Trojans senior Austin Miller went 3-for-4, junior Cole Walton went 2-for-4 and senior Kason Spears had two RBIs in the victory. The Trojans (15-9) will face either Russia or Sugar Grove Berne Union in a D-IV regional final game at 2 p.m. Friday at Wright State University.
“We’re excited to get back here and win in Springfield the way that we did,” said Trojans senior Aiden Harbage. “We played solid defense and had great hitting. It feels amazing. Unreal.”
With the victory, Southeastern advanced to the regional finals for the first time since 1969.
“It’s crazy,” McKee said. “We’ve been playing together since we were little, the first time I stepped on a ball field was with them. Our bond is just so close.”
Railroaders junior Hudson Hill had the lone hit for Bradford, which finished its season 21-11.
“(McKee) was dealing. He was a polished pitcher,” said Bradford coach Bill Sturwold. “We’re not there yet with our pitchers. We’ll get there. The add-on runs really hurt.”
Bradford junior Landon Willis started on the mound for the Railroaders in hopes of saving their ace junior Tucker Miller for a regional final game. Willis, who hadn’t pitched since May 9, was replaced by Miller with one out in the first inning.
“We rolled the dice,” Sturwold said. “Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. (McKee) threw a great game. That decision really doesn’t matter now.”
With runners on second and third and two outs, Spears singled to right field to give the Trojans the early 2-0 advantage.
“I think that kind of rattled them,” said Trojans coach Darron Routzahn. “They’re from the north and they play a different style and have a different attitude of baseball. They don’t think that others can compete and we showed them right from the beginning we’re going to punch you in the mouth and keep going. We have that bulldog mentality.”
Southeastern chose to start their ace in McKee, who didn’t allow a baserunner until the fourth inning. He had just one walk and one hit by pitch in the game, facing 25 batters.
“You’ve got to win today to see tomorrow,” Routzahn said, “and I have total confidence in my No. 2 (tomorrow).”
McKee never faced more than four batters in a single inning. He used a variety of pitches — including a fastball, curveball and changeup — to keep the Railroaders guessing at the plate.
“It’s good when your other pitches work,” McKee said. “I was showing fastball and curveball. When you can locate them both, it’s a great day.”
Southeastern took advantage of passed balls to push across two runs in the second inning and added single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
The Trojans played in front of a large contingent of fans at Carleton Davidson Stadium in Springfield. They hope to bring a similar atmosphere to Friday’s regional final in Fairborn — and make history.
“It was roaring when we got hits and on defense it would be dead silent and you can hear the pop of the glove,” Harbage said. “(The crowd) would explode in the right moments at the right time. It was an unreal atmosphere.”
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