Photo by Kim North Harrison central catcher Kolton Mizer awaits Barnesville’s Brayden Watters (2) during the first inning of Tuesday night’s Ohio Division V, Region 19 semifinal tournament game at Mazeroski Field inside Sally Buffalo Park in Cadiz. Watters was out on a fine relay from left fielder Zayden Warrington to third baseman Gage Stoneking to Mizer. Mizer’s two-out single in the eight provided the winning margin, 2-1.

CADIZ – Tuesday night’s Ohio Division V Region 19 semifinal baseball tournament game between Barnesville and Harrison Central was one of those matchups that it was a shame one team had to lose. But one did.

Kolton Mizer’s two-out single down the line in left drove in Gage Stoneking with the winning run as the Huskies (20-9-1) outlasted the Shamrocks (22-8) by a 2-1 count on the artificial surface at Mazeroski Field inside Sally Buffalo Park.

The clutch hit not only lifted Harrison Central to the championship game on Thursday at Marietta University’s Don and Sue Schlay Field against Lucasville Valley, but it spoiled a pitcher’s duel between the Huskies’ Colton Rutter and Barnesville’s Dylan Blon.

“I was looking for a fastball all the way. I was ahead in the count 2-0,” Mizer explained of his game-winner. “I got a fastball in and just tried to drive it somewhere. This is an amazing feeling. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

After Blon, Barnesville’s ace lefty, retired the first two batters in the bottom of the eighth, the left-handed hitting Stoneking shot a single through the left side of the infield. Following a stolen base, Lance Smith was intentionally walked with the count 1-0 to set the stage for Mizer’s heroics.

“He had a chance there earlier in the game with a man with two outs and hit a fly ball, but I’m not surprised because that guy literally lives at our indoor facility all year,” Harrison Central head coach Mike Valesko said of Mizer. “He doesn’t take days off. He’s there on holidays, weekends and if you come out here at night you’ll probably see him and his dad here hitting. I’m happy for him.”

Mizer’s game-winner made a winner out of Colton Rutter who, after a shaky start, settled into a groove to go the distance. The righty struck out seven, walked three – two intentionally – and yielded seven singles.

“I thought Colton Rutter was really dominant again,” Valesko said. “That’s two great outings on four days’ rest.”

Rutter threw 112 pitches – 76 strikes – and retired a dozen Shamrocks in a row from the last out of the second until a single up the middle by Parker Sobutka with two out in the sixth.

Barnesville scored in its first at-bat as Max Miller drew the lone unintentional walk from Rutter to start the game. He went to second on a single to left by Brayden Watters and both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Blon’s single to left scored Miller but Watters was erased at the plate on a fine relay from left fielder Zayden Warrington to Stoneking at third to Mizer who was waiting on the Shamrocks’ right fielder.

Barnesville would threaten again in the second when Gunner Dudzik led off with a single and promptly stole second. With two outs, Miller singled sharply to right, but the ball was hit hard enough that Dudzik was held at third. Rutter escaped any damage with an inning-ending groundout, and Barnesville would not get a runner passed second the remainder of the game.

Blon, a Marietta University signee, fanned six and walked three – one intentional – while giving up half-a-dozen singles. He threw 102 pitches, of which 65 were strikes.

“We knew what we would get from these guys and their pitcher who just competes his butt off on the mound,” Valesko noted.

Harrison Central drew even with an unearned run in the third. Hunter Snyder’s one-out single ignited the rally. He stole second and raced home when Stoneking’s grounder was misplayed by second baseman Gunner Dudzik and kicked into shallow right-center.

“He comes back and makes a great catch of that looper in shallow right and he turns an unassisted double play,” Butler said of Dudzik. “It would have been easy for a sophomore to hang his head, but he re-focused and went after it.

“I love every guy that comes through our program. I told Dylan that the (loss) was on me,” Butler said of his post-game hug with Blon. “I knew Mizer was a great hitter. I should have walked him and taken our chances with Colton (Rutter). I’ll take the blame for this one. I’ve got to do better.”

Both head coaches, who are great friends and mentors, heaped the other’s program with praise.

“We have so much respect for the Barnesville baseball program. (Their head coach) D.J. (Butler) teaches at our school. He’s from Cadiz. I played for him when I was growing up,” Valesko offered. “We don’t play each other (in the regular season) because of the respect we have for each other. We talk just about every day and it sucked that one of us had to lose, but we know each other’s program does things the right way and you move on.”

Butler echoed those thoughts.

“I have the utmost respect for Coach Valesko and what he has done with his program,” Butler said. “We talk just about every day, if not every day. We got to the state clinics together and we’re both on the state (baseball) board.”

Harrison Central, which has state tournament appearances in 2013 and 2023, will meet Lucasville Valley, which doubled up Minford, 6-3, in nine innings on Tuesday at Ohio University’s Wren Stadium in Athens. Ironically, it was Lucasville Valley that Barnesville topped in 2021 en route to its lone state tournament appearance.