By KEVIN HARRIS
CLARKSVILLE — Providence baseball coach Scott Hornung thought his team was capable of winning a sectional title, but neither he — nor even the Pioneer faithful — could have expected this.
Pitching was part of it, as was defense, but what carried Providence to its fourth sectional championship in six years was even more simple than that. The Pioneers spent another afternoon simply crushing the baseball on their home field and raced to a 10-0 victory over Brownstown on Tuesday, in the finals of the Class 2A tournament that they’ve owned for much of the decade.
Providence (18-9) reached double figures in all three of its appearances in the sectional. It beat Austin 10-1 last Friday, crushed Pekin in the semifinals 12-2 and then battered the Braves for seven runs in the first two innings and cruised from there. Combined, the Pioneers won the sectional by score of 32-3.
“Hitting has been different for us in the tournament,” said Providence coach Scott Hornung. “Ten, 12 and 10 is very good run production for us and that’s been a problem we’ve had this season.”
Brownstown (16-9) ended up using two pitchers in the top of the first inning alone and then went to another in the third. By then, it was already a seven-run game and the Braves were fading fast.
Providence needed just one hurler and senior Jeffrey Schueler was up to the task.
He was still going strong when a three-run top half staked the Pioneers to the 10-run margin that caused the early stoppage. Schueler gave up just two hits on the day, struck out two and walked three in the shut-out effort.
“Things actually struggled with some things today,” Hornung said. “But boy he competed. He stayed tough and got the job done without having his best stuff.”
Schueler was the only player who played significantly for Providence’s 2007 sectional champion and much of the sophomore-dominated roster was in grade school when Providence made the semistate in 2005. Six sophomores started in the title game, while Schueler and Jason Dome were the only seniors to make the lineup.
Getting the lead, however, was a team effort. After a first inning that saw Brownstown starter Eric Terrell struggle with his control and yield three runs on just one Pioneer hit, a patient Providence lineup did more damage in the second to Terrell’s replacement, Elijah Bean.
Michael Hornung started the rally by drawing a walk, Spencer Corrao singled and then Schueler set the stage with a perfect bunt single that loaded the bases with none out.
Bean tossed a wild pitch that allowed Hornung to scamper home and then Anthony Denis hit a towering fly ball for an RBI on the sacrifice. Ryan Dixon advanced to first when he was hit by a pitch and Dome fouled out to right field to allow Schueler to score. An RBI double by Brett Robinson capped the big inning and made it 7-0.
It was Denis who finished things off in the fifth with a hit that ended up serving as a symbol of the Pioneers’ dominance of the sectional field. After singes by Hornung and Schueler, Denis crushed a pitch from Brownstown’s Colin Woods that flew down the third-base line and over the wall in left field for a three-run homer. That made it 10-0 and Scheuler closed the door on the Braves in the bottom half.
Brownstown managed only two hits, but did have some chances to pull closer after an uncharacteristic four Pioneer errors. Schueler faced runners at the corners with two out in the third, but he got Terrell to ground out. He did the same to Ryan Soemaker and Bean in the fourth after the Braves had advanced to first and second with one gone.
Hornung said he doubts the next step in his team’s postseason journey will be as easy as it made the first stop look. The Pioneers will face Evansville Mater Dei in the second semifinal of the Class 2A Austin Regional at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The champion of the Speedway Sectional and Eastern Greene will meet in the morning matchup at 11. The championship game, pitting the two winners, will be held at 7 on Saturday evening.
PROVIDENCE 340 03—10 8 4
BROWNSTOWN 000 00—0 2 2
W — Schueler (7-3). L — Terrell (1-2). 2B — Dixon (P), Robinson (P), O’Donnell (B). HR — Denis (P).
Records — Providence 18-9, Brownstown 16-9.
