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Baseball Battles Moeller With Trip To District Finals On The Line

Posted on: May 17, 2017

SETTING THE SCENE: With a sectional championship on the line, the Milford High School baseball team will take to the diamond at Lebanon Junior High School on Thursday when the Eagles square off with perennial power Moeller at 5 p.m. The Eagles have won seven of their last nine games to bring a 19-10 record into the school’s fourth sectional final in the last five years. Milford’s opponent is formidable as Moeller finished tied for second in the final Ohio High School Baseball Coaches’ Association poll. The Crusaders are 19-6 on the season and defeated Princeton by a 2-0 score in their tournament opener.

 

A LOOK BACK: May 7 vs. Cincinnati Country Day: Milford 9, Cincinnati Country Day 3

Milford scored runs in each of the first five innings to distance themselves from a strong Cincinnati Country Day squad, earning a 9-3 win. The Eagles opened a 3-0 lead after two innings, but quickly saw the edge trimmed to just one run a half inning later. Milford then responded with four runs over the next two innings to pull away.

 

THE BATS

The Eagles got key offensive contributions from several sources including senior Sam Dobrowolski who had a run-scoring double and an RBI single. Chase Witte chased two runs home with a third inning double, while Matt Kirk and Kyle Minton each tallied RBI triples.

 

THE ARMS

Three Milford pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts, while allowing just four hits. Kyle Music got his second win of the year after fanning five in three innings, before turning the ball over to Minton. The junior was outstanding, striking out seven of the 12 men he faced and allowing only two hits and a walk. George Lucas handled the final inning, striking out two.

 

May 8 at St. Xavier: St. Xavier 11, Milford 1

St. Xavier scored three first inning runs, then blew open and ultimately completed the win with an eight-run fifth inning to hand the Eagles an 11-1 defeat. The setback snapped a five-game winning streak for MHS.

 

THE BATS

Milford got its lone run in the fourth inning when Sam Dobrowolski drove home Matt Kirk with an RBI single. Wes Reid went 2-for-2 with a walk from his leadoff slot for the Eagles.

 

THE ARMS

Junior Tyler Barter drew the start on the mound and was touched for three runs in two innings in absorbing the loss. Seniors Keith Carter and Joey Ciraci each took rather unsuccessful turns in relief.

 

May 10 vs. Winton Woods (OHSAA Tournament): Milford 12, Winton Woods 0

Milford exploded for eight runs in the second inning and got an outstanding hitting and pitching performance from junior Mitch Mierke as the Eagles opened OHSAA Tournament play with a 12-0 over Winton Woods on Wednesday. Mierke was brilliant on the hill, twirling a one-hit shutout, while going 3-for-3 at the plate with a trio of RBI.

 

The Eagles gave Mierke all the support he would need with the huge second inning that ultimately was the deciding frame of the game. On the bump, Mierke allowed just a single Winton Woods hit in five innings, while matching his season-high with seven strikeouts.

 

In just five innings, the Eagles finished with four multi-hit performers, led by Mierke’s three knocks, including a double. Matt Kirk had a triple and two RBI among his two hits, while Kyle Music had a double as part of his two-hit day. Wes Reid ended the day 2-for-4, while Sam Dobrowolski added a double.

 

May 12 at Anderson (OHSAA Tournament): Milford 8, Anderson 2

Milford got sweet revenge against its Eastern Cincinnati Conference foe Anderson after a pair of one-run, regular season defeats as they knocked off the Redskins 8-2 in the second round of the OHSAA Tournament. The Eagles wasted no time jumping in front with a three-run first inning that set the tone for the day.

 

THE BATS

The Eagles got off to a hot start as back-to-back RBI doubles by Matt Kirk and Kyle Music, followed by a Keith Carter run-scoring single pushed the lead to 3-0 just one-half inning in. By game’s end, Music had recorded a pair of doubles and scored twice, while Kirk and Carter each drove in two. Joining Kirk and Music in the two-hit game parade was Wes Reid and Sam Dobrowolski.

