The Walsh Jesuit baseball team concluded its 2023 season with a 2-0 loss to nationally-ranked Cincinnati Moeller in a Division I state semifinal Thursday morning at Canal Park.
Moeller seniors Toby Hueber and Carson Marsh combined to shut out the high-scoring Warriors and advance to the state final at 10 a.m. Saturday.
"I thought we were going to do it. I am not going to lie," Walsh coach Joe Bowers said. "I woke up with a good feeling. That is a good team over there. They have been [ranked No.] 1 in the state for the whole season. We ran into them and they are good. They are hungry for the state title. We just had an off day when we didn't need to have an off day. The talent level was high. That was a heck of a baseball game."
Hueber, a George Mason recruit, improved to 10-0 with the win. He struck out five, walked two and limited Walsh to three hits in five innings. Marsh, a Cincinnati recruit, struck out one, walked one and allowed one hit during the final two innings to get his fourth save.
Walsh senior Ryan Piech , a Xavier recruit, pitched a complete game and took a loss for the first time this season. Piech (9-1) struck out six, walked two and allowed three hits and one earned run.
"That was a great game," Piech said. "That was fun. I would say that is the state championship game. They came to play. We came to play. Things didn't play out our way fully with some of those balls hit, but we played our [butts] off. I can't complain about anything.
"... Every hitter on their team had good at-bats today. The first at-bat of the game, their one hitter [Ohio State recruit CJ Richard] went eight or nine pitches against me, which was hard to start with, but I guess it happens."
There was no shortage of talent in the game as every Moeller player who entered the game has made a college commitment to play baseball. All of Walsh's starters , except one, has made a college commitment to compete in a sport in college.
"They are good," Piech said. "You can't take it away from them. They beat us today. They played a better game."
Moeller (30-3) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with two hits by seniors. Wright State recruit Nathan Manley lined a triple to the gap in left center field and Ohio State recruit Clay Burdette hit a single through the left side of the infield.
The Crusaders extended their lead to 2-0 in the fifth. Senior Ethan Sweat, a Thomas More recruit, singled, advanced to third on a throwing error and scored when Hueber lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
Moeller coach Tim Held was pleased with how Hueber and Marsh pitched, and how his hitters worked against Piech.
"Piech, with that overhand curveball, you don't see a lot of 12-to-6 curveballs," Held said. "... We got lucky in those first four innings. He didn't have a good feel for it. It was really good in the fifth and the sixth, and he just locked guys up."
Walsh (27-4-1) had scoring opportunities against Hueber with two outs in the first and fifth, but were unable to get a run in.
Walsh senior Alejandro Covas, a Youngstown State recruit who went 3-for-4, was involved in both sequences.
Covas led off the game with a single and advanced to third, but was stranded when Hueber got a flyout to end the inning.
Warriors senior Justin Bremner, a Canisius recruit, led off the fifth with a walk and advanced to third when Covas singled, but Hueber recorded a strikeout to end the inning.
Hueber was difficult to square up as he fired in 94 mph fastballs and located 72 mph breaking balls.
"They are a great team. We just got beat," Covas said. "I tried to do everything I could to get anything we could on the basepaths and get any runs, but we just fell short. ... This was basically a college game."
Walsh made things interesting in the seventh with one out against Marsh when Bremner hit a double and senior Raul Gamez walked. But Marsh worked out of the jam to get the final two outs to end the game.
"They are a very sound baseball team," Bremner said of Moeller. "They don't make any mistakes. Any ball that we seemed to hit even close to them, they made [the play]. You gotta play almost perfect baseball to beat them, which I felt we played good today, but we just needed that extra notch.
"... I love this team with my whole heart. We have made so many memories together. I can't thank them enough, the coaches and the players. It chokes me up to talk about it. This is like my second family."
Bowers said he is "sad" to say goodbye to 22 seniors in the program, including 18 in uniform Thursday.
"I don't get to coach those guys anymore," Bowers said. "I teared up when I was talking to them. ... The wins and losses come and go, but you have 22 seniors and they are all great people. You don't get that every year."
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All of Walsh's starters were seniors, including Piech, catcher Mason Eckelman, first baseman Zachary Halligan, second baseman John Simecek, shortstop Joey Canzoni, third baseman Matthew Serdinak, left fielder Bremner, center fielder Covas, right fielder Gamez and designated hitter Topher Salek.
Piech described Walsh's runs to the Division I state tournament in two out of the past three seasons as "special."
"I wouldn't have traded this with anybody else," Piech said. "We have a great group of guys. We are all very closely connected. This was awesome."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cincinnati Moeller baseball defeats Walsh Jesuit in state semifinal
