MEDINA — Whether on the mound or in the batter’s box, Nick Kandel was a thorn in Mogadore’s side Tuesday afternoon.
Hillsdale’s junior left-hander, Kandel pitched a complete game five-hitter and was 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored as the top-seeded Falcons rallied for a 4-3 win over the No. 4 Wildcats at Medina High School.
Hillsdale (22-4) will play for the district title at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Medina against either No. 2 Columbia or No. 3 Dalton.
The Falcons are in the district championship game for the second time since 2019 thanks in no small part to Kandel’s work on the mound. He threw 93 pitches, 53 for strikes, and kept Mogadore’s potent lineup off-balance most of the afternoon.
“They could definitely hit the ball,” said Kandal, who struck out four and walked three. “I just had to throw strikes and let my defense field.
“I couldn’t really throw a lot of strikes with my curveball. So I had to rely on my fastball.”
Kandal retired the side in order in the top of the first, then helped the Falcons grab the early lead in the home half of the inning. He beat out an infield single, moved to third on Ethan Goodwin’s one-out single and scored on the first of Mogadore’s five errors.
“We put the ball in play and applied pressure and it worked out,” Kandal said. “They made a few errors and we were able to score.”
Mogadore tied the game in the top of the second when Bo Lanham reached on an error, moved to third on Garrett Penix’s double and scored on a wild pitch.
The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third on Ronnie Skye’s run-scoring double. But the Falcons tied it in home half of the inning when Kandal’s single to right was misplayed for a two-base error. Kandel scored when Jack Fickes’ ground ball was kicked for another error.
“It was a well-played game by both teams offensively, but defensively both teams made some mistakes,” Hillsdale coach Jason Snow said. “We were fortunate to come out with a win.”
Mogadore reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth on Austin Constantine’s RBI-double, yet Hillsdale again answered in the bottom of the fifth. Kandal led off with his third hit, reached third on Fickes’ single to left and scored on Ethan Goodwin’s RBI-fielder’s choice to tie it at 3-3.
The Falcons took advantage of another Mogadore miscue to score the game-winning run in the home half of the sixth. Jake Hoverstock reached with one out when his ground ball was misplayed on the infield. On the very next pitch, Braylen Jarvis launched a double to the base of the wall in left, allowing Hoverstock to score all the way from first.
“I was sitting fastball and I had a good swing and hit it hard,” Jarvis said. “Jake got around from first and made it happen.”
Kandel took care of the rest, although not without a little controversy. He walked Constantine on four pitches to lead off the top of the seventh before striking out the next Mogadore hitter. No. 9 hitter Chad Westfall laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Constantine into scoring position with two out.
Constantine advanced to third on a wild pitch before Dasco hit a hard ground ball to Fickes at third. Fickes’ throw to first pulled first baseman Owen Hoffman off the bag, but Hoffman got back to the bag in time to retire Dasco for the final out. Mogadore’s first base coach argued the call and the three-man umpiring crew conferred before ruling Hoffman had gotten back to the bag.
“It was bang-bang, but from my point of view it looked like he was out,” Kandel said.
Hillsdale will try to win its second district title in three seasons on Wednesday. The 2020 campaign was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Falcons fell in the district semifinals last spring.
“It’s a relief to finally make it past the district semis and into the finals,” said Kandel, who was on the hill in last year’s district semifinal game. “We’ll come in with a lot of energy.”
