Commentary: Walsh Jesuit pitcher Shawn Sullivan overpowering in win over Highland

Walsh Jesuit senior Shawn Sullivan is the hardest-throwing pitcher I've seen in 43 seasons of covering high school baseball. I'm not saying there wasn't someone faster, but if there was, I didn't have the pleasure of watching him — or them — pitch. Reaching a high of 95 mph on the radar gun and consistently throwing 90 to 93, the 6-foot Sullivan threw a two-hitter and struck out 11 Wednesday evening as the Warriors downed Highland 2-0 in a Division II, Region 5 semifinal at Gilmour Academy's beautiful Figgie Field. Sullivan, who needed just 88 pitches, also has a nasty curveball, which is why he's a Tennessee recruit and there's at least a possibility he might skip college if he goes high enough in the MLB Draft. "I don't know if you saw it, but I was swinging and balls were already in the (catcher's) glove," Highland No. 5 hitter Nick Dobkowski said. "When you run into a guy like that, you just tip your cap to him." Though the Hornets (18-6) had a runner picked off second and another thrown out trying to score from second on a dropped throw at first base, the temptation is to say it probably wouldn't have mattered. Though just 14-12, the Warriors have played an extremely tough schedule and — even with a few weak sticks in their lineup — will be a pretty big favorite when they face Shaker Heights (19-11), a 4-2 winner over previously unbeaten Lakewood (27-1), for a regional championship today at 5 p.m. at Figgie Field. The Warriors, who outhit Highland 10-2, will send Xavier recruit Caleb Mercurio to the mound in that one, with Michigan pledge Matthew Mansberry, who had three singles, a triple and scored the only two runs against the Hornets, once again batting leadoff and playing shortstop. The difference Wednesday, though, was Sullivan, who was just wild enough to keep Highland hitters from digging in, as he walked two and created a few bruises by plunking two others with fastballs. "We were hoping to string good at-bats together and get his pitch count up," said Hornets cleanup hitter Grady Gibb, who had his team's only extra-base hit with a double to right-center in the seventh. "You know he's going to do great things in his career, but you've just got to execute certain things and we didn't do that." In addition to getting two runners thrown out, the Hornets also had a runner forced out at second on an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt. Highland also had a wild pitch on an 0-2 count with two outs, which allowed Mansberry to score his second run in as many innings. If 1-0 seemed like a tough hole with Sullivan on the hill, 2-0 seemed cavernous, especially as the game progressed. To their credit, the Hornets battled until the final out, which came on a nasty curveball that froze the hitter for strike three. "His fastball was hard enough to hit," Gibb said. "When he's able to mix in off-speed stuff, it makes it extremely hard on the batter because you don't know what's coming. Sometimes you just guess wrong." The loss ended the fantastic high school athletic careers of Highland seniors Gibb, Dobkowski, Casey Myser, Lucas Gerding, Liam Zielinski, Cameron Lovejoy, Parker Janickas, Reid Oney, Cole Fernandez, Will Rogus, Joshua Butcher, Cooper Richnafsky and Dan Miller, many of whom also starred for the school's outstanding football program and/or highly successful basketball program. "I played with great people and for amazing coaches," Gibb said. "They taught me a lot of life lessons that go way beyond sports." Those lessons — and friendships — won't ever go by the wayside. "I'm going to remember these days forever," Dobkowski said. "Whether it's on the field or court, playing with your best friends is going to end at some point. You've just got to take it all in." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com.