Curt Conrad, Staff Reporter

Graders general manager Mike O’Leary was looking for someone to celebrate with after Tuesday’s unlikely 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Steam, but there was virtually nobody left in the third base dugout.

“Best win of the season,” O’Leary announced to anyone within ear shot.

If not the best, it was certainly the most unlikely victory of the year.

Playing with a lineup held together with sunflower seeds and Big League Chew and against a team in need of a win to keep its playoff hopes alive, the Graders defied the odds at Heddleson Field.

“It’s a good way to end the year,” said pitching coach Taylore Baker, who was filling in for manager Ray Neill for a second straight day. “We found a way and ended the season on a more positive note than we did Monday (with a 5-4 walk-off win over Grand Lake).”

Makeshift Lineup: The Graders didn’t find out until Monday that the oft-postponed doubleheader with the Steam would be necessary because Cincinnati was still in playoff contention. The Steam needed a sweep to secure the sixth and final postseason spot. Since Cincinnati lost the opener, however, the nightcap wasn’t played.

Thinking Monday’s make-up game against Grand Lake would be the last of the season, several Galion regulars made travel arrangements that couldn’t be broken. Consequently, the lineup Baker put on the diamond Tuesday included pitchers Josh Peterson at second base, A.J. Cecil in left field and Justin Lewis at designated hitter. Baker had to recruit Ohio Dominican’s Jake Tisevich and Otterbein’s Brock Frentzel, neither of whom had played a single inning for Galion this summer, to fill out the lineup.

“I sent some texts to guys back at home and some of the other guys brought some friends. We kind of rolled with what we had and it worked,” Baker said. “I don’t know if it would work nine out of 10 times, but it worked today.”

Tisevich, who helped the Stark County Terriers win the Tri-State Collegiate League championship Monday, was 2-for-4 and knocked in what proved to be the game-winning run with a double to left field in the fourth.

“It was about 11 o’clock last night when I got the call,” Tisevich said. “Coach Baker asked me to come down and I said I would love to.”

Bulldog: Galion pitcher Ben Hamilton, who led the pitching staff with 17 appearances this summer, made just his second start of the season. The right-hander went the distance, limiting Cicinnati to three hits.

“It’s been about a year since I pitched seven innings. I was used mostly in relief (at Otterbein) this spring,” said Hamilton, who lowered his earned run average to 3.42. “I got two starts in the spring, but I only went about four innings each time. It was nothing even close to this.”

Hamilton retired the first seven batters he faced before surrendering a pair of earned runs in the third. He then retired 11 straight.

“We were hoping Ben could go four and then it went to five,” Baker said. “He said he was OK for six and then he found away to get out of a jam in the seventh.”

Off the Hook: After retiring the first batter in the seventh, Hamilton gave up a single to Cincinnati’s Adam Bolen. Mitchell Lendenski reached on an error and Alex Corna drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases.

With the infield drawn in, Cincinnati’s Austin Holloway hit a sharp ground ball to third baseman Aaron Caputo, who fired home to retire pinch runner Brad Burkhart for the second out. Hamilton then got leadoff man Richard Rodriguez to fly out to Cecil in left to end the game.

“That just shows what he has been like all year,” Baker said. “He’s really been hard-nosed on the mound, finding ways to get out of jams. He’s been a guy we could rely on in the back end of the bullpen all year long.”

Hamilton threw a season-high 106 pitches, 65 for strikes. He retired the side in order in the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

“My ball had good movement today,” Hamilton said. “I was getting ahead of the hitters and the defense played great behind me.”

Casting Call: For Tisevich, Tuesday’s game was a chance to audition for the Graders’ front office. He batted .355 with eight doubles, three home runs and 23 runs batted in and scored a team-best 33 runs for the Terriers.

“After the game, coach Baker said, ‘That was a pretty good tryout,’ ” Tisevich said.

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