May 19, 2008 – TIPP CITY
The Covington Buccaneers had a golden opportunity to get some "payback" against a Lehman team that has ended the Buccs' season the past two years.

"The kids are excited about this game," said Covington coach Mitch Hirsch earlier this week after Lehman defeated Jackson Center. "The kids want this one real bad."

Maybe too bad as Covington struggled in the field and on the mound. Lehman hit four home runs, three off of Buccaneer Ace, David Moss, and the Buccs committed five errors.

The result was a third straight season-ending loss to the Cavaliers, 15-10.

The loss left coach Hirsch searching for answers.

"I definitely didn't expect anything like this," Hirsch said. "We have been getting great pitching and playing good defense all year. For some reason we just didn't play very well today."

The stage was set perfectly for Covington as the wind was blowing out toward left field, David Moss was fresh and the Buccs were peaking at the right time with a six-game winning streak.

But Lehman jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first with a three-run home run by Nick Pulfer after a Covington throwing error score the first run.

But the Buccs responded in the bottom of the first with back-to-back home runs by Kyle Kanet and David Moss, which set the stage for a big day of long ball.

Lehman scored two more runs in the second on a two-run shot by David Spearman, but the Buccaneers closed the gap to 6-5 with a three-run home run by Nate Lavey.

But Pulfer drilled what appeared to be the dagger in the fourth with his second three-run home run of the afternoon to put Lehman up 9-5.

The Cavs extended the lead to 15-6 with four runs in the top of the seventh, but the Buccs continued swinging the bats and scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to make the final 15-10.

In total, seven home runs were hit on the day, four by Lehman and three by Covington.

"We kept swinging the bats," Hirsch said. "We are not going to quit. But when you miss your spots (pitching) and the wind is blowing out, today is what is going to happen."

Once again, after a successful regular season the tournament ends in disappointment with a loss to Lehman.

"We had a good year," Hirsch said. "We have had three straight good years. But it doesn't mean anything unless you do something in the tournament."

The Buccs finish with a final record of 17-6.

Scoring by Innings:
Lehman .........4...2...0...3...2...0...4 - 15 12 1
Covington .....2...0...3...0...1...0...4 - 10 10 5