OHSAA sectional baseball playoffs began two weeks ago, with 10 local teams in contention in four divisions and five regions. Though four teams won games in the tournament and three made it to their sectional finals (Fredericktown, Utica and Northmor), none took their championships and the season is over for all local coverage area schools.
No. 3 Northmor 6, No. 2 Fairfield Christian 1
Northmor ace Grant Bentley spun a gem for the Golden Knights (21-6, 8-4), throwing a two-hitter in the district semifinal of the Division IV Region 16 OHSAA state tournament to take a 6-1 win over Fairfield Christian (17-3, 11-1) on May 22.
The game was tied 1-1 in the first inning, with Bentley giving up an unearned run. Northmor got on the board on an RBI single by Garrett Harvey, who had a solid day at the plate with three hits. It remained that way until the top of the fourth, when Northmor piled on four runs to take a 5-1 lead. Drew Hammond singled on a 1-0 count and drove in a run. Harvey then knocked in a run on a ground out, and Cooper Thomas drove in a run on a 0-1 single.
The Golden Knights tacked on another run in the top of the seventh and held on to secure a 6-1 win.
Northmor had the bats going with 12 hits in the game, led by Cooper Thomas with a 3-for-4 showing, including an RBI. Drew Hammond had a 2-for-4 day with a double, an RBI and two runs. Trevor Brubaker also doubled and scored a run in the win. Garrett Harvey had a pair of singles and two RBIs. Nick Armrose also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Bentley threw a complete, seven-inning game, striking out one batter while allowing two hits, two walks and an unearned run.
The Golden Knights advanced to play No. 4 Berne Union. This is the second straight year Northmor has been in the district championship. Last year, they fell to Liberty Union while battling for the Division III district title.
No. 4 Berne Union 10, No. 3 Northmor 9
No. 3 Northmor had a 9-5 lead heading into the final frame and looked ready to take the win, but costly fielding mistakes were the culprit and No. 4 Berne Union (15-9, 11-3) put together a five-run seventh-inning comeback to take a 10-9 victory to take the Division IV, Region 16 district title.
Northmor scored in the second inning to go up 1-0 when Trevor Brubaker walked with the bases loaded. The Rockets put four on the board to go up 4-1, but the Golden Knights scored a run each in the fourth and fifth innings. Then in the sixth inning, Northmor scored four runs with RBIs by Cole Cuffman, Grant Bentley and Brubaker, but Berne Union was able to come back and win on a Cooper Mitchell RBI single.
Northmor tallied 10 hits in the game, led by Drew Hammond who doubled in a 1-for-4 day with two RBIs. Cooper Thomas and Nick Armrose each had a pair of singles, and Thomas knocked in a run. Armrose came across the plate twice.
Hammond started the game and went 3.2 innings with one earned run allowed, four runs total, three walks and four hits, while striking out four batters. Brubaker took the loss and went 3.1 innings, allowing six runs but only one earned, seven hits and two walks, while striking out three.
No. 9 Utica 2, No. 2 Worthington Christian 0
It took 12 innings of shutout ball between No. 9 Utica (13-12, 7-8) and No. 2 Worthington Christian (15-7, 10-1), and while the Redskins were held to only two hits, they managed to bunt their way to a 2-0 upset win in the semifinals of the Division III, Region 10 OHSAA playoffs.
Roman Gamble led off the 12th with a single, stole second and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Connor Whisner. After Tyler Collura was intentionally walked and took second on defensive indifference, Jordan Hartman plated the game's first run on a bunt to the mound. Aidyn Burgess followed with a sac bunt to score Collura, and a 1-2-3 bottom of the 12th secured the win. Gamble and Burgess each connected for a hit, the Redskins' only safeties. Collura and Isaak Wogan drew walks and Gavin Chinn was hit by a pitch for Utica's only baserunners.
Burgess started on the hill, going eight strong innings, allowing seven hits on no runs, while striking out one batter. Gamble came in and pitched four innings of relief, allowