After clinching a share of the regular season conference title, the Sinclair Pride added another championship to its collection.
The Pride took down Cuyahoga Community College in the Ohio Community College Athletic Association conference championship game, 9-5, on April 26. The victory gave Sinclair (32-10, 13-2 OCCAC) its 10th conference title in school history and sealed a spot in the NJCAA Region 12 Tournament. For the first time in three seasons, the Pride cracked the NJCAA national poll at No. 18.
“Guys have been competing and playing well,” said Sinclair coach Steve Dintaman. “It’s going to be exciting up there when we come to play and scrap.”
In the clinching victory, freshman pitcher Zach Botjer relieved starter Jake Robinson with a two-run lead and dealt four innings of one-run ball.
“Botjer has been lights out,” Dintaman said. “He came in and was unhittable. Even though he has been one of our best relievers, he now has the opportunity to become one of our starters.”
Infielder Taylor Hoisington went 4 for 9 and led Sinclair with seven RBIs in three tournament games.
“Without a doubt, (Hoisington) was the player of the weekend for us,” Dintaman said. “He was really on a tear in the four spot.”
With a trip to the World Series on the line, Sinclair heads into the tournament on a 10-game winning streak and is expected to have the third seed in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament in Battle Creek, Mich.
After taking care of business in the conference championship, the Pride has more than a week to rest and prepare for its trip up north.
“We need to stay fresh and they can knock out a lot of school work now,” Dintaman said. “We have a lot of momentum and we’re coming off the conference championship. We need to be ready to go and play well.”
Dintaman said his players have been looking forward to this opportunity all season.
“Our goal is to win it,” he said. “They want to keep it going as long as possible. We know we’re capable of doing it.”