AMHERST — The long ball proved the key for Amherst and the undoing for Elyria on Friday night in a Division I sectional championship game.
Amherst’s Ryan Bartizal hit two homers — a solo shot and a two-run blast — that gave Amherst a 4-3 win. The Comets (17-7) move into the district semifinal against Brunswick, a 4-0 winner over Midview. The Pioneers drop off the tournament trail with a 14-9 record.
Elyria took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, putting together two hits, a walk and a double steal. With one out Nolan Neuschaefer singled to left and stole second. Jon Koepf drew a walk. The double steal followed, with Neuschaefer going to third and Koepf second. Following a strikeout, Victor Stewart singled to left to score both runners.
Dan Poskocil (4-1) started for the Pioneers and held the Comets scoreless for three innings while scattering three hits. The Pioneers added a third run in the third inning as Brenton Brada led off with a sharp single to left. D.J. Haullauer sacrificed him to second and Stephen Morales followed with an RBI single to left. Following a groundout, Neuschaefer drew a walk to put runners at first and second.
Then came the play Elyria coach Steve Sunagel felt was a turning point.
Morales strayed too far from second base and was thrown out trying to get back by catcher Mike Fabri for the third out.
“The kids called that one,” Amherst coach Al McConihe said. “Shortstop Ryan Rua signaled the catcher that the runner was getting off to a big lead and they pulled off the play.”
For Sunagel it was just another baserunning mistake that has happened too often in the last two games.
“You can’t afford to make those mistakes at this level. Not against this competition,” he said. “When you make those mistakes you’re in trouble. We made some of those mistakes yesterday and that’s what upsets me.”
The play seemed to swing the momentum Amherst’s way as Bartizal led off the bottom of the third with his solo blast over the right-center-field fence.
“I was sitting on his fastball and got one,” Bartizal said. “It was a nice fastball on the outside corner and I just drove it to right-center. I felt that was a big momentum change.”
Andrew Eliopoulopos followed with a single to center. Poskocil got the next two hitters, but walked Xavier Bonilla. Larry Schieferstein followed with a single to center to score Eliopoulopos and make it a 3-2 game.
Schieferstein was brought up from the junior varsity for the tournament in what proved to be a good move. Shieferstein went 3-for-3 and made a spectacular diving catch in center field.
“He couldn’t play last year due to an injury but we felt he deserved to be up with the team this year,” McConihe said.
After junior starter Jake Kolcun finished four innings, giving up five hits and three runs, McConihe decided it was time to go with senior Logan Bruce. Bruce finished the game and was credited with the win thanks to Bartizal
Following a walk to Rua in the fifth inning, Poskocil got Brett Szakats to fly out to right and bring up Bartizal. On the first pitch, a hanging curveball, Bartizal drove it over the left-center-field fence to put the Comets in the lead. The rest was up to Bruce.
In his postgame comments, Sunagel said that this was probably his last game.
Contact Ron Nenadal at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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