By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WEST UNITY (May 2, 2025) – Seemed like Hilltop’s Brennan Dempsey was in the middle of everything against Pettisville.
First, his seventh inning two-out ground ball was muffed into a two-run, game-tying error. Then Dempsey went to the mound in the eighth and twirled two shutout innings.
It was only two because in the bottom of the ninth, Dempsey delivered a two-out base hit that sent across the winning run in a 5-4 Cadet win over the Blackbirds.
“It’s huge,” Cadet coach Tony Gerig said regarding the win with the upcoming tournament draw just a week away.
“We have really had a rough go of it the last 10 days. We’ve been fighting our own demons somewhat and to get a win like this today, hopefully it springboards us for the next week and into the tournament.”
Hilltop starter Cameron Schlosser probably deserved better on this day. Schlosser for the most part was in total control all day, striking out 10 Blackbirds, walking two and giving up just two hits.
However, Pettisville marked a pair of third inning runs without a hit. Luke Horning worked a walk leading off and Quinn Ripke reached on an error to start the frame.
A wild pitch brought home Horning and Ripke followed a short time later on Sam Hastings grounder. Rylan Warner worked out of a two-out, two-on situation in the second with a strikeout but wasn’t as fortunate in the third.
Anthony Jiannuzzi started a rally with a single and Terry Rebeck got another one out later to put runners on first and third.
The Cadets worked the double-steal to perfection to halve the Pettisville lead. Two innings later, the Cadets tied it.
After a walk and a wild pitch, Rebeck got his second hit of the day, a base hit to right to forge a 2-2 tie. Pettisville opened a two-run lead in the seventh on just one hit, but it was a big one.
Ryan Bishop’s booming RBI triple to center put the Birds up 3-2 and Josh Morris executed the suicide squeeze to add another run.
Hilltop put a pair on in the seventh with two down against Horning who had come to the hill in relief an inning earlier, on Rebeck’s double and Schlosser’s single.
Horning got Jacob Haskell on a pop up and but Dempsey’s two-out bouncer to third was mishandled and both runners came home to knot the game.
“I feel bad for the kid, I really do,” Gerig said of the game-tying misplay. “We have had a lot of bad luck ourselves this year.”
“We hit the ball hard and it’s right at people or the other team hits a blooper, and it finds a hole somewhere. It was kind of nice to have lady-luck go our way for one time.”
Dempsey was stellar on the mound, not allowing a hit and striking out two in his two innings, but still had more heroics left.
Rebeck and Schlosser both drew walks to start the ninth, but Horning got a strikeout and Brady Wagner on a fly ball to get to a two-on, two-down situation.
Dempsey one last time made good on the day with a sharp single to left to chase home the winner. Dempsey picked up the win while Horning took the tough loss.
“I was very happy with the way we pitched today,” Gerig explained. “Cameron had a rough go of it Tuesday, I was very proud of him today to answer the bell again a few days later.”
“He turned the page and really battled all day, and gave us exactly what we needed, and then Brennan came in with extra innings and did a great job keeping them in check and limiting hard contact.”
The teams will meet again Tuesday in Pettisville for a non-league contest.
PHS 002 000 200 – 4 2 2
HHS 001 010 201 – 5 7 2
Records: PHS 7-6, 3-3 BBC; HHS 7-7, 4-3 BBC
WINNING PITCHER: B. Dempsey (2 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) Other: Schlosser
LOSING PITCHER: Horning (3.2 innings, 4 hits, 3 run, 1 earned, 2 walks, 1 strikeout) Other: Warner
LEADING HITTERS: (Pettisville) R. Bishop – triple, RBI; (Hilltop) Rebeck – double, 2 singles, RBI, 3 runs