RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
It ain’t over till it’s over, and sometimes it takes a very long time before it’s over. Just ask the Adams Central Flying Jets and the Heritage Patriots.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the 18th inning that Ethan Funk finally ended a marathon game between the two ACAC rivals with a one-out single that drove in Joey Everett to give the Jets (9-9, 4-1 in the ACAC) a 3-2 win Wednesday in a game that started almost a week ago.
Everett started the rally with a lead-off single to right field. Lawson Deathe tried to bunt Everett to second but popped it up to Patriot catcher Mason Abbott. With one out and Funk at the plate, Everett stole second. Then he sprinted home when Funk reached out and punched a 1-2 pitch for a soft liner to shallow left center.
“They’d been feeding me sliders the whole game,” said Funk. “I probably had 90% of pitches sliders, and that last pitch he dropped a change-up in there. I was completely falling out and kind of just stuck my bat out there and dropped it over the shortstop’s head.” The hit was Funk’s 24th of the season in 53 at-bats. He leads the Jets in batting average (.453) and on-base percentage (.574).
The two teams were knotted at 2-2 after 13 innings last Thursday at Adams Central when darkness forced a suspension of play.
When play resumed Wednesday in the top of the 14th, Heritage (13-4, 2-2) threatened to break it open against AC pitcher Cade Van De Weg. Two-out walks to Iestyn Roe and Landri Linder, followed by shortstop Jami Roach’s error on Lucas Taylor’s grounder, loaded the bases. But Van De Weg retired Heritage DH Landon Lybarger on a fly out to center field to end the rally.
The Patriots would not have another baserunner the rest of the night. Van De Weg retired the side in order in the 15th through 18th innings, striking out six, including three on called third strikes in the top of the final frame.
The unusual circumstances of the game allowed Van De Weg to do something possibly unprecedented in the history of Indiana high school baseball: pitch 13 innings in the same game. He threw the first eight innings last Thursday before being removed from the mound because he had reached the state-mandated limit of 120 pitches. Normally, of course, he would not have been allowed to pitch again in the game, but since he had five days of rest before play resumed, the IHSAA ruled that he could have another 120 pitches.
Adams Central coach Josh Foster took advantage of the ruling by putting his ace back on the mound Wednesday, and Van De Weg responded with five shutout innings to notch the win, his fifth against three losses. Over his 13 total innings, Van De Weg gave up five hits and two runs (both unearned), walked four, and struck out 12.
Van De Weg gave a lot of credit to his defense. “My strikeout stuff really wasn’t on today,” he said. “I was letting my infield make the plays, and they were making them. Hayden (Bluhm), Ethan (Funk), Jacob (Miller)—they were all making them. Jami (Roach) too.”
Roach pitched the ninth through 13th innings last Thursday, shutting the Patriots out on two hits and no walks.
Van De Weg’s counterpart, Heritage sophomore Elijah Rauner (2-1), also pitched masterfully. Rauner, who had shut out the Jets over the final five innings last Thursday, threw four shutout innings Wednesday before giving up the game-winner in the 18th. He struck out 14 in his nine and a third innings, while yielding only four hits and two walks.
Rauner relieved his brother Cam, who had pitched the first eight innings last week. Cam gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out 12.
“It just kept dragging on and on,” said Foster of the game, which ties for the sixth-longest game in Indiana high school baseball history. (Peru and Logansport played the longest, 22 innings, back in 1971.) “I kind of felt bad for the umpires,” he added. “They were here last week too, so we held them hostage for 18 innings.”
Plate umpire Mark Herberger, who worked the 12-inning 4A state championship game last year, saw an astounding 506 pitches in this game.
Heritage batters had 18 strikeouts, Adams Central batters 26.
Beau Stoppenhgen paced the Patriots’ offense with three hits. Lybarger had two hits, as did Linder, who drove in both Heritage runs on Thursday.
Max Byerly had three hits for the Jets. Everett, Funk, and Reece Hammond had two hits apiece. Everett drove in two runs Thursday with a two-out single in the fifth inning.
This Thursday, Adams Central will host South Adams, and Heritage will travel to Jay County.
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