How upsetting! Armada beats ND Prep in district baseball final

Adam Job, who earned his second save of the afternoon, hugs Thomas Killop after Armada beat third-ranked Notre Dame Prep, 1-0, to claim a Division 2 state baseball district championship.CHUCK PLEINESS -- THE MACOMB DAILY

Everyone knew one of the top five ranked baseball teams in the state in Division 2 would be out of the state tournament Saturday afternoon at Richmond High School.

Not many had two of those teams having their season come to an end.

But that’s exactly what occurred.

Armada knocked off third-ranked Notre Dame Prep, 1-0, to claim its first state district championship since winning a Division 3 district title in 2005.

“Our pitching was phenomenal today,” said Armada coach Joel Hoover, whose team defeated Lutheran North, 1-0, to reach the district championship game. “This is the best. This is my first one.”

PHOTO GALLERY: See images of Armada’s district triumph.

The Tigers gave up a total of four hits over the two games.

“This district was tough,” NDP coach Jason Gendreau said. “You have Richmond with 27 wins and a Lutheran North team that won its Catholic League tournament and Armada we played earlier in the year. They’re a top-10 ranked team all year, but they just stayed off the radar.

“They may have had the deepest pitching in the district and they’re scrappy,” Gendreau added.

NDP beat Armada 3-2 earlier in the season.

“It was a game we probably shouldn’t have won and we almost win a game today that we probably shouldn’t have won,” Gendreau said. “They’re an excellent team. We have an outstanding team as well and this is what you get when two teams like that play.”

Against NDP, the Tigers pushed across their run in the first inning off a double by Cameron Hart plated Braden Korchmar, who walked.

NDP threatened in the bottom of the seventh, putting two runners on with one out. That’s when Hoover replaced Korchmar with Job and immediately called for a trick play.

“It’s called a bunt-pick play,” Hoover said. “I have to tip my cap to Scott Evans. He used it on our JV team like six, seven years ago. I remember it and we have been practicing it every week for the last couple of weeks. We just were waiting for the right time to use it and it worked.”

With his two corner infielders rushing in and yelling bunt, Job turned and tossed the ball to Kade Cohoon to apply the tag on the unsuspecting NDP base runner for the second out of the inning.

“It wasn’t a perfect throw, but it was towards the runner so it gave him an opportunity to apply the tag down quicker,” Hoover said.

NDP however was able to load the bases after that out before Job recorded the final out with a swing and a miss off a fastball.

“He’s a big time athlete,” Hoover said of Job. “He’s a great kid, great student. He came in and I knew that was the kid. He’s got ice in his veins. He doesn’t worry about anything. He stays level headed. He kept pumping strikes.”

Korchmar allowed just one hit and struck out nine over six and a third innings pitched.

“He was phenomenal and did not want to come out,” Hoover said. “That’s the competitor in him. He wants to compete all the time. I want kids that don’t want to come out, that argue with me about it. I love it because that’s how I played.

“I’ve got a great group of eight seniors that really worked hard,” Hoover said.Thomas Killop got the win over the Mustangs and Job earned the save. Three pitchers combined to strike out nine and give up one hit.

Armada scored the lone run of that opener when Ryan Andrews, who led off the inning with a base hit, scored on a passed ball.

The Tigers will face Algonac in a regional semifinal on Saturday at Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day.