By Eric Clutter
Record-Courier correspondent
ALLIANCE — Normally when speed is talked about in baseball parlance, it is in reference to base-stealing or the ability to beat out infield hits.
But when you use that word in relation with the Ravenna D.S. Concrete Braves, it refers to the fleet-footed outfield of Trei Thomas, Brandon Gros and Garrett Gerardi.
Against Massillon Transmission on Saturday afternoon at Alliance’s Butler-Rodman Park, the Ravenna trio was instrumental in preserving the F League squad’s 6-0 Ohio Hot Stove state semifinal victory over Massillon, highlighting an all-around strong defensive effort with routine and not-so routine catches.
“Our guys just don’t give up (on balls),” said Ravenna manager Lonnie Stacy. “I have a track team in my outfield. We can cheat them in sometimes because of their speed.
“You can’t teach speed, but it is great to coach.”
Ravenna will take its 26-2 record into today’s 1 p.m. state championship against either the Firestone Park Sox or Belden Amish Swings & Things.
Ravenna starting pitcher Dillon Gillespie was in control throughout the afternoon, but on the rare occasion he encountered some turbulence, his defense backed him up.
Carrying a 3-0 lead into the top of the fourth inning, Gillespie, who had yielded only one hit to that point, saw Ryan Rambo single to lead off the frame.
Ravenna second baseman Trevin Knight then made a nice running catch in short right field for the first out and nearly doubled up Rambo off first, who just got back to the bag ahead of the throw.
Rambo moved up one base on a wild pitch, and then set his sights on home plate on Alex Davis’ single. Gros, playing in center, got to the ball quickly and fired it to Gillespie on the mound as Rambo was just turning the third-base bag. Gillespie then got the ball immediately to catcher Tate Bennett, who applied the tag on Rambo.
Davis got greedy and tried to get himself into scoring position, but Bennett cut him down at second to end a would-be rally for Massillon (24-5).
Gillespie got back on track after that, frustrating Massillon hitters en route to a five-hit, six-strikeout performance. The right-hander threw one pitch in the top of the seventh before being relieved by Tyler Conley.
“He is unbelievable,” said Stacy of Gillespie’s pitch-command throughout the early afternoon. “He had hitters off-balance all day. This is what you want in a pitcher.”
Conley yielded one hit and completed the shutout by inducing a flyout to Thomas in left and a ground ball to Gillespie at first.
The Braves touched up Massillon starter Cory Stuffelbeam for two runs in the first inning.
Gros led off with a single, stole second and came home on a wild pitch. Tyler Bayless then singled in Kyle Spellman for the frame’s second tally.
Kyle Kornbau singled with two away in the third and scored Ravenna’s third run of the game when Bayless’ grounder to the shortstop was misplayed.
The Braves padded their lead with three runs in the sixth on a Bayless groundout, a Brian Lydick pinch-hit RBI single and a run that scored when a throw got away at first following Thomas’ bunt single.