By JIM METCALFE

Staff Writer

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HAMLER — Missed opportunities.

In whatever sport one is talking about, missed opportunities have a strong tendency to come back and bite you in the end.

That was what happened to St. John’s on a warm, sunny and windy Thursday afternoon in its Division IV baseball semifinal at Patrick Henry’s Garrold Parratt Field.

The Blue Jays left the bases loaded in both the first and second innings, with a chance to potentially blow the game wide open against Northwood, and the Rangers rallied behind two solo blasts by Justin Rohrs to grab a 4-3 victory.

The Rangers (18-10) advance to take on the winner of the second game between McComb and Tinora at a time to be determined today.

By Charlie Warnimont

DHI Correspondent

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TIFFIN — Collin Grothaus and Dakota Vogt have been unbeatable this season in their specialities, the pole vault and discus, respectively.

They remained that way Wednesday afternoon at the Division III regional track and field meet in Tiffin. However, they were not the first Columbus Grove boys to lock up a trip to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus next week. That honor went to the Bulldogs’ 3,200 Relay team.

The Bulldogs finished third to earn a trip to the state meet next Friday in Columbus. The three events were the only state bids the Bulldogs locked up after the first day of the regional meet at Frost-Kalnow Stadium. Columbus Grove has a good chance to lock up more bids Friday when the meet concludes as several events advanced to the finals from the semifinals.

After a seventh-place finish at the regionals last season in the 3,200, the Bulldogs were looking for a little bit of redemption this year. Paced by their senior standout runners Jake Graham and Alex Shafer along with strong legs by sophomore Colton Grothaus and freshman Alex Giesige, the Bulldogs accomplished that feat as they finished third in 8:18.34, which is a PR for the team this season.

“We missed out last year and I was hoping to get back here and get another chance to qualify,” Shafer said. “This feels great. We were really hoping to avenge what we did last year. We started off good and were able to get it done.”

Graham had the Bulldogs in the lead after the first exchange before runners from Liberty Center and Pettisville moved in front. Columbus Grove never dropped out of the third spot as Giesige kept pace with the anchor runners from the top two teams to get the state qualification. Giesige just moved into the anchor role last week at the district meet but put aside any nerves he may have had as a freshman to help the team.

“It feels great being a freshman and everything to make state,” Giesige said. “I was real nervous but I pulled through; we all did. I was hoping the guys would keep us in the top four and they did. There was some pressure on me but I put it aside to help the team.”

Vogt, a senior, was looking to make a return to state in the discus and he did just that as he won the regional title in his speciality with a top throw of 162-9. Although his winning throw was less than what he normally throws, he is happy to be making a return trip to state.

“This wasn’t one of my better days but somehow I came out with the win,” Vogt said. “I’m looking to throw farther next week. That’s all that has mattered all season long for me. I felt some pressure to return (to state) because there are a lot of good throwers here. I was pretty calm but I was rushing it in the ring, which is why I didn’t throw as far.”

Vogt was hoping to get teammate Trevor Schroeder down to Columbus in the discus this year. That effort fell short as Schroeder finished sixth with a top throw of 145-11. Schroeder will have another chance to lock up a state bid Friday when he competes in the shot put.

Grothaus didn’t have to work very hard to earn his trip to state as he made just two vaults before winning the competition. Grothaus entered the competition at 12-10 and cleared it on his first attempt, then cleared 13-2 to win the event as no one else could clear that height.

“I cleared 12-10 and then I could relax a little bit and get in a couple of more vaults before running the 300 hurdles,” Grothaus said.

After winning the event, Grothaus moved the bar to 14-0 and cleared it on his second attempt. He then cleared 15-0 on one try before trying to set a new regional record at 15-8. Grothaus had the height on each attempt but was unable to successful clear the bar.

“I had the height tonight, but lacked the speed and I was a little winded having to run the hurdles,” he said. “Next week, I will have a little longer break between the hurdles and pole vault and hopefully I can get that height and more.”

Sophomore Brandon Cotrell finished seventh in the pole vault as he cleared 12-10.

Grothaus will have a chance to pick up a second state bid in the 300 hurdles Friday after he qualified seventh in the semifinals running a 41.58.

Derek Rieman advanced in both hurdle events Wednesday as he has the third-best time in the 300 hurdles at 40.61 and he has the second-best time in the 110 hurdles at 15.34.

On the girls side, senior Cassie Stechschulte and sophomore Annie Schramm were looking to lock up state bids but were unsuccessful in their attempts. Stechschulte finished sixth in the high jump as she could only clear 5-0. Schramm finished 14th in the shot put competition.

On the track, Bulldog sophomore Sydney McCluer kept alive her hopes of advancing in four events as she moved on in both hurdle events and both relays she ran.

McCluer ran a 15.93 for the fourth-best time in the 100 hurdles and she has the fifth-best time in the 300 hurdles at 47.17. In between those events, McCluer joined Raiya Flores, Stechschulte and Julia Wynn for the seventh-best time in the 800 Relay in 1:48.33. In the 400 Relay, the foursome of Flores, Wynn, Jessi Smith and McCluer have the fourth-best time at 51.04. Wynn advanced to the finals of the 200 dash with the eighth-best time in 26.65.

The regional finals get underway at 5 p.m. with the remaining field events, while the running finals start at 6 p.m.

The Grove boys lead the team standings after the first day with 31 points as Liberty-Benton is second with 21 points.

Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Masterson pitched six solid innings, Jason Giambi and Mark Reynolds homered, and the Cleveland Indians broke a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Masterson (8-3) worked out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the sixth to preserve a 2-1 lead. Cincinnati’s only run off the right-hander came on Joey Votto’s two-out homer in the first.

