Rockets give Curtis playoff win in final season
At practice on Sunday, Jefferson-Morgan baseball coach John Curtis told his team he wanted at least one more week with them.
He didn’t want his coaching career to end Monday night and his team got him a playoff victory in his 42nd and final season as the Rockets’ coach.
Deakyn DeHoet hit an inside-the-park home run and John Woodward pitched five solid innings to help the Rockets top Union, 6-2, in the WPIAL Class A first-round game at Ross Memorial Park.
“It means a lot,” Curtis said. “We have seven seniors on the team and a senior citizen coach. We got another shot. I hated practicing yesterday on Mother’s Day, but everybody showed up and I told them that we didn’t want to be done, so let’s go get this game and they did. It’s a good bunch of seniors we have.”
The Rockets (12-8) will play No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic in Monday’s quarterfinals. It’ll be the third meeting between the teams after the Centurions swept the regular season series. Union finished 6-11.
With a runner on first in the third inning DeHoet ripped a ball to center field that bounced past a diving attempt by Maddox Ryhal’s head and rolled to the wall. From there DeHoet used the speed that makes him one of the top sprinters in the WPIAL to race around the bases.
“If there’s anybody faster here, I’d be surprised,” Curtis said. “He’s the fastest (Class 2A) sprinter in the state.”
It was part of a four-run frame. Drew Adams had a sacrifice fly to left and Brayden Ellsworth hit an RBI single.
DeHoet also scored in the second. He singled up the middle and quickly stole second, moved to third on a ground out by Joseph Bair and scored on a slow chopper to second by Evan Kniha.
Kniha drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to make it 6-2.
Woodward allowed two runs in the fifth, but got back-to-back strikeouts to strand a pair. He stranded eight runners. He faced one batter in the sixth and gave up a walk before hitting the pitch count limit. He had eight strikeouts and four walks.
“When John is pitching, we always have a chance to win,” Curtis said. “He’s big, he’s strong and he pitches and hits well. We have a week until our next game, so guess what? He’ll be on the mound Monday. There’s no secret there.”
Ellsworth came on in relief and after giving up a single, stranded two runners with a flyout and a pair of strikeouts.
“Brayden has been our MVP all year,” Curtis said. “He catches, he plays short, he pitches and his speed has gotten better from last year. He’s a three-sport athlete that plays golf, basketball and baseball and he is in the top five in his class.”