[Stardust]

Dixie Heights senior Parker Stansberry’s basketball season ended with a disappointing first-round regional tournament loss, but he made sure his baseball season didn’t end the same way.
Stansberry tossed a complete-game seven-hitter and Dixie scored its first two runs on wild pitches and then tallied two unearned runs in the top of the fifth to break a 2-2 tie on the way to upsetting Covington Catholic, 4-2, in a first-round Ninth Region Tournament game on Monday at Florence Freedom Field.
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Dixie (27-11) advances to play Highlands - which defeated Conner 9-6 on Monday evening in a semifinal game - on Wednesday evening at Florence Freedom Field. The Highlands-Conner game was originally supposed to be played at 11:30 a.m. on Monday at Florence Freedom Field, but was postponed to due to the heat and moved to Dixie Heights on Monday night.

CovCath (33-6), was the unanimous No. 1-ranked team in the final Enquirer Northern Kentucky Coaches’ Poll, was ranked No. 4 in the final regular-season state coaches association poll and had defeated Dixie three of the four times the teams played each other in the regular season, but two of the CovCath wins were close (2-1 and 5-4).

“We gave them two games,” said Dixie coach Chris Maxwell. “The first game we gave them two unearned runs and they beat us 2-1 and then we booted the ball in the last inning the last time we played them and lost 5-4. They knew they could beat them, so they were very confident.”

Stansberry had pitched two of those games, earning the win in Dixie’s 8-6 victory and taking the loss in the 2-1 game.

“We knew we could beat them the whole time,” said Stansberry. “I’ve been playing with those kids all my life. It’s so sweet. It’s awesome.”

The 6-foot-6 Stansberry, who is heading to Transylvania University to play basketball, worked his way out of two-on, none out jam in the bottom of the fifth and retired nine of the final 10 hitters he faced.

“Basketball season ended early and it was the worst feeling ever and I really don’t want to that happen for baseball,” said Stansberry.

He threw 105 pitches in heat that was over 90 degrees for much of the game.

“I’ve been pitching seven innings the last five outings I had so I was kind of used to it,” said Stansberry. “Usually in the middle of the game I get worn down, but then towards the end I just hit that adrenaline and keep going.”

Maxwell said he had senior Ryan Sexton warmed up and ready to pitch the seventh inning, but Stansberry was bent on finishing what he started.

“I was checking every inning and he said I’m good,” said Maxwell. “I told Sexton, ‘You’re going in the seventh,’ but Parker didn’t let me. He was out at the mound before I could get him in there. He wanted it.”

Dixie took a 2-0 lead in the second inning thanks in part to an error and two wild pitches. Senior third baseman Zac Odom led off the inning and Stansberry followed with a single. Sophomore catcher Seth Caple then lifted a fly ball to left that left fielder Charlie Mader missed to load the bases. CovCath starting pitcher Ben Maile, who entered the game with a 10-0 record and an ERA under 1.00, then threw a wild pitch that allowed Odom to score and then uncorcked another that allowed courtesy runner Casey Cox to score.

Maile was pulled after issuing a leadoff walk in the third.

CovCath scored twice in the bottom of the third to tie it at 2-2. Senior third baseman Tommy Arnzen drove in Brady Reese with the first run and sophomore Grant Schreiver drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the second run.

Dixie tallied two unearned runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead. Senior right fielder Garrett McKinney led off with a single and was then sacrificed to second. Dixie leadoff hitter Brian Daria, a senior second baseman, stayed alive at the plate when CovCath senior catcher Jake Lankheit dropped his foul pop and then proceeded to drive home McKinney with a long double to the left. One out later, Daria scored on senior designated hitter Cory Garrett’s single.http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...305280057/