STEUBENVILLE – The scoreboard operator was busy.

The No. 8 seed Catholic Central baseball team shook off a shaky start against No. 9 seed Tuscarawas Central Catholic as Catholic Central erupted for 13 runs in the bottom of the second inning as the Crusaders sent the Saints marching home with an 18-7 victory via mercy rule in four-and-a-half innings in an Ohio Division VII Eastern District First Round game Monday evening at Vaccaro Field.

“It’s playoff baseball, and we decided to make a move,” first-year Catholic Central (6-15) head coach Andrew Henry said. “Matthew Jones has been our horse all year, and you don’t want to leave him in the pen. He came in and pitched well. Offensively, we were able to score some runs. We played well.”

Tusky Central plated three runs in the first to take the early lead, however, Catholic Central shook off its jitters, and the Crusaders were able to get rolling in the second inning.

“We shook off our nerves in the first,” Henry said. “We settled down, and we played a clean game after that. I am proud of the guys effort.”

Trailing the Saints by three runs, the Blue-and-Gold tallied 13 runs on eight hits in the second to break the game open. The hosts also took advantage of four walks and two hit batters.

“When you plate 13 runs in one inning, it takes a little bit of everything,” Henry said. “We put the ball in play. When you put the ball in play, that puts pressure on the defense to make plays. We also took advantage of some free passes. It was a combination of things. Thirteen-run innings are rare. When you score 13 runs in an inning, it takes a lot of different things to make that happen.”

With the win, will play No. 1 seed Strasburg in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Wednesday on the road.

“At this point, everything is a tough test,” Henry said. “We were seeded the second-lowest seed. No matter what, we are going to have to play on the road against a higher-seeded team. It is going to be a tough test for us, but our guys are resilient. We have played a tough schedule, and I think that will help us. We have played a tough schedule for a Division VII school.”

Jones ended up with the win on the mound for the boys from Jefferson County. Jones struck out four while walking one in his four innings of relief work. Luke Bryan started on the mound, and he did not record a strikeout while walking one in his one inning of work. Jones started the game behind the plate, and the two batterymates simply switched places at the start of the second.

The boys from Tuscarawas County also used two pitchers. Clayton Coolman started for the boys in the black jerseys, and he was saddled with the loss. Coolman struck out two and walked four in his 1 2/3 innings on the mound. He was replaced with two outs in the second by Anthony Love, who pitched the final 2 1/3 innings. Love struck out a pair while walking six.

After giving up 13 runs to fall behind by 10 runs, the Black-and-Gold tallied a run in the third to pull within 13-4 before tacking on three more in the fourth to make it a 13-7 ballgame. Catholic Central countered with five runs in the home half of the fourth to give the boys in white an 11-run advantage.

“We looked to capitalize in that inning,” Henry said. “We battled. We drew some walks. That was a big inning for us. We wanted to plate five runs. We wanted to get out in five today.”

The Crusaders outhit the Saints, 12-8. The visitors recorded four extra-base hits, while the home team tallied 12 singles.

Offensively for Catholic Central, Tommy Symington and Luke Bryan each collected three singles and two RBI, Zach Bryan and Jones each ended up with two singles and two RBI and Daveon Thorn contributed a single and three RBI. Also, Michael Fabbro finished with a single and two RBI, while Andrew Napoli added a pair of RBI.

“Anyone who has followed our team from the start can see how much we have improved,” Henry said. “If you just look at our scores, we have gotten more competitive. We have grown as a group. Our pitchers have kept us in games the last few weeks.”

For Tusky Central (3-22), Ellis Jackson delivered two doubles and an RBI, Holden Civiello chipped in with a double and an RBI and Edward Bachman belted a double. Also, Anthony Conrad Bollon and Love each collected two singles while Grady Stein finished with two RBI.

“Hats off to Tusky Central,” Henry said. “They battled. They came to play. When we scored, they could have letdown, but they kept coming back. Kudos to them. It was a hard-fought game.”

The win was a big one for Catholic Central as it gave the locals a cherished postseason victory.

“It is a testament to the players,” Henry said. “They came in ready. It would have been easy for a team with our record to come in not ready, but we have a tough group of guys. They don’t quit. They represented themselves, the team and Catholic Central well.”

Catholic Central 18, Tuscarawas Central Catholic 7

Tuscarawas Central Catholic 3 0 1 30 – 7 8 2

Catholic Central 0 (13) 0 5X – 18 12 3

TUSCARAWAS CENTRAL CATHOLIC (3-22): Coolman LP (1 2/3 IP, 2K, 4BB), Love (2 1/3IP, 2K, 6BB) and Dumermuth. Jackson 2D, RBI; Conrad Bollon 2S; Civiello D, RBI; Love 2S; Bachman D; Stein 2RBI.

CATHOLIC CENTRAL (6-15): L. Bryan (1IP, 0K, 1BB), Jones WP (4IP, 4K, 1BB) and Jones and L. Bryan (2). Z. Bryan 2S, 2RBI; Fabbro S, 2RBI; Jones 2S, 2RBI; Symington 3S, 2RBI; L. Bryan 3S, 2RBI; Napoli 2RBI; Thorn S, 3RBI.