Published: October 10, 2008 02:24 am      

G.S. BASEBALL: Swinnen's pitching Gem leads Rome into SIJHSAA finals

By PAUL T. WICOXEN

paul.wilcoxen@register-news.com

COULTERVILLE — Zach Swinnen tossed a complete game one-hitter to lead Rome to within one win of capturing the SIJHSAA Class S Grade School baseball championship.

The Hornets collected 10 hits in route to an 11-0 victory over Shawnee in six innings at the state finals in Coulterville Thursday.

Rome will face Jefferson County foe Woodlawn at 3 p.m. today for the championship.

“They all came ready to play,” said Rome coach Denny Clark. “We’ve been happy with [Swinnen] all year long; him and [Logan] Isaac.

“We’ve been throwing [Ryan] Miller and Pat Bradford, so we’ll have those guys ready to go.”

The Hornets scored in every inning including a decisive five-run sixth, which was capped off by a three-run inside-the-park home run by Hayden Poninski.

“When we get a decent lead we get really aggressive,” said Clark. “We’ve got guys who we feel will drive everyone home, so sometimes we just sit back and sort of wait, the old Earl Weaver type baseball.”

Rome also took advantage of six errors committed by Shawnee including the fourth when Shawnee committed three errors to help the Hornets extend their lead to 5-0.

The Hornets scored an unearned run in the first after Logan Isaac singled in Swinnen, who reached on an error.

Jeremiah Lyday scored Rome’s second run when he pinch ran for Adam Ford and scored on an RBI single from Swinnen into left field.

In the third, Rome pushed forward with a run to extend its lead to 3-0 after Isaac walked and crossed home plate on a passed ball.

Rome did strand 10 runners on base, but Clark says that a coaching mistake led to fewer runs scoring.

“I thought I made one major error from first to third when I thought I should have brought a guy and I didn’t and we could have scored on a base hit to center field,” Clark noted.

In the fourth Poninski and Swinnen both reached and later scored. In the fifth, Ford led off with a single and eventually scored on a Swinnen single.

“I’ve always been the guy who loves good pitching and good defense,” said Clark. “We’ve got the best hitting team we’ve ever had in my life. We put the bat on the ball and make them make plays and we tip our hat when we get beat.”

Rome added five runs in the sixth to go ahead 11-0.

Isaac and Gabe Frankel led off the inning with a walk. Isaac stole second and third before scoring on a passed ball.

Later in the inning, Sam Storment singled and Blake Jones reached on a fielder’s choice, which preceded Poninski’s inside-the-park home run.

With a win today, Rome will be the Class S champion. Now Clark wants his team to simply come ready to play and come ready to win.

Coach Clark has stated that Isaac will start for Rome.