Friday, June 01, 2001
N.Ky. baseball highlights
Johnson lifts Dixie Heights into region final
The Cincinnati Enquirer
After watching Jay Johnson pitch and hit Dixie Heights into the Ninth Region championship game, coach Chris Maxwell has but one regret: “They're not calling for rain through Monday.”
Maxwell would love to have his senior right-hander, the Ninth Region Coaches Association player of the year, back on the Ryle High mound for the 1 p.m. Saturday title game against Covington Catholic. But Johnson can't come back on that short of rest after one-hitting Bellevue in a 5-0 semifinal victory Thursday at Ryle.
Johnson, a Xavier signee, also went 4-for-4 Thursday and is 13-for-14 in the postseason. He entered the game batting .512 on the season.
His pitching record is 6-5, but he has a 2.00 ERA and has won four straight decisions.
“The combined talents that Jay Johnson has, it comes along once in a lifetime,” Maxwell said. “The kid has speed, he hits, he hits with power — he's everything you ask for. You just don't run across a kid that loves baseball as much as he does.”
Dixie (21-16-1) will try to claim its first regional title since 1993. CovCath (29-7), the defending champ, is 4-0 against Dixie this season.
“They've got a great team put together,” Maxwell said of CovCath. “It's probably the best pitching staff I've seen in my 19 years of coaching. And there's no one in their lineup you can pitch around. We're walking into a death trap.”
Bellevue senior right-hander Mike Gullett had nine strikeouts in the loss.
“He had a heck of a pitcher on the mound,” Bellevue coach Bob Runyon said of Johnson. “He was awesome.”
Bellevue ....... 000 000 0—0 1 0
Dixie Heights ....... 020 030 0—5 8 0
WP—Johnson (13 Ks). LP—Gullett (9 Ks). Hitting leaders: DH—Johnson 4-4, 2B; Stringer 2-4, 2B; Brockman 2 RBI. Records: DH 21-16-1, B 13-17
• Brossart 4, Estill County 3, 10th Region semifinal at Cynthiana — Jeff Snyder singled in the fourth inning to drive in Chriss Tischenor to put the Mustangs ahead for good.
Junior left-hander Scott Beane (6-4) pitched four innings for the victory. Steve Elix held Estill County scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings.
Brossart plays Harrison County in the regional final at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Harrison County.
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