ROOTSTOWN — One day after a tough extra-inning loss, the Berkshire baseball team answered exactly how good teams are supposed to — quickly and decisively.
Behind a dominant outing from Sam Barcikoski and a four-run second inning, the Badgers bounced back with a 6-1 win over host Rootstown in Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division play on Wednesday.
“We live in a world where we want to score first at some point, we want to answer with two outs, we want to have a big rally, and then we want to finish the game and score late. We didn’t score first, we had the opportunity,” said Berkshire head coach Craig Barstow. “They did a great job keeping us at bay that next half inning. We give up a run, so to be able to answer back, especially answer back right away. To put up for four-spot to solidify the lead, go from there, and trust our workhorse pitching again, it was fantastic play by all around.”
Rootstown struck first when Alex Ely singled to open the game and later scored on an RBI single by Anthony Pratt, giving the Rovers a 1-0 lead after one.
Berkshire’s response came swiftly in the second.
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Bear Masink drew a walk, and Nolan Morris followed with a single to set the table for Barcikoski, who helped his own cause with a two-run single, giving the Badgers a 2-1 lead. Later in the inning, Christopher Brancel worked a walk before his older brother Patrick Brancel delivered a two-out, two-run single to center, capping a four-run frame and pushing the lead to 4-1.
That was more than enough support for Barcikoski.
The right-hander was in command throughout, striking out nine over five innings while allowing just one run on five hits.
Berkshire added insurance late, capitalizing on patience at the plate. Patrick Brancel walked in the fifth and came around to score on a passed ball, and Christopher Brancel mirrored that effort in the seventh — working a walk and eventually scoring on another passed ball to make it 6-1.
The bounce-back effort came just 24 hours after Rootstown edged Berkshire 7-6 in eight innings — a loss that clearly fueled Wednesday’s approach.
“That was something we discussed before the game, and we just talked about how all our dreams are still ahead of us,” Barstow said. “We know we have a game against Kirtland still to come. We knew that it was a very tough game yesterday, but it comes back to our captains; those guys got the dugout ready. Once they got engines running, it took off from there. They both helped us out in the second inning. It’s exactly what you look for in seniors and their leadership.”
With the win, Berkshire remains firmly in the hunt in the CVC Valley Division, chasing unbeaten Kirtland.
“We just have to keep the bats going, getting runs, and just doing baseball things effectively,” Barstow said. “Keep pushing forward and keep the momentum going.”
Rootstown, meanwhile, continues to search for consistency at the plate against a challenging schedule.
“We’ve played Chagrin Falls, Kirtland, and now Berkshire — all of them can hit and play solid baseball,” said Rootstown head coach Keith Waesch. “We’ve played good baseball, but we’ve struggled at the plate and haven’t gotten those timely hits. When you don’t get timely hits, you put a lot of pressure on your pitching and defense. We just have to start stringing hits together.”
Berkshire hosts Independence on April 23, while Rootstown travels to Crestwood on April 27.
Top Players
- Sam Barcikoski (Berkshire): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K; 2 RBI
- Patrick Brancel (Berkshire): 2-3, 2 RBI, R
- Christopher Brancel (Berkshire): 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB
- Brady Brown (Rootstown): 2-3
- Anthony Pratt (Rootstown): 1-3, RBI
