Golden Knights move on with 15-inning win over Marion Pleasant
The Division 3 District semifinal match between the Northmor Golden Knights (18-8) and the Marion Pleasant Spartans (12-7) was an epic duel that went 15 innings, thanks to a seventh-inning Knights’ score to tie it, ending with a 4-2 Northmor win.
Northmor took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a lead-off single by Max Lower, a sacrifice bunt by Griffin Workman, an infield single by Grant Bentley and a two-out error to plate Lower. Bentley was on the mound and held the Spartans scoreless until the fifth, when they strung together three hits and a sacrifice bunt to take a 2-1 lead.
Northmor tied it in the seventh on an error, a sacrifice bunt by Trenton Ramos and a game-tying double by Lower. Seven scoreless innings ensued until the top of the 15th, when Workman was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Bentley hit a hard grounder to short that was misplayed. After two outs, Drew Hammond singled in a run to break the tie, and walks to Matthew Kearns and Marcus Cortez forced in an insurance run for Northmor. With Hammond on the mound for his seventh inning of relief, the Spartans were retired in order, with Hammond striking out the last batter on three pitches to secure the win for Northmor.
Northmor finished with 11 hits to 10 for Marion. Lower and Bentley each went 3-for-7 to lead the Knights, and Lower got the team’s only extra-base hit, a double.
Bentley started and threw 94 pitches, going eight innings, allowing eight hits, two walks and two runs and striking out one. Hammond needed 96 pitches to earn the win, completing seven shutout innings, giving up two hits and six walks, striking out four. Three Marion Pleasant pitchers combined to strike out 22 Knights, walking four and allowing no earned runs.
Pirates take lead, pour it on in seventh to beat Lakers, 8-0
Cardington-Lincoln took a 3-0 lead into the seventh and erupted for five runs to blow past the Millersport Lakers 8-0 in the OHSAA Division 4 District semifinals May 23.
The Pirates were coming off a 10-2 win over Delaware Christian, and the Lakers had just beaten Danville, 10-0, when the two playoff teams matched up. Dillon Minturn starred at the plate for C-L with three RBIs, a double and two runs scored offensively. On the mound, Minturn pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk and striking out two.
Cardington broke open a scoreless tie with two runs in the fourth, added one in the sixth and put the game away with a five-run seventh.
The Pirates were held to five hits. Merek McClure led C-L’s offense attack with two hits and he drove in two runs. Joe Denney walked three times and scored twice for Cardington.
Bulldogs capture lead in the sixth over Eagles to advance
Ryan Morton’s bat and arm were key in East Knox’s tournament win over Groveport Madison Christian. Held scoreless for five innings, the Bulldogs came back from a 1-0 deficit by scoring two in the sixth to defeat the Eagles, 2-1, in a Division 4 semifinal game May 24.
Towing the slab for EK, Ryan Morton allowed an unearned run in the first inning and shut down the Eagles the rest of the way. He threw 82 pitches, giving up three hits and two walks and striking out two, before Bryar Householder came in to get the last two outs for the save.
Madison Christian scored a run in the first on a two-out error and maintained the 1-0 lead until the Bulldogs’ sixth. With one out, Landon Spearman was hit by a pitch, and after an error, Shane Knepp’s sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third. With two outs, Morton smacked a hard single to left on an 0-2 pitch to score two runs and give EK the lead.
Morton continued on the mound in the seventh and after an error and a walk put two runners on, an Eagles’ sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. Householder came in for the save and picked a runner off third before striking out the final batter to preserve the EK victory.
The Bulldogs were held to five hits, with Peyton Lester and Morton accounting for two hits each. Morton drove in both of EK’s runs.
Highland eliminated with 2-1 loss to Buckeye Valley
A two-out double resulted in a 2-1 walk-off win for Buckeye Valley in its Division 2 District semifinal game vs. Highland, eliminating the Fighting Scots from postseason play.
Highland got on the board first with a third-inning run, its only score of the game. Cooper Merckling led off with a single, followed by a single from Rider Minnick. With two outs, Kort Sears walked, and an error on a hard ground ball by Hayden Kline allowed Merckling to score.
The Barons tied it in the fourth on two singles and a sacrifice bunt, and the score remained 1-1 until the bottom of the seventh. A walk, a sacrifice bunt, an intentional walk and a two-out, 0-2 count double, after seven foul balls, won the game for the Barons.
Highland outhit Buckeye Valley 8-3. Zach Pinkerton was the only player on the field with two hits, and he also hit a sacrifice bunt for Highland. Blake Jodrey went all the way on the mound for the Scots, allowing only three hits and one earned run, walking two and striking out three.
Four-run sixth propels Freddies over Warriors, 7-4
The Fredericktown Freddies scored all four of their runs in the sixth inning, then withstood a seventh-inning rally to top Worthington Christian, 4-3, in the OHSAA Division 3 District semifinals.
The Freddies were held hitless until their sixth-inning breakthrough. Down 1-0, Brady Lester led off with a walk and Kaid Carpenter got the Freddies’ first hit on a liner to left field. Carpenter was thrown out attempting to advance to a double, with Lester going to third. Trevor Jobes was hit by a pitch, and an error on a fly ball by Jaxen Doup tied the score at 1-1. Following an error and a fielder’s choice, a bases-loaded walk to Xavier Mullins gave Fredericktown a 2-1 lead. Daichi Yamazaki followed with a two-out single to make it 4-1. In the seventh, at 4-3 with two outs and runners at first and third, Yamazaki caught a hard liner by WC’s Connor Hendrickson, who already had two hits, to end the game.
