ACCIDENT — With Northern’s season hanging in the balance, the bottom of the lineup came through to power the Huskies into the region title game.
Southern entered the bottom of the seventh inning with a 6-5 lead, and it walked the bases loaded with one out. The one saving grace? Northern’s Nos. 8 and 9 hitters were up next.
Landon Yoder, who wasn’t in the lineup at the start of the game, blooped a single to right field to tie the game, and Robert Deatelhauser slapped a soft liner down the left-field line to walk it off, lifting No. 1 Northern to a come-from-behind victory in the Class 1A West Region I semifinals on Saturday.
“The last three outs in any baseball game, whether it’s professional, Little League or high school, are the hardest three to get,” Northern manager Phil Carr said. “That’s why baseball is a great game.
“We kept a great attitude. When we got down we still felt like we would come back and win the game. … Single-elimination baseball is so hard on the kids. There’s so much pressure to perform or your season is over.”
Northern (18-2) won 13 straight games during the heart of the regular season, including a sweep of its rival Southern (9-9), captured the Western Maryland Athletic Conference title and entered the postseason as the region’s No. 1 seed.
But none of that mattered when the first pitch was thrown in a do-or-die game Saturday, and on the strength of 10 base hits through the first three innings and a four-run second, Southern jumped out to a 6-2 lead.
Northern began to chip away as winning baseball teams do. Devin McKenzie clubbed a two-run homer to left field in the third, and Liam Stewart legged out a two-out infield single in the fourth for an RBI to make it 6-5.
Southern’s Ryan Bird calmed the tide to put up two scoreless innings of relief to take a lead into the seventh inning, but walks eventually caught up to the Rams with two outs to go.
“I thought we played really hard. Played a complete game,” Southern manager Hayden McLaughlin said.
“Sometimes baseball is a game of inches. Bloop single here and there. We position ourselves a little farther in somewhere, position a little left or right, might have an out and that changes the outcome. That’s the beauty of the game.”
Yoder and Deatelhauser have not been regular fixtures in the batting order at Northern at times during their careers.
Yoder, a defensive standout, has come on this year as one of the area’s premier pitchers but has seen his at-bats decreased in recent weeks, and Deatelhauser, an All-Area first-team pitcher last year, has often had a designated hitter before this season.
The baseball has a way of finding you in the postseason.
Deatelhauser’s hit was inches away from the foul line, but it landed fair and the senior was mobbed on the base paths in celebration.
“One out, just put the ball in play,” said Deatelhauser of his approach, who also came through with the game-sealing interception for a touchdown in the Huskies’ upset of Mountain Ridge in the region football finals this fall.
“Don’t put it towards the infield since they were in, easy out at home. Just put it towards the outfield.”
Southern out-hit Northern, 13-10, but its pitching issued five more walks.
Wally Brands, McKenzie, Yoder and Deatelhauser all had multiple hits for the Huskies, McKenzie added a triple to his big fly and drove in four runs, Yoder doubled and Jacob Chambers scored twice.
Yoder also gave Northern five innings of quality relief, limiting Southern to a run on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks, to give the Huskies a chance to come back.
“Landon did an outstanding job,” Carr said. “He’s one of the best pitchers in the area I think. I know he’s not a big name, but if you look at his ERA, and he’s a gutsy kid. He came in, he gave up the one run, and he kept us hanging around. He got us out of a couple jams. Nothing really affects him.”
The comeback spoiled an impressive offensive showing from the Southern offense, led by Jared Haskiell’s 4-for-5 day, which included three doubles. Cade Leader and Kasey Reckart also doubled, and Brayden Upole, Ryan Bird and Hayden Williams all had multi-hit games.
Upole, Leader, Tasker and Bird all tallied RBIs in succession in the second inning.
Leader got the ball for Southern in a no-decision, allowing five runs on eight hits over four innings. Bird took the loss in relief.
Northern advances to the region finals, where it’ll meet Allegany (14-4), a 4-2 winner over Fort Hill Saturday, for a trip to the state tournament in a fourth straight season.
Unlike the previous three, Northern swept the Campers in the regular season to secure home-field advantage Tuesday. First pitch is schedule for 4:30 p.m.
“When you started the year, back of your head you’re probably thinking us and Allegany again,” Carr said. “Familiar territory. Us and Allegany to go to states. We earned the right to keep it here. It’s got to go through Northern.”