High School Baseball Springboro 1, Lebanon 0
Hough pitches first no-hitter
UC recruit leads the Panthers to the GWOC South Division title.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
LEBANON — OK, so Cory Hough isn't perfect.
The Springboro High School pitching ace threw a no-hitter Friday, May 9, against archrival Lebanon and faced only one batter over the minimum. The performance lifted the Panthers to a 1-0 win before a spirited crowd of 300 fans.
Extras
The victory gave Springboro its second straight Greater Western Ohio Conference South Division baseball title and improved its record to 22-4. Hough allowed a walk in the fifth inning, and that was all the offense the Warriors would muster. The University of Cincinnati recruit mixed a mid-80-mph fastball with a befuddling changeup for his first no-hitter in high school.
"The change was working well, and I was throwing it and the fastball at any time," Hough said. "I had a good rhythm. I was struggling with the curve and getting it up. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my senior regular season."
Lebanon entered the game with a .360 team batting average and 22 home runs. Fierce rivalry games between the two Warren County teams typically are slugfests at the pitcher-friendly Lebanon diamond (310 feet down the lines and 365 in center).
"I had to keep the ball down a lot and keep the hitters off-balance," said Hough, who boasts a 23-1 career record. "I wasn't even thinking about the no-hitter as the game progressed."
Adam Bailey provided all the scoring with his ninth home run of the season in the second inning. Then, in the fifth inning, center fielder Mike Kindel did his best Torii Hunter impression and robbed Dusty Isaacs of a two-run home run.
The 6-foot-3 Kindel leaped over the fence and caught the drive, bringing it back in and making the highlight reel.
"I got a good jump on the ball, backed up to the fence, leaped and stuck my arm out," said Kindel, a Kansas State recruit. "It happened so fast that I started shaking. I just wanted to help Cory out."
Added Springboro coach Mark Pelfrey: "There was no room for error in this game, and we made every play."
Tough-luck loser was junior Ryan Butcher (4-1), who fanned seven in a two-hitter.
"We witnessed the art of the changeup as both pitchers kept the hitters off stride," said Lebanon coach Lee Day, whose team falls to 16-8, 5-2.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2478 or rjackson@coxohio.com.
