By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Watching Highlands senior pitcher Drew Rom retire 11 of the 12 batters he faced in the final four innings of the 9th Region baseball championship game on Thursday was impressive. What he did at the plate during his team’s 3-2 win over Covington Catholic at UC Health Stadium was something special as well.
Rom hit his first home run of the season in the fourth inning to tie the score, 2-2, and got the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two out.
That’s how the Bluebirds became the first team to win four consecutive 9th Region baseball championships since Newport Catholic won seven in a row from 1948 to 1954.
“He’s the man, isn’t he,” Highlands coach Jeremy Baioni said of Rom’s performance. “He’s a kid who absolutely works his tail off and deserves everything he gets. I’m just so proud of him and they way he battled, and the way all our guys battled with him. They all wanted to win it together.”
Rom was named most valuable player on the regional all-tournament team. Local coaches also voted him 9th Region Player of the Year for being the top pitcher in the area. But his main focus all season was helping Highlands win a fourth straight regional championship, and he made it happen Thursday.
“It just means we’re one for the record books, that we’ve going to go down as one of the great teams,” he said after the game. “Hopefully, we can bring home the eventual state title.”
Highlands (26-13) will return to the state tournament next week and play the winner of the 8th Region championship game between North Oldham and South Oldham in a first-round game at 11 a.m. Friday, June 8 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington.
Both of the 8th Region finalists have won 20 or more games this season so there’s a good chance Rom will be the Bluebirds’ starting pitcher in the state tournament opener.
Rom was the third pitcher to the take the mound for Highlands in the 9th Region final. After CovCath scored both of its runs in the second inning off senior Hunter Dreves, the coach brought in junior Grady Cramer.
A double by Thomas Cody knocked in the Colonels’ first run. Michael Schaefer advanced to third base on that hit and scored on a squeeze bunt by Jack Maile.
Rom, who started the game in right field, got a lead-off single in the bottom of the second inning. He was replaced by pinch runner Ryan Adkins, who advanced to second base on a walk and scored on a single by Sam Hennigan to make it 2-1.
In the top of the fourth, CovCath had a runner at second base with one out when Rom was called to the mound. He retired the next two batters on a ground out and strike out.
Rom was his team’s lead-off hitter in the bottom of the fourth. He quickly tied the score by stroking a pitch from CovCath starting pitcher Evan Stallman over the left field fence.
“It was a 2-2 count and I was just hoping to put the bat on the ball,” Rom said. “It was a fastball so he applied all the velocity for it and I just put my bat out there.”
After a diving catch by Highlands center fielder Cooper Schwalbach in the top of the fifth inning, Rom retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced. He got three of his seven strike outs in the seventh inning.
Highlands junior shortstop Ethan Kavanagh ripped a triple in the right-center field gap with one out in the bottom of the seventh. As the ball rolled to the wall, he raced toward third base. It looked like he might score when the ball got loose on an errant relay throw, but he held up there.
“As soon as I hit it I was like, ‘We win,'” Kavanagh said. “In my mind, I was thinking we’re going to end it right here.”
CovCath coach Bill Krumpelbeck intentionally walked the next two batters to set up a force out at any base. With the defense playing in, Highlands first baseman Tyler Gulley hit a sinking line drive to left field, but Logan Beagle made a diving catch for the second out.
That’s when Rom stepped to the plate against Maile, who was in his fourth inning of relief for the Colonels. When the first two pitches were called balls, Krumpelback called time out and went out to the mound. On his way back to the dugout, the coach said a few words to the home plate umpire.
“There were some situations that obviously I wasn’t real satisfied with,” Krumpelbeck said. “But the game is over. That was one of the best umpires we have behind the plate so I have no complaints.”
Maile’s next pitch made the count 3-0. He had to throw a strike after that, but he lost control and the ball hit Rom in the back to put him on base and bring home the winning run.
“I didn’t expect this at all,” Rom said of the dramatic ending. “I wanted to just go out there and win. To end in a walk-off like that, there’s no better way to end it.”
CovCath finished the season with a 26-11 record and Krumpelbeck picked up the 1,000th win of his career in the regional semifinals. The Colonels had won two of three games it played against Highlands during the regular season.
“Tough game,” coach Krumpelbeck said after the season-ending loss. “We were pretty confident going into it. We had plenty of opportunities early in the game and couldn’t take advantage of it. I thought if we could get ahead our pitching would hold them down as we did during the season, but we couldn’t put more than those two (runs) across.”
COVCATH 020 000 0 — 2 5 2
HIGHLANDS 010 100 0 — 3 6 0
WP — Rom (7 Ks) LP — Maile (5 Ks). HITTING LEADERS — Schaefer 3-3; Cody 2B. H — Rom 2-2, HR, 2 RBI; Kavanagh 3B. RECORDS: Highlands 26-13. CovCath 26-11.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Highlands — Drew Rom (MVP), Sam Hennigan, Gady Cramer, Carson Fitters. CovCath — Michael Schaefer, Thomas Cody, Jack Maile. Beechwood — Nick Jackman, Brayden Burch. St. Henry — Max Epplen, Michael Schaefer. Cooper — Tyler Ollier. Dixie Heights — Josh Suedkamp. NewCath — Hunter Cain. Ryle — Evan Webster.