STRONGSVILLE — He wasn’t Nolan Ryan, but he was close.
Strongsville’s Connor Ryan was borderline unhittable Saturday, leading the Mustangs to a 3-0 win over Brunswick in the Strongsville Division I District championship.
Brunswick first baseman Brandon Kutrubs attempts to tag Strongsville’s Nate Langhals during the sixth inning. (GAZETTE PHOTO BY AARON JOSEFCZYK)
In beating the Blue Devils (13-9) for the third time this season, the Mustangs (19-1) advance to the Bowling Green Regional to face Midpark.
“Pitching and defense kept us in it, that’s for sure,” Brunswick coach Todd Winston said. “But at the end of the day, you have to score runs.”
The left-handed Ryan (6-0) made sure the Blue Devils didn’t. He finished with a three-hitter that featured nine strikeouts, including four in a row at one point.
Spotting a tailing fastball most of the day, Ryan became more lethal when me mixed in a curveball on the inside corner.
Only Justin Arthur, Tyler Greiner and Brian Cox managed hits against Ryan, who allowed just two runners to reach scoring position.
“I wanted the ball. I wanted to pitch against Brunswick,” Ryan said. “I pitched against Brunswick earlier (in a 15-2 win) and I did pretty good, so I wanted to come back here and beat them again.”
Brunswick starter Brandon Kutrubs (2-2) nearly matched Ryan pitch for pitch until the high-powered Mustangs finally got on the board.
In the top of the fourth, Anthony Morino reached on a single and later scored on an infield hit by Justin Jakubuk.
Strongsville plated two more runs in the fifth on back-to-back hits by Nate Langhals, Anthony Maurer and Colin Houdek and a sacrifice fly by Brennan Singleton.
The Blue Devils kept the score manageable, however, with a beautiful 5-4-3 double play in the third and outstanding range from Anthony Bova in center field.
What plagued Brunswick was anything resembling a scoring threat, as only Kyle Burson (1st inning) and Arthur (6th) reached scoring position.
“We just didn’t get the key hit,” Winston said. “The best team won today.”
While Winston was clearly disappointed in the loss, he was satisfied with the progress his inexperienced team made against the state-ranked Mustangs.
The first game between the schools was a laugher, but the Blue Devils only lost 8-6 and 3-0 in the other meetings.
“That’s huge because early on they beat us 15-2 and we could have quit, but they didn’t,” Winston said. “It’s a testament to their courage and staying with the program, mechanics, listening to us coaches and bringing it everyday.”
Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.