The Rams’ challenge on Thursday in their Division II regional semifinal against DeSales is to keep the Stallions from adding to the list, which includes three state championships — the last in 2012.
Ross (25-5), which is ranked fifth in the state coaches poll and is making its first regional appearance since 2001, and unranked DeSales (18-11) are scheduled to play at 2 p.m. at Mason.
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The second semifinal between two other unranked teams, Chaminade Julienne and Waynesville, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, and the regional championship game is set for 5 p.m. on Friday at Mason.
The regional champion advances to a state semifinal June 1 at Huntington Park in Columbus.
DeSales, which lost to Badin in last season’s regional final, is coming off a 5-0 win over Hebron Lakewood in a district championship game on May 18, which followed a 4-3, 10-inning win over Johnstown in a district semifinal in which the winning run scored on a bases-loaded hit by pitch. DeSales overcame giving up three runs in the first two innings by retiring 23 of the final 24 opposing batters.
Improved pitching has been the key to DeSales’ tournament run, coach/athletic director Tom Neubert said.
“Without a doubt,” he said. “Obviously, when you throw a shutout in the district final, you’re going to find a way to score a run and win. We gave up three runs in the first two innings of the district semifinal on nerves alone. Sometimes these kids get a little amped up and try to do too much.”
Neubert was deciding between two right-handers, 4-3 Chris McNally and 5-3 Greg Gilbert, as his starting pitcher against Ross. Rettinger had no such problem. Senior right-hander Tom House, who is 8-0 with a 0.98 earned run average and 105 strikeouts, will start for the Rams, who had won five straight games and 12 of 13 before losing to Division I regional-qualifier Fairfield on Monday.
“Anytime you get a pitcher like the House kid on the mound, that’s a game you can win,” a respectful Neubert said. “You’ve got to be patient. Obviously, he’s a big strikeout guy. You try to hit early in the count before he gets you to that two-strike situation. You’re not going to tack on a whole of runs. You want to be patient and see pitches.”
Rettinger wasn’t bothered by not knowing much about DeSales, all the way down to not knowing the team’s nickname until he was told.
“The only thing I know is they’re good and perennially good, year in and year out,” he said. “They’re a traditional powerhouse.”
Rettinger figures most teams are pretty equal at this point in the season, so in-depth scouting reports aren’t much help.
“At this point, everybody who’s left is fundamentally sound,” he said. “They’re all very well-coached teams. Everybody is as good as everybody else. It’s one of those deals where the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.”
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