DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
NEW HAVEN – Bellmont took advantage of five Mississinewa errors and Beau Baker threw one of the best games of his career, allowing no hits in a complete game shutout as the Braves advanced to the semifinals in a 6-0 postseason victory.
Baker was masterful, striking out 14 batters as the Braves won their fifth game in a row. The junior walked just two batters and hit one, giving him a total of just 25 batters faced in seven innings.
Baker also helped himself at the plate, hitting a double and drawing a walk in the No. 3 spot in the lineup.
The only sniff of a hint that Baker gave the Indians came in the second inning. After striking out the first batter of the inning, Baker plunked Kavion Martin. Three pitches later, Kyler Thompson hit a ball over the infield that landed safely in the grass in center field, but Martin had to hesitate in case it was caught.
Matt Bleeke made a good defensive play, taking it on a hop and firing a strike to Mason Martinez, who got the force out at second base and robbing Thompson of a hit. Mississinewa never came close to a hit the rest of the night.
Martinez was involved in another great defensive play to preserve the no-hitter, diving to his left and cutting off a ball seemingly bound for right field with two outs in the third inning. The senior was able to get back to his feet and throw out the runner at first for the third out of the inning. That fired up the Bellmont Braves, who held a slim 1-0 lead at that point in the ballgame.
After making the great defensive play, Martinez then took a pitch to the body and came around to score the second run of the game, giving Baker even more breathing room.
Bellmont broke open the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, taking any hope that Mississinewa had in making a comeback away.
Will Baker and Beau Baker both drew walks and Oliver Werling loaded the bases when he was hit by a pitch. All three of them came around to score on wild pitches by a frustrated Mississinewa battery.
Baker and Martinez both finished the game with two hits at the top of the lineup.
The Braves spent their warm-up time watching Landon Lybarger throw a similar game against Marion as the Heritage Patriots advanced. The two teams will meet again Thursday night. Heritage beat Bellmont (3-2) at Parkview Field earlier this season. A total of six pitchers were used in that game and it could be a similar story at New Haven Thursday with the two aces unavailable.
Fans of Heritage and Bellmont can hear the game on 92.7 FM.
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