 

THE ARMS

The junior duo of Evan Baugh and Music combined to keep the Redskins in check with the former picking up the win after four solid innings and Music grabbing his first save with three shutout frames. Baugh struck out four in his outing, while Music kept the Redskins off the scoreboard to seal the win.

 

May 15 vs. LaSalle: LaSalle 7, Milford 1

LaSalle scored four times in the second and three more times in the third, picking up its second win of the year against Milford with a 7-1 victory. The Eagles had ample chances to claw closer, but ultimately left 10 runners on base for the day.

 

THE BATS

Milford took advantage of a trio of LaSalle errors to score its only run in the sixth inning when Kyle Music raced home. Evan Baugh collected two of the Eagles’ seven hits and also drew a walk.

 

THE ARMS

Mitch Mierke, one of the Eagles’ top hurlers all season, didn’t have his best day as he was tagged for seven runs in just three innings of work. The trio of Kyle Minton, George Lucas and Alex Lutz allowed just two hits and a walk over the final four innings, with Minton and Lucas each striking out two.

 

THE UPCOMING DOCKET: A look at Milford’s next OHSAA Tournament opponent:

  • Thursday, May 18 vs. Moeller (at Lebanon Jr. HS), 5:00 p.m.
    • 2017 Record: 19-6, 6-3 GCL (1st Division I area coaches’ final weekly poll)
    • Top Hitter: Senior Hunter Hughes (.364/6 XBH/23 RBI/8 SB)
    • Top Pitcher: Senior Sebastian Fabik (0.18 ERA/6-1 record/0 SV)
    • Last Meeting: 2016; Milford 3, Moeller 2

 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: A look at Milford’s statistical leaders through 29 games:

Batting Average: Matt Kirk (.467), Kyle Music (.418), Wes Reid (.378)

Slugging Percentage: Matt Kirk (.761), Kyle Music (.567), Wes Reid (.531)

On Base Percentage: Matt Kirk (.541), Kyle Music (.494), Wes Reid (.447)

Runs Scored: Evan Baugh/Wes Reid (30), Matt Kirk (27)

Hits: Matt Kirk (43), Wes Reid (37), Evan Baugh (30)

RBI: Matt Kirk (34), Wes Reid (20), Sam Dobrowolski/Mitch Mierke (19)

Doubles: Kyle Music/Wes Reid (10), Matt Kirk (7)

Triples: Matt Kirk (7), Kyle Minton (2), Four Tied (1)

Home Runs: Matt Kirk (2), Wes Reid (1)

Walks: Matt Kirk (16), Dylan Stewart (14), Three Tied (13)

Stolen Bases: Matt Kirk/Wes Reid (5), Keith Carter (4)

Wins: Mitch Mierke (5), Evan Baugh (4), Tyler Barter/Joey Ciraci/Kyle Music (2)

Saves: Keith Carter/Jared Dettmer/Kyle Music (1)

ERA: Evan Baugh (2.10), Mitch Mierke (2.38), Kyle Music (3.84)

Innings: Evan Baugh (40.0), Kyle Music (34.2), Mitch Mierke (32.1)

Opponents Batting Average: Evan Baugh (.222), Mitch Mierke (.248), Kyle Music (.257)

Strikeouts: Kyle Music (41), Evan Baugh (33), Mitch Mierke (28)

 

POLL WATCH: Milford continued to receive votes in the final edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s area Division I coaches’ poll, released on May 1. Moeller won the poll championship, securing 12 of the 20 first place votes cast. The balance of the top-five showed Fairfield (two votes), Lakota West (four votes), St. Xavier (two votes) and Loveland from the ECC. The league is also represented by Kings, Anderson and Walnut Hills all joining the Eagles in others receiving votes. The final coaches’ poll can be viewed at preps.cincinnati.com/coachespolls.

 

COLLEGE BOUND EAGLES: A trio of seniors on the 2017 Eagles’ roster have already announced their intention to continue their athletic and academic careers on the collegiate level. Joey Ciraci will attend will attend Bluffton University, while Matt Kirk has signed a National Letter of Intent at Morehead State University. George Lucas is on his way to Wilmington College.

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