Thursday, June 03, 1999
Holy Cross set for 9th Region title matchup
BY MARK SCHMETZER
Enquirer contributor
ERLANGER — Bad luck and porous defense plagued Holy Cross right-hander Chas Goetz in his two previous starts against Highlands.
On Wednesday, Goetz got even with a 10-5 victory in a Ninth Region semifinal at Boone County.
Two years ago, as a sophomore, he got the surprise start in the Ninth Region champion ship game against the Bluebirds and lost 5-3.
Earlier this year, he took a two-hitter into the seventh inning, but his defense committed two errors, and he lost 3-2.
Goetz, normally a shortstop, knew he might get the start Wednesday. But he also knew Indians coach Lee Meeks is more confident about the Holy Cross defense when Goetz is playing behind the mound instead of on it. In the end, Goetz made Meeks' decision pay off.
Goetz (2-6) scattered eight hits, and junior center fielder Craig Craddock turned in some eye-catching glove work to open the door for Holy Cross' win.
The Indians will play the winner of today's 5p.m. semifinal between Dixie Heights, The Enquirer'sNorthern Kentucky coaches poll champion, and No.5 Newport Central Catholic, at Boone County. The championship game is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Boone County.
Neither Holy Cross nor Highlands made the top 10 of the poll, which makes the Indians' run to the regional finals even more impressive.
“This is big,” Goetz said. “We lost to Ludlow in the middle of the year. They beat us pretty bad, and we were so dead. A lot of the seniors thought we wouldn't make it out of districts, but we started playing great the last couple of weeks of the regular season.”
Craddock, who already had one fine catch to his credit, made a sensational leaping, back-handed stab at the wall in left center field to turn Derrick Moeves' bid for a run-scoring hit into an inning-ending out in the second.
Craddock then led off the third with a bloop single behind third base, the first of five Holy Cross hits that led to five runs in the inning.
Craddock led off the next inning with a solid single to center and a stolen base, setting the stage for a three-run outburst.
“I don't think there's anybody who plays a better center field in Northern Kentucky, and I don't think there's anybody faster,” Meeks said. “When he's on, we go crazy.”
Dickie Boothe hit a two-run home run for Highlands in the fourth inning, and Adam Johnston added a three-run shot in the seventh. But Goetz recorded four of his six strikeouts in the last two innings.
Holy Cross ....... 015 300 1—10 10 0
Highlands ....... 000 200 3—5 8 1
WP—Goetz (2-6, 6 K). LP—Boothe (4-4). Hitting leaders: HC—Craddock 2-4, 2 R; Webster 1-3, 2B; Beiting 2-2, 2B, 2 RBI; S. Goetz 2-3, 2 RBI; Volpenhein 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI. H—Johnston 2-3, HR, 3 RBI; Boothe 1-3, HR, 2 RBI. Records: HC 16-21; H 20-16. 20-15.
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