Pickerington North cruises by Green, 10-2

Zac Jackson, OhioHSsports.com, June 05, 2009 9:49 p.m.

COLUMBUS – Green struck first, but Pickerington North struck back.

And then the Panthers kept scoring. During a middle-inning spurt of 10 unanswered runs, the Panthers got five RBI from Alex Bayer and a strong pitching performance from Alex Borgan in beating Green, 10-2, Friday night in a Div. I state semifinal at Huntington Park.

Pickerington North advances to play Cincinnati Moeller Saturday at 7 p.m. for the state title.

Though Green scored first in the bottom of the first, Borgan was always in command. His first five outs came via the strikeout. He threw six innings and struck out 10 in all.

The Panthers broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fourth, then got five more in the fifth.

Bayer drove in two runs in each of those big innings. His two-out single in the fourth scored pinch runner PJ McDonald and leadoff man Eric Brindle.

Three Green errors didn’t help the Bulldogs, who changed pitchers and catchers while trying to slow the Panthers during the fifth inning. In the end, though, it was too many mistakes and too much Bayer.

Jordan Williams replaced Kurt Gamby on the hill, and Kenny Yurasek drove Williams' first pitch to left for a single that loaded the bases for Mike Knorr. He struck out but strike three got past the catcher and Alex Green just beat the tag to score. Alex Uxley then hit a bloop that dropped because the shortstop was drawn in, scoring Brogan, and Butler knocked in Yurasek.

Brindle walked to load the bases again, and two batters later Bayer drove one past the third baseman to score two more, making it 9-1 and giving Bayer 5 RBI.

Gamby scored the game’s first run on a two-out double by Dickie Coombs.

Green got its first two batters of the fourth inning on base before Borgan struck out two of the next three and got out of the jam.