photo by: Kim North

Photo by Kim North Harrison Central’s Gage Stoneking (7) slides around the tag of Lucasville Valley catcher Parker Robinson during the first inning of Thursday’s Ohio Division IV Region 19 Championship Game on Don and Sue Schlay Field inside Marietta College’s Pioneer Park. However, the Huskies fell 17-6 to Lucasville Valley.

MARIETTA – After playing a solid game in all three phases 48 hours earlier against Barnesville in the Ohio Division V, Region 19 baseball tournament semifinals, Harrison Central didn’t perform up to par in the most important one on Thursday – pitching.

The trio of Huskies (20-10-1) walked four Lucasville Valley batters, plunked half-a-dozen others and surrendered 14 hits – 11 singles and three doubles – in a 17-6 shellacking in four-and-a-half innings on Don and Sue Schlay Field inside Marietta College’s Pioneer Park.

Of the 10 free bases given away, six of those eventually worked their way around the basepaths to score runs.

“We didn’t help ourselves on the mound today,” Harrison Central head coach Mike Valesko said. “We didn’t have our best stuff today.”

Harrison Central came out like gangbusters as Gage Stoneking singled with two outs in the top of the first. After Lance Smith was walked, Kolton Mizer, the hero of Tuesday’s win over the Shamrocks, lined a single to the gap in right-center that drove in Stoneking, who slid around the tag at home. Colson Rutter lined a single to right that plated Smith and Mizer crossed when the ball was misplayed for a 3-0 reading.

However, the Indians (22-7) reeled off the next 11 tallies – four in the bottom of the first and seven in the second – to take command and never looked back. They banged out nine of their 14 hits in the first two frames. All nine positions in the order had at least one hit and scored at least one run.

“Credit to those guys. I thought they swung it (the bat) very well,” Valesko said. “But when you give them 10 extra bases, those singles turn into a lot of runs.”

Harrison Central played flawlessly in the field, turned a pair of double plays – one conventional and the other not-so-much. Center fielder Colson Crothers made a fully extended catch of the drive in right-center with one out in the bottom of the first. He got to his knees and fired a strike to second baseman Rutter who relayed to shortstop Smith covering second to double-up the runner.

They also turned a 6-4-3 twin killing to avoid damage in the third, the only inning Lucasville Valley did not score.

“Defensively, I thought we played really well,” Valesko noted. “We made several fine plays, but when you’re playing catch up the entire game, it’s hard.’

The Huskies also collected eight hits – seven singles and a double – but stranded six runners on bases, with five of those in scoring position. Mizer and McAfee both singled twice, with Mizer driving in two runs. Hunter Snyder had an RBI double

“Offensively, I thought we were really good. I thought we swung the bat well,” Valesko offered.

Valesko said he is sad to see his two seniors end their careers like they did.

“They’ve meant a lot to this program. They were freshmen on that state runnerup team in 2023,” Valesko said. “They contributed a ton for us over the course of their careers.”

The Indians advance to the state semifinals where they will face Apple Creek Waynedale on May 11 at 1 p.m. inside Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton.