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Chandler cruises; Middies face Hamilton next
By Jake Trotter, Staff Writer
HAMILTON — Middletown pitcher Buster Chandler disposed of Winton Woods batters quickly Monday afternoon.
So quickly, the Hamilton High School grounds crew had time to mow the outfield grass, scarf down a concession-stand burger and take a quick nap in the bleachers before the 5:30 p.m. game between Fairfield and Wilmington.
In just 84 minutes and 73 pitches, Chandler pitched a gem of a game as Middletown rolled to a 7-1 win in the Division I sectional tournament opener for both teams.
The eighth-seeded Middies (8-15) now get top-seeded and sectional host Hamilton (21-6) at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Middies coach Mark Kerns took a risk and held his ace Robert Sabo against Winton Woods and went with his No. 2, Chandler, instead. Now, the Middies will have their best pitcher Sabo — who has committed to pitch at Kent State next year — rested and ready for Hamilton.
The Big Blue have not faced Sabo this season.
"I think that gives us a little edge," Kerns said.
Chandler, meanwhile, was spectacular. He struck out nine batters, walked none and was in command from the game's first pitch.
"I had good control of my pitches," said Chandler, who also led the Middies in batting, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. "I was just trying to get ahead in the count."
So good was Chandler at getting ahead, Winton Woods coach Mike DeMain had to abandon his late-game strategy.
"We didn't have any base runners, so I thought about having our players take a strike," said DeMain, hoping to have his team draw some walks. "But he kept throwing strikes and we kept getting down in the count. So I just had our players hack away."
After leading just 2-0 for most of the game and 3-0 after the fifth inning, the Middies blew the game open with four runs in the sixth with only one hit on a bunt. Winton Woods (3-14) committed two errors, hit two batters and walked another in that sixth.
"We had confidence we could get it done with Chandler," Kerns said. "It was a risk, but not too great a risk."
Contact this reporter at (513)
705-2837 or jtrotter
@coxohio.com.
