May 21, 1999

Breyman's hitting, pitching help Seneca East beat Ontario

By Dave Feltner
Sports Editor

MILAN -- The double got the rally going. The home run, well, let's just say they haven't found it yet.

Once again Seneca East's Mike Breyman came as advertised, smashing a home run and a double and picking up the win on the mound as the Tigers whipped Ontario, 10-5, to claim a Division III District Championship.

Breyman's double in the first inning plated the game's first run, but the three-run homer he crushed in the second inning gave the Tigers a 7-0 cushion.

Breyman hit the ball so far over the center field fence, two innings later children could be seen still searching for the ball.

"That was actually one of Mike's milder home runs of the season," Seneca East coach Frank Lamoreaux said. "He hit one here into the trees last week that was a laser-guided shot. That one looked something out of Kosovo. I mean that was a rocket."

Breyman may have been on target, but his teammates also have a right to claim a piece of the spotlight.

The top three hitters in the Tigers' order, Paul Young, Jason Burkholder and Breyman, went a combined 5-for-8, scored eight runs and accounted for five RBI. Brian Bischoff, the clean-up hitter, drove in three runs on a sacrifice fly and a two-run double.

By contrast, Ontario's top three went 1-for-11 with five strikeouts.

"Bischoff really came through; he did a heck of a job," Breyman said. "Paul's been going through a slump, but I'm glad he broke through it today. He went 3-for-4 tonight. He really started hitting the ball today. I hope he keeps doing it."

Young led off the game with a single up the middle, and Burkholder got hit by a pitch to set up Breyman's double. Burkholder came home on Bischoff's sac fly, and Breyman scored on a Kurt Weaver single to make it 3-0 Seneca East (21-1) after the first inning.

The Tigers were back at it in the second when Joe Holmer reached on an error, and then came home on Young's double. Burkholder walked and Breyman followed with a laser-shot over the 360 sign in center.

"We were definitely working around him in both at-bats," Ontario coach Dan Kreisher said. "And the home run he hit was not a bad pitch. I didn't think it was pitch he'd go down and get. But he did. I mean, he's just a great athlete, and he's strong as hell. I can't fault Pete for that pitch."

The Warriors (19-7) got on the board in the fourth on Rick Cunningham's run-scoring single, but Seneca East tacked on three more in the bottom of the inning to grab a 10-1 lead.

Bischof's double brought home Young and Breyman and Brian Roush singled to bring home Bischoff.

Ontario made another push in the fifth and plated four more runs, three on Greg Davis' bases-clearing triple, but the Warriors were still a hit or two away from seriously threatening the Tigers.

"I knew they wouldn't go away," said Lamoreaux, whose Tigers will take on Genoa in the Findlay Regional next Friday. "We had 'em 10-1 and they could have gotten down, but they came right back at us. That's the sign of a good team. And I think that's a sign of our maturity and our good athletes. After getting the big lead our kids settled down and played solid. And after a couple innings that didn't go his way, Mike settled down on the mound and got the job done."

Breyman walked just one Warrior, and struck out eight in improving his record to 7-1. He allowed seven hits.

The Tigers touched Anderson for eight hits, and struck out four times against the righty. Anderson walked three.

"I've got to take my hat off to the rest of our team, because they really set the table for Mike," Lamoreaux said. "They play great defense behind him. I think the only error we had was on Mike. It was his own. These guys that surround him just have a lot of confidence when he's on the mound. They play hard for him."