High school baseball: Brunswick beats Strongsville for sixth district crown

STRONGSVILLE — Brunswick senior Andrew Haber was waiting for a moment like Thursday evening. When the moment came, the right-hander was up to the task. The Blue Devils topped Strongsville 6-1 on the Mustangs' home field to win the Strongsville Division I District championship behind a three-hitter from Haber. "It feels great that I got to do this with my senior teammates," Haber said. "They always say it's hard to beat a team three times, but there was never a doubt in our mind. We did what we had to do to come home with a victory." Brunswick (17-13) beat the Mustangs (16-10) twice on the way to the Greater Cleveland Conference championship. Haber (3-2, 2.63 ERA), who had only pitched seven innings over the previous 23 days, finished the game by striking out Gus Gregory before being mobbed in celebration. "(Haber's) been pitching much better over the last couple of weeks, but we just haven't been able to get him a whole lot of starts," Brunswick coach Grant Relic said. "He comes to practice every day and goes through the same routine to keep himself ready. That was probably the best game I've seen him pitch in the three years that I've seen him here." The senior was one strike away from a shutout when No. 9 hitter Zach Gaspar blasted a home run to right field. The dinger came one pitch after Gaspar fouled a ball off his leg, causing a delay of several minutes while he was tended to by a trainer. The Blue Devils advanced to face Berea-Midpark (20-7) next Thursday in a Region 3 regional semifinal at North Ridgeville. The Titans topped St. Ignatius 3-0 in the Cleveland District championship. Brunswick beat Berea-Midpark 2-1 and 4-1 on April 17. The district championship is the sixth for the Blue Devils, including the third in eight years and second straight. Brunswick supplied Haber with all the offense he needed with two big blasts from unlikely sources. First, No. 9 hitter Tyler Morgan plated Maks Maras and Jacob Mancini with a double down the left-field line in the second inning for a 2-0 lead. No. 2 hitter Shane Frimel brought in Matt Bottger, Mancini and leadoff hitter Jacob Dye with a double into the right-center field gap in the fourth. Morgan is batting .191 with nine RBIs on the season and Frimel is at .273 and seven, but both were clutch. Mancini also had three hits and scored twice. "I told the other coaches before the game, 'If we could just get two of the non-normal guys to step up today, we'll be in good shape,'" Relic said. "Shane Frimel and Tyler Morgan came through today with five of the RBIs in a big spot. That was a great team win." Frimel's hit came a half-inning after he was cleated by Gregory breaking up a double play, cutting his shin. "I got spiked and they told me I needed stitches," Frimel said. "I didn't think I was going back in and I've been struggling lately, but it turned out good." In the regular season against Strongsville, Haber allowed six runs over five innings. This time he held the Mustangs without a hit until pinch hitter Aidan Cunningham dropped a single just in front of a diving Mancini in center field to lead off the fifth. When Strongsville did put Haber into a jam, he was masterful in getting out of it, holding the Mustangs hitless in nine at-bats with a runner on second base. No runner reached third until Gaspar's home run. "(Haber) was phenomenal after having a few days rest," catcher Josh Kross said. "He came out in a big game and showed them what he actually has. He kept them off-balance, on their front foot and missed their swings, too." Contact John Urchek at sports@medina-gazette.com. Brunswick 6, Strongsville 1 Strongsville Division I District Final BRUNSWICK &emsp;&emsp;020 301 0 — 6 9 1 STRONGSVILLE &emsp;&emsp;000 000 1 — 1 3 3 WP — Andrew Haber (3-2) 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts. LP — Jack Ballas 5 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 earned, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. Brunswick (16-13) — Shane Frimel single, double, 3 RBIs; Josh Kross single, triple, intentional walk; Jacob Mancini 3 singles, 2 runs; Tyler Morgan double, run, 2 RBIs. Strongsville (16-10) — Mitch Szymczak double; Zach Gaspar home run, RBI.