Olentangy has played with plenty of leads during its perfect start to the season. Friday against visiting Olentangy Berlin, it showed it can win in come-from-behind fashion as well.
The Braves, down 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, scored a run in the fifth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh to cement the 6-5 walk-off win and improve to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.
Olentangy had the meat of its order up in the bottom of the seventh, and Austin Sizemore, Tommy Chilicki and Vitaly DiBlasi made sure to take advantage. Sizemore got the rally started with a leadoff single before Chilicki worked a five-pitch walk. After that, DiBlasi played the role of hero, roping a double to right field to chase home Sizemore and Chilicki and lift the Braves to the walk-off win.
The Bears (1-7, 0-2), despite their slow start to the season, had all the momentum early. Energy was up … and it stayed up. They jumped on the Braves with a two-run first, getting an RBI double from Harrison Brewster and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Parker McDaniels.
Olentangy got one back in the bottom of the inning, cracking the scoring column when Chilicki doubled home Sizemore, but Berlin continued to add on. The Bears scored three times in the fourth, taking advantage of errors to score a couple sandwiched around another RBI knock from Brewster.
It was then, in the fourth, Olentangy brought in reliever Carter Williamson. Williamson worked around some trouble, stranding two in the inning, and limited the Bears to next to nothing the rest of the way, opening the door for his offense to mount the comeback.
Williamson, who entered for Chilicki with one down in the fourth, tossed the final 3.2 innings of shutout ball to earn the win. He allowed just four hits, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
Sizemore and DiBlasi each finished with a pair of hits in the win while DiBlasi and Aiden O’Brien knocked in two apiece for the Braves. Brewster finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the Bears.
Hilliard Davidson 6, Olentangy Orange 5
The Pioneers loaded the bases in the seventh inning, getting the tying run into scoring position, but the Wildcats threw out that potential game-tying run trying to score on a Tate Scholvin single to hang on for an OCC win Friday night in Hilliard.
Down 6-2 heading into its last trip to the plate, Orange scored three to make things very interesting late.
Luke Shearer doubled to score Charlie Scholvin — who doubled to start the inning — and make it a 6-3 game. Diego Astacio picked up an RBI single to get his team a run closer and, with two down and the bases loaded, Tate Scholvin singled to left to score Shearer. Jacob Lattig, the potential game-tying run, was thrown out on the same play, though, ending the game.
Blake Pettit led Davidson, finishing 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Charlie and Tate Scholvin each had two hits to lead Orange at the plate.
