on several occasions.