Hoben handcuffs Rebels
By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
May 17, 2003
HEIDELBERG Porters Chapel pitcher Ryan Hoben did something to Heidelberg Academy Friday night few thought possible and none had accomplished this spring keep the Rebels off the scoreboard.
Hoben tossed a one-hitter as Porters Chapel captured its first state baseball championship with a 9-0 shutout of Heidelberg in Game Three of their Class A best-of-three series at Mitch Gavin Memorial Field.
Heidelberg pounded the Eagles 13-5 in Friday's first game to even the series at one win apiece.
Hoben made sure the Rebels wouldn't turn in a repeat performance in the nightcap as he opened with three perfect frames, allowed only one hit a two-out single by Derek Griffin in the bottom of the fifth and issued four bases on balls.
Hoben struck out 12 to up his record to 12-1 as the Eagles finished 29-3.
The Eagles, who had a 23-game winning streak snapped in the opener, took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the second contest on a two-run homer to right field by Drew Embry.
Chase Towne made it 3-0 in the third when he doubled and scored on a two-out error.
Chip Lofton scored on a wild pitch in the fourth for a 4-0 lead.
Porters Chapel made it 6-0 in the fifth with Hoben hitting an RBI single. Towne plated a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly. The Eagles picked up two more runs in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Wes Massey and a single by Lofton.
Heidelberg, which had a 25-game win streak end in the series opener on Tuesday, narrowly missed two runs in the bottom of the sixth as Brent Welch and Matt Andrews saw their bids for solo home runs caught at the center field fence by Towne.
Ryan Aultman (8-1) took the loss.
The Rebels, who finished 27-3 to set a school record for wins, sent 16 batters to the plate in the third inning of the opener and scored 11 runs to take 12-2 lead en route to the 13-5 win.
The Rebels trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the third when J.R. Stephenson smacked a grand slam to left center to put them up 5-2. Welch followed with a two-run homer. Mason Key had a two-run single and Blake Bass and Paul Zeagler each delivered RBI singles in the inning.
Welch added a solo homer in the sixth.
Zeagler (4-1) came on in relief of Aultman in the top of the first and pitched seven innings to get the win. Aultman walked three of the first four batters he faced before being lifted.
Welch was 3-for-3 with a pair of homers and four RBIs. Bass was 3-for-4 and scored three runs. Stephenson was 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
Embry took the loss for PC. Aaron Curry was 2-for-4, while Massey had a solo homer.
