LEXINGTON, Ky. – A spot in the state championship game on the line, St. Xavier High School coach Andy Porta called on a freshman pinch-hitter with 13 at-bats all season and couldn’t help but to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“I even told the plate umpire, ‘You think I’m crazy? I’m hitting a freshman right now,’” Porta said. “He was like, ‘Good luck, Coach.’”
Cam Scheler made the move pay off, delivering a bases-loaded double that brought home two runs and gave the Tigers a 3-2, nine-inning victory over McCracken County in Friday’s semifinals of the Rawlings/KHSAA State Tournament in front of 2,713 fans at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.
Scheler was batting for the coach’s son, Zeke Porta, who gave his blessing on the switch.
“Cam’s a great hitter,” Zeke Porta said. “Even though he’s a freshman, I had a lot of faith in him. The whole team knew he was going to come up big.”
No. 16 St. X (28-12) ran its winning streak to 11 since a 4-1 loss at McCracken County on May 14 and advanced to face the Bullitt East-Campbell County winner in Saturday’s 7 p.m. state final.
No. 2 McCracken County (37-6) suffered its first loss of the season to a Kentucky squad and saw its 24-game winning streak snapped. The Mustangs became the latest higher-ranked team to fall to the Tigers, who beat No. 1 Greenup County 4-2 in the first round and No. 12 West Jessamine 3-2 in the quarterfinals.
“This team his really bought into not caring who gets the credit,” Andy Porta said. “They just want the team to have success.”
Sam Mudd doubled and later scored on a passed ball to give St. X a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Ian Walters delivered an RBI single in the fifth to tie the score before the ninth-inning fireworks.
With two out, McCracken County’s Keegan Breese doubled when Mudd, the left fielder, slipped while settling under the ball. Walters followed with an RBI single to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead.
But with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Dalton Dedas, Chris Esselman and Mudd delivered three straight singles to load the bases. That’s when Porta went to Scheler, a backup catcher who battled mononucleosis early in the season and had not appeared in the Tigers’ first two state tournament games.
“All I was hoping for was just a sacrifice fly to get the tying run in and we’d live for another inning,” Andy Porta said.
With a 2-0 count, Scheler crushed a fastball over the head of center fielder Rook Ellington, who nearly made the catch near the warning track but couldn’t haul it in. Courtesy runner Tanner Brown and Esselman easily scored the tying and winning runs.
“I knew a fastball was coming, and I just put a good swing on it,” said Scheler, whose older brothers Kal and Cody both played baseball at St. X and Bellarmine University. “I was a little nervous. I’m a freshman, and I haven’t been on the big stage. … That was pretty awesome.”
Adam Elliott (6-2) got the win in relief, allowing a run and three hits and striking out five in three innings. Starting pitcher Daniel Fischer allowed five hits and struck out six over the first six innings.
With Elliott and Fischer – both U of L signees – ineligible to pitch Saturday, Porta said junior right-hander Connor Holden (5-1, 2.12) will get the start in the state final.
“We’ve talked about our pitching depth all year, and now we have to prove it (Saturday), Porta said. “It’s time for us to put up or shut up.”
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY 000 010 001 – 2 8 1
ST. XAVIER 001 000 002 – 3 10 3
WP – Adam Elliott (6-2). LP – Keegan Breese (6-1). 3B – Adam Elliott (SX). 2B – Keegan Breese (MC), Ian Walters (MC), Sam Mudd (SX), Cam Scheler (SX).