Jake Weber's One Hitter Leads Homestead past #2 Huntington North

Huntington---Rarely does a game live up to the pre game hype. Today at Huntington College No. 2 Huntington North and #12 Homestead did exactly that. Huntington North sent out their number one pitcher and Heartlad Community College commit Trevor Storie. Homestead countered with Parkland commit Jake Weber. The two pitcher's future colleges met in in their regional last weekend with Heartland beating Parkland 3-0 to advance to the NJCAA Division 2 college world series. So this potentially could be one of many future matchups.

Huntington North won the first matchup between the two teams 11-9 in a wild high offensive affair. Today would be different. Jake Weber was dominant. He used 71 pitches to throw a complete game shutout. Weber carried a no hitter into the 7th, when Kendall Whitman (IPFW) sent an 86 mile an hour fastball into left center for a single with one out. The next hitter would reach on an error and with runners on first and second Weber got Ethan Bartrom to hit a hard ground ball up the middle for a game ending double play and sent Homestead into the Sectional Championship where Fort Wayne Southside and Coursen Carr awaits.

Trevor Storie was almost as impressive in his outing. If two balls are hit 5 feet one way or another and we might still be playing. Storie yielded 8 hits. 3 of the 8 never left the infield, two of the hits were 12 hoppers in between the third baseman and shortstop. It just was not Huntington North's day. The fifth inning, Homestead was able to get to Storie however for two runs. Senior first baseman Michael Redden led off with a line drive single advanced to second on a sac bunt. Josh Caccamo laid down a perfect bunt for a hit down the third base line to move Redden to third and setting up lead off hitter Austin Plasterer. Plasterer who is arguably one of the top leadoff hitters in the state, hit a ground ball to the left side that would not leave the infield but shortstop Drew Schnitz had no play. Giving Homestead a 1-0 lead. Brandon Soat would take the next pitch right back up the middle hitting Storie in the leg and again Huntington North would have no play. Two runs was all Homestead and Weber needed today.

In Sectional play, it often comes down to execution. Homestead today was nearly perfect. I counted one execution mistake and one fielding error. In a game where the defense of Homestead had to make 14 plays, one error is pretty good. Offensively, with the exeption of one play Homestead got every bunt down and moved runners over when the oppurtunity presented itself. In a one and done setup, it takes one pitcher to be really good for 7 innings to end your season. Today Jake Weber was that pitcher and gave his team an oppurtunity to play for a sectional title.