Top-seed Tri-Valley too much for Big Red

TRYING TO GET BACK — Big Red’s Nicky Lovato attempts to get back to first base after being caught in a rundown during Thursday’s sectional final against Tri-Valley at the Crimson Complex. - Andrew Grimm
- TRYING TO GET BACK — Big Red’s Nicky Lovato attempts to get back to first base after being caught in a rundown during Thursday’s sectional final against Tri-Valley at the Crimson Complex. – Andrew Grimm
- Big Red’s Myles Cooper lines up a pitch with his swing against Tri-Valley on Thursday. – Andrew Grimm
- Big Red’s Matt Fabbro makes a catch on a pop up for an out. – Andrew Grimm
- Big Red’s Maddox Gulan gets ready to swing at a pitch on Thursday. – Andrew Grimm
- Big Red pitcher AJ Borsch delivers against Tri-Valley. – Andrew Grimm
- Big Red’s Kail Simmons takes a swing. – Andrew Grimm
That is what happened to Big Red on Thursday evening.
Steubenville was hanging with Tri-Valley though most of the first three innings, but the Scotties, as good teams do, made Big Red pay for giving them life with two outs and turned what was shaping up to be a close game into an 8-0 victory at the Crimson Complex.
“We were overpowered, we were overpowered by a good team,” Big Red head coach Fred Heatherington, who is retiring and concluded the 36th and final season of his legendary career, said. “They have four or five guys that have been starting since their sophomore seasons, they beat us out there (in the tournament) a couple years ago. They’re good.
“We hung in there, we were just overpowered.”

Big Red’s Myles Cooper lines up a pitch with his swing against Tri-Valley on Thursday. - Andrew Grimm
The contest, originally scheduled to be played at Tri-Valley on Wednesday, was moved to Steubenville to utilize the turf field with the steady rainfall both days. Much of the game was played in a light rain.
Tri-Valley, the top seed in the East District side of the East/Southeast bracket and the No. 10 ranked Division III team in the state, plated four runs with two outs in the bottom of the third inning after a hit batsman and a walk extended the frame, adding four more an inning later, also with two outs.
The first of the four runs for the Scotties (23-4) proved to be enough as a trio of pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter.
Brady Kaufman fired the first five innings, striking out 11 batters but walking four, while Kade Hindel and Gavin Harrold sat down two each in a scoreless inning apiece.
Big Red, which was the No. 4 seed, finishes a season full of ups and downs with a record of 12-14. Prior to the loss Thursday, they had won four of their last five games.

Big Red’s Matt Fabbro makes a catch on a pop up for an out. - Andrew Grimm
“We had a rough yer, but we battled and that’s all we can ask,” Heatherington said. “Our team battled every day in practice and battled every day on the field. Toward the end of the season, we started to play as a team. We had a team at the end of the year, we were playing as a team and that’s what’s important.
“The kids got along together and never stopped working every day in practice and got after it.”
Big Red had four seniors in the line up Thursday that had their careers in Crimson and Black come to an end in outfielder Maddox Gulan, outfielder Brenden DoBreff, catcher Kail Simmons and first baseman Myles Cooper.
“Our four seniors did a great job, they kept us together,” Heatherington said. “We had four good seniors with character and I think their character showed through.”
The next coach of the Big Red will be starting with a strong foundation of youthful players coming back who made an impact as the season went along, as Big Red started two freshmen, a sophomore, three juniors and got contributions from several other underclassmen throughout the season.

Big Red’s Maddox Gulan gets ready to swing at a pitch on Thursday. - Andrew Grimm
“The young guys came a long way, hopefully they learned something from it,” Heatherington said. “They’ll keep getting better and be good next year.”
After a scoreless first two innings, Hindel opened the scoring with a two-out RBI single following the hit batter and walk with two outs in the bottom of the third, then Ryan Lomonica hit a two-run double and Harrold connected for an RBI single before Big Red’s Nolan Blackburn came on in relief and got out the inning with a one-pitch out.
An inning later, also with two outs, the Scotties put together four-straight hits, capped by an RBI single from Hindel and a Lomonica two-run double. A balk between them plated a run as well.
While they did not get any hits, Big Red did have six base runners, drawing five walks and getting a man on via Tri-Valley’s lone error, but had two runners picked off and stranded the other four.
Big Red starter AJ Borsch, one of the freshmen, struck out two and walked one in his 2 2/3 innings. Sophomore Noah Kokiko came on after Blackburn and fired 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball.

Big Red pitcher AJ Borsch delivers against Tri-Valley. - Andrew Grimm
Tri-Valley will take on No. 2 seed Dover on Tuesday to decide who from the East side of things will take on the Southeast winner for a spot in the D3 regional tournament. Dover topped No. 3 seed New Philadelphia, 4-2, on Thursday.
OHSAA Division III
East/Southeast District Sectional Final
the Players’ Field at the Crimson Complex
No. 1 Tri-Valley 8, No. 4 Big Red 0

Big Red's Kail Simmons takes a swing. - Andrew Grimm
BR 0-0-0 0-0-0 0 – 0 0 0
TV 0-0-4 4-0-0 x – 8 9 1
BIG RED (12-14): Borsch (LP, 2 2/3IP, 4R, 4ER, 3H, 2K, 1BB, 1HBP), Blackburn (1IP, 4R, 4ER, 5H, 1K, 0BB), Kokiko (2 1/3IP, 0R, 1H, 0K, 0BB) and Simmons.
TRI-VALLEY (23-4): Kaufman (WP, 5IP, 0R, 0H, 11K, 4BB), Harrold (1IP, 0R, 0H, 2K, 0BB), Hindel (1IP, 0R, 0H, 2K, 1BB) and Drummonds. Lomonica 2D, 4RBIs; Kaufman D, S; Hindel 2S, 2RBIs; Harrold S, RBI; Riley S; Huffman S.