Despite Adversity Ashland Baseball Still Earns Post-season Bid

After making it to the Division 3 South Quarter Finals a year earlier, Ashland was primed to make another run this post season. Unfortunately things didn’t go as planned during the beginning of the season and it looked as though the Clockers were in for a long season.
“We opened the season playing up and down baseball going 4-4 through our first eight games,” Ashland Baseball Coach Matt Messer said. “This team just didn’t have an identity. We mixed up the lineup, the bats flared up and we went on a seven game winning streak.”
Just as the Clockers thought they were headed in the right direction, junior left-handed pitcher Luke Gustavson got injured and was put on the shelf for two weeks and the team once again struggled losing three straight.
“After beginning the season 6-0 in which he pitched well we lost Luke,” the Coach said. “Although he finished 7-1 it’s tough to lose that type of player and the team starts to question themselves.”
After falling to 11-7 the Clockers rebounded to the end of the season on a high note winning their last two regular season games before entering post season play. In the absence of Gustavson, Messer was forced to bring up freshman Dominic Cavanaugh. The first time varsity pitcher did well on the mound for Ashland going 2-1, despite the Coaches reluctance to use a freshman.
“I knew that in some point he’d be on the varsity squad, but I very rarely like to bring a freshmen up, but we had no choice, we needed his arm,” Messer said. “He’s very mature for his age; a strong kid with a junior’s body as a freshman.”
Two other pitchers, senior Shane Leary and sophomore Alex Amalfi, also were key contributors on the mound for the Clockers. Leary posted some big innings for Ashland in relief, and Amalfi pitched 33 innings doing a nice job to keep the Clockers in games.
Offensively, shortstop Jackson Hornung, the team MVP, did it all at the plate for Ashland. Not only was the sophomore named to the Tri Valley League All Star team, but found his name in the top 10 of every offensive category in the league. Batting .430 on the season, Hornung originally was the team’s leadoff batter, but since he was crushing the ball at the plate, Messer dropped him down to the three hole.
Other athletes hitting the cover off the ball were Ronan Bates, who batted second and hit .345 with 24 hits, 20 runs scored and 9 RBI; cleanup hitter Eric Vinacco batted .368 and led the TVL with 26 RBI; Michael Crupi hit .348 with 24 hits and Joe Schelling batted .323 with 21 hits. When the season came to an end Ashland found that they had an impressive five batters with 20 plus hits.
If the Clockers continue to hit the ball they should be able to go deep into the tournament.
“Hitting has been our bread and butter all year. If we continue to out hit the opposition while scoring ruins we’ll be ok,” the Clockers Coach said. “If our bats go south and die then so do we.”
The Clockers were able to beat Bellingham 4-2 in the opening round, but fell to Norton in the Quarter Finals by the same score.