Barga stellar in route going performance
Versailles heads to districts
By George Starks

GREENVILLE- Versailles junior Jace Barga couldn’t have performed much better than he did Thursday in the sectional final held at Sater Diamonds.

Barga went the distance for head coach Ryan Schlater, allowing just four hits while fanning 10 Tri-County North Panthers and getting a 2-1 sectional final victory.

On offense, Barga collected two hits and a walk, adding to a night that most high school kids can only dream of.

Jace done a great job out there tonight,” said Schlater. “We always say Jace is a Bulldog out there. He might not start every guy out with a strike but he does what he needs to do to get the guys out. He goes after each batter like it’s the last out of the game. He wants to get that out every single time.”

While Barga ended strong, he didn’t start that way.

In the opening frame, Barga watched five Panthers stroll to the plate with two reaching, one on a walk.

With two out and two on, both in scoring position, Barga struck out Kody Hawthorne to end the threat

After that, until the sixth, Barga was flawless, setting down the side in each of the next four innings.

“I think it took him a few pitches to get use to the mound here,” said Schlater. “He was on a mound he was unfamiliar with so I think it might have taken him 15-20 pitches to get comfortable out there. He threw 28 pitches in the first inning and that’s a little bit more than he’s use to throwing. After that he settled in and went after each batter.”

On defense, the Tigers were flawless and on offense, it was Versailles that drew first blood, scoring in the third.

Barga got the party started with a single to center and later scored on a base hit to right off the bat of Brett McEldowney.

That would be the only run to cross the plate until the Tigers would once again dent the plate.

Jacob Wenning would get it going and would later score on a base knock by Barga.

Little did the Tigers know just how valuable that second run would be.

In the Panthers half of the frame, with one down, Kyle Edgin would triple to the centerfield fence and would score one out later on a RBI hit from the Cross County Conference Player of the Year, Austin Hutchins.

Barga would strikeout the next batter and go on to preserve the win for Versailles.

Versailles earned the right to move on to districts and take on Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.

(The game with CHCA was played Friday night at Hamilton High School.)