AKRON — Archbold will play for a second state baseball championship in program history on Sunday.
In a game that took just 90 minutes to complete, the Blue Streaks advanced to the Division III title game by squeaking out a 1-0 pitchers’ duel over seventh-ranked Canton Central Catholic in Friday's semifinals at Canal Park in Akron.
Archbold (23-11) scored the game's only run in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to the hustle of sophomore leadoff hitter Krayton Kern.
Kern drove a ball to left-center for an apparent single, but never stopped running and beat a close relay throw to turn the hit into a double.
“Kern has been a real spark plug for us,” 12-year Archbold coach Dick Selgo said. “He came up from the JV team halfway through the season, and he has really been a spark. He's been a big help.”
After Brandon Taylor popped out for the second out, junior shortstop DJ Newman came through with an RBI single to right to score Kern for a 1-0 Blue Streaks lead.
“That was my first hit of the game, and I was excited,” Kern said. “When I saw it go into the outfield, I was sprinting. It was a 0-0 ballgame, and it was exhilarating the entire time, so I was determined to score that winning run.
“When DJ got up, I just had that feeling. He's a great player, and I knew he was going to come through for the team.”
Crusaders pitcher Eric Baum found out what many teams learned earlier this season: that it can be a bad idea to pitch to Newman, especially with first base open.
“I had a bloop hit [in the first inning], but then I half swung [the next at bat] and hit to the pitcher,” Newman said. “So, I bet [Baum] had some confidence on me. I just tried to hit a line drive, and that's what happened.
“I just take what they give me, and I don't try to force it. I knew we had some good wheels on second, so if I got a single I knew Krayton would score. This is unbelievable. I'm so proud of everyone on this team. It was a team effort, for sure.”
Archbold, a team with just two seniors on its varsity roster, will match up against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (22-8) at Canal Park in Sunday's 10 a.m. final.
The Blue Streaks will be looking to match the 2005 squad that captured a state crown, beating Frankfort Adena, 7-1, in the final that year.
To get to that D-III final, which was played at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, the Streaks edged Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, 7-6, in the 2005 semifinals.
Selgo, who was an assistant coach for the 2005 team, had a luxury of a decision to make entering these semifinals.
Would he start freshman Jayden Seiler or Newman on the mound? One of those “1 or 1A?” kinds of things.
He opted for Seiler, who delivered a three-hit shutout, striking out six batters and walking just one in an efficient 87-pitch effort.
“It was a perfect decision,” said Newman. “Jayden was lights-out today”
As for Newman, the Northwest Ohio Athletic League player of the year was 2-for-3 at the plate, had three assists and two putouts at shortstop, and will start on the mound in Sunday's title game.
“What can you say about our freshman pitcher Jayden Seiler,” Selgo said. “He was just as efficient as can be. We really debated how we were going to go with our 1-2 pitching tandem [Newman and Seiler]. But, they've both done tremendous this year, so it really was an easy decision when it seemed like a tough one.
“Jayden came up with another gem today. We got just enough hits, and Newman had the hit to drive in the winning run. If Jayden got into any kind of trouble, DJ was coming in to shut the door.”
It seemed like some long-awaited good karma for an Archbold program that had been eliminated in regional play the past four tournaments (2016-19) by heart-breaking one-run losses.
“These [current] guys didn't go through all of that frustration like our coaching staff and our players and our fans did,” Selgo said. We appreciate so much being able to get here, and now to get into the state championship game.”
This year's Blue Streaks, having only one player (Newman) with any past varsity experience, snapped that run of poor luck to get through regionals. Now they are set to chase a second state championship.
Seiler outdueled Baum, who yielded seven hits in his six-inning, 68-pitch outing.
“It was very nerve-racking at first, but my teammates got me together,” Seiler said. “We talked it over and they told me to [act like] it was a regular game. So, I just went out there, trusted them, and just pitched.
“I try to work pretty fast because I feel like I throw more strikes working fast.
I threw a lot of sliders on the outside, and that worked pretty good, and I threw my fastballs for strikes, too. When we scored, that took off a lot of the nerves. I knew DJ could do it. He's the guy we want at the plate every time.”
Archbold senior catcher Caleb Hogrefe also went 2-for-3 off of Baum, and the Streaks’ other hits in the game came from Gavin Bailey and Jack Hurst.
First Published June 11, 2021, 7:00 p.m.
