John Glenn catcher Patrick Langel catches a foul pop up during the second inning of Glenn’s Plymouth Baseball Regional semifinal against Hammond Clark Saturday at Bill Nixon Field. Glenn lost the game, 3-0. Pilot photo/ James Costello

By James Costello Sports Writer
PLYMOUTH — Three days before Michael Fansler had given the Falcons the pitching performance of his career. On Saturday, the spotlight belonged to Trace Howard.
On the heels of Fansler’s three-hit shutout in the Plymouth Sectional championship Tuesday, Hammond Clark’s lanky ace turned the tables on John Glenn, as he allowed just two hits to lead the Pioneers to a 3-0 semifinal victory at the Plymouth Baseball Regional Saturday.
“I was excited,” said Howard, a senior at Clark. “I didn’t like the fact that it might be my last high school game, and I basically put it in my mind that I was going to pitch the best game of my life, and I think I did that.”
It was nearly a perfect game.
Howard fanned seven and walked none, facing just 21 batters for 20 outs in the win. Brock Solmos and Cody Singleton recorded Glenn’s two hits, while Lonnie Shetler and Scott Shreve both reached first in the fourth frame, but not a single Falcons baserunner ever reached second at Bill Nixon Field.
“The movement on his fastball was the big key today,” said Glenn head baseball coach John Nadolny. “His movement on the inside of the plate was just overwhelming.
“A lot of guys go with the breaking pitch outside corner or a change-up. His was a two-seam fastball that he rode in on us all day, and we couldn’t do anything with it. Hats off to him and hats off to them. They played way better than us today.”
Fansler followed up his career-highlight pitching performance against Plymouth with another solid outing Saturday, but with no run support from the Falcons, he didn’t stand a chance. Fansler gave up eight hits and three bases on balls in the loss, as Clark opened up the scoring with two runs in the fourth.