Published: July 18, 2008 12:47 am            

It's survive and advance for New Albany

9-10s hold on to beat Jeff/GRC, win District V title

CHARLESTOWN — John Striegel knelt with his team near center field following its gutty 3-2 win over Jeff/GRC in the District V 9-10-year-old championship game and gave them a simple postgame pep talk.

“I’m proud of you guys tonight,” said the New Albany head coach after his team survived a late-inning rally to advance to the state championship. “It took a lot to win that game and you did everything you needed to do.”

Everything included an all-around brilliant performance from Ricky West, a strong effort by relief pitcher Zack Landrum and two brilliant defensive plays in the final inning that thwarted Jeff’s comeback bid and propelled New Albany to the state championships next weekend in South Bend.

“We were awesome when we needed it,” said New Albany assistant coach Mark Sogge. “That team (Jeff) wasn’t about to make that easy for us. We had to earn it right down to the final out.”

The final out came in a surprising way, as Jeff/GRC had the tying run on first base with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. But with Jeremiah Phelps at the plate, New Albany catcher Tim Redford fired the ball to first after a 2-0 pitch and picked off the Jeff runner to end the game. The final out set off a celebration on the first-base line, where the New Albany players piled up.

“Tim Redford was on fire tonight,” Sogge said. “That play at the end of the game was just one of many he made back there for us tonight.”

The game may have been tied earlier in the sixth had it not been for center fielder Cody Ogden, who made a running catch against the wall on a deep drive by Tre Watson that looked for an instant like it was leaving the ballpark.

New Albany scored twice in the top of the second and upped that advantage to 3-0 in the third on a towering home run by West to deep left field.

West finished the game 3-for-3 with his homer, two RBIs and he was also intentionally walked in the sixth inning. Pitching-wise, he held Jeff’s offense in check until the bottom of the fourth, when he surrendered a solo homer to Watson that made it 3-1.

“Ricky’s an awesome pitcher and he’s a force at the plate,” Sogge said. “We’re lucky we have a kid like him.”

West departed with one out in the fifth and gave way to Landrum, who struck out two batters to end the fifth and held on in the sixth, surrendering an RBI single by Cam Northern with one out.

        

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