Triad will meet Newark Catholic, a 7-3 winner over Fort Recovery in the other D-IV semifinal Friday, in a game slated to start at 7 tonight. Rain showers are forecast throughout the day, however, so it could be a long night as three more state title games must be played before the Cardinals can take the field.
It will be a rematch of sorts as Triad played perennial state power Newark Catholic in its only previous state final appearance in 2004, the Cardinals losing 3-1.
The 26-7 Cardinals rode the arm of Ford, who came into the game with a 8-0 record and a 0.55 ERA. Cuyahoga Heights’ starting pitcher Aaron Kucia broke up Ford’s no-hitter with a line drive single to centerfield in the top of the seventh.
“Shane did a great job,” said Triad veteran coach Will Nichols. “He’s not overpowering, he just throws strikes. And my defense knows that, too. And I think that makes them more ready and has them more involved in the flow of the game.”
The closest the Redskins came to a hit prior to that was when Dalton Holycross made a diving catch of Matt Harris’ sinking line drive in the sixth.
Cuyahoga Heights got a runner as far as third base in the first as Ford issued just his sixth walk of the season to open the game. But then it was lights out for the Redskins.
Ford wasn’t aware of his possible no-hitter until late in the game.
“I looked at the scoreboard and said, ‘Wow, no hits,’ ” he said. “So I thought I’d just do the same thing I had been doing. If it happens, then it happens. No big deal. We still get the victory.”
Meanwhile, Triad got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second, exploding for four runs on just two hits. Leadoff hitter Briley Harlan singled, then stole second base. After Isaiah Bruce lined out to the left-centerfield gap, Kucia walked the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, Jacob Greve and Alec Ober, respectively.
Nichols called for a suicide squeeze, which was successful as Harlan scored on Dalton Holycross’ sacrifice. But Kacia’s wildness would catch up with him, as he walked Ford to load the bases, and senior team leader Trent McIntyre cleaned them off with a two-out, line drive three-run triple to the right centerfield gap.
That put Triad in the driver’s seat early with a 4-0 lead.
Triad added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Greve delivered a two-out double, and Austin Bails came on to run for him. Then Ober drove Bails in with a single to center. Ober proceeded to steal second and third base and then came home when Holycross beat out an infield hit.
Triad has outscored its opponents 42-1 in its six postseason games this season.
“We’re scrappy,” said Nichols. “We somehow find a way to win. We’ve struggled at times at the plate, but that’s baseball. You go through some ups and some downs.”
Not so with the pitching, however. Good pitching has been the one constant during Nichols’ 19 years at the Triad helm. McIntyre is slated to take the mound tonight, bringing a 5-2 record and a 1.40 ERA into the title game.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate,” said Nichols. “Way back to 2003, we’ve not just had good pitching, but great pitching. I don’t really know where they all come from.”
The fleet-footed Cardinals also had six stolen bases in the game.
Triad had one other chance to score. In the first inning, the Cardinals had runners on second and third with one out thanks to singles by Holycross and McIntyre. But back-to-back strikeouts ended that threat.
Cuyahoga Heights finished its season with a 14-10 record.
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