Giambi’s three-run homer in the sixth off Bronson Arroyo (5-5) pushed the margin to four runs for Cleveland, which scored only 14 runs during the skid.

Reynolds’ homer to lead off the third tied the game before Nick Swisher’s RBI double gave the Indians a 2-1 lead in the fourth.

The Reds took the first two games of the intrastate series with wins Monday and Tuesday in Cincinnati, but the Indians bounced back after losing seven of their previous eight. Cleveland’s losing streak matched its longest of the season.

Masterson, who has won four of his last five decisions, allowed four hits and struck out seven. Cincinnati loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth, but Masterson worked out of the jam, getting Xavier Paul on a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play and retiring Devin Mesoraco on a fly ball.

Masterson also retired Votto on a groundout with two on to end the fifth.

Arroyo retired the first two hitters in the sixth before Asdrubal Cabrera and Swisher singled. Giambi hit a 2-1 pitch to right for his fourth career homer in 21 at-bats off Arroyo, who gave up five runs in 5 2-3 innings. Giambi, who hit a pinch-hit homer against the Reds on Monday, also doubled and is batting .381 (8-for-21) with eight RBIs lifetime against the Cincinnati right-hander.

Chad Allen pitched a scoreless seventh and Joe Smith blanked Cincinnati in the eighth. Vinnie Pestano, who has taken over the closer’s role for the injured Chris Perez, inherited a four-run lead in the ninth. He was greeted by Xavier Paul’s leadoff homer, but retired the next three hitters. Perez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with tendinitis in his right shoulder.

Arroyo has lost four straight against Cleveland, allowing 22 earned runs in 19 1-3 innings.

The teams exchanged solo homers early in the game. Votto, who is batting .417 (40-for-96) in May, hit a line drive to dead center in the first while Reynolds homered into the left-field bleachers in the third.

Cabrera doubled with one out in the fourth and scored when Swisher’s hit found the gap in left-center, but the inning ended in sloppy fashion. The Indians made two costly baserunning mistakes they hit three straight doubles but scored only one run.

Following Swisher’s double, Giambi hit a drive to center that Shin-Soo Choo played off the wall. Swisher, perhaps thinking he would tag up if Choo made the catch, was near second base when the ball landed. When he finally came around third, he was waved home by coach Brad Mills, but was out on second baseman Brandon Phillips’ strong relay throw.

The inning ended when Giambi was thrown out trying to steal third as Carlos Santana walked.

Choo, who played with the Indians from 2006-12, made his first appearance in Cleveland since being traded to the Reds in December. He was 1-for-4 with a walk.

NOTES: Cincinnati has lost eight in a row at Progressive Field. … Reds RHP Homer Bailey (3-3) faces Indians LHP Scott Kazmir (2-2) in the finale of the two-game series today at 7:05 p.m. … Indians C Lou Marson (right shoulder) began a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron on Wednesday. He has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 25. Manager Terry Francona said there’s no timetable for Marson’s return but said, “It’s probably weeks as opposed to days. He’s been out for a long time now.” … Cincinnati bench coach Chris Speier is temporarily coaching third base while Mark Berry receives treatment for throat cancer. Miguel Cairo is the interim bench coach. … Indians RHP Brett Myers (sore elbow) could resume his minor league rehab assignment next week. He has been shut down from throwing for five to seven days because of a recent setback.

Gable to play soccer at Heidelberg

Delphos native Alyssa Gable has announced that she will continue her academic and athletic careers at Heidelberg University. While enrolled at Heidelberg, Gable plans to major in psychology.

Gable will join eighth-year head coach Nick Spell and the soccer team in the fall of 2013.

She is the daughter of Maribeth and Todd Gable of Delphos.

Metcalfe’s
Musings

By JIM METCALFE

Staff Writer

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Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way!

That thought was brought to my mind by the newest scandal in the Rutgers athletic department; namely, new Athletic Director Julie Hermann is under fire for her alleged behavior as a volleyball coach at Tennessee — 16 years ago.

That is almost a generation ago; people do change, after all.

We forgive people left, right and center — that has nothing to do with political sentiments, by the way.

Heck, remember long-time sports play-by-play guy Marv Albert and his … “incident” several years ago of biting a woman during …? And it turns out he did this regularly, even when it was alleged to have been force.

Heck, he had to do a relatively short time of penance — two stinking years — and then he was welcomed back with open arms.

I do not deny that what the members of the Lady Vols team alledgedly went through was something that should not have occurred. She quit amidst accusations be every member of that team that she was very abusive towards them, calling them a lot of names that got Don Imus in a lot of hot water a few years back and are uncalled for.

An apology cannot take away that pain — unfortunately — but, apparently, an apology is not forthcoming by the coach.

Here’s how to defuse the situation, especially since the president of the university has told everyone she will still be hired. Until there is proper vetting of this process — what disturbs me is that this hasn’t already been done but that is for another column — that is the way to do this; go through with the hire — everything seems to be above board and she is the most qualified for the job after her work in administration since then — until evidence comes up that tells us differently.

Call a press conference and tearfully admit that you are a very competitive, intense coach and things may have gotten out of hand. Issue the apology, note that mistakes were made, you learned from them and have changed; in a way, you a perfect choice because you know the pressure that coaches are under first-hand and can be even-handed toward both sides should a dispute arise.

After all, who knows better about mercy/a second chance than someone that has been given mercy/a second chance?

As well, not every allegation is true.

She should also reach out to all those former players and make that appeal personally.

Do I think this will happen, that everything will work out for the best and people will be allowed to move on?

Unfortunately, a snowball has a better chance in Hades than of this turning out without another firing or two … or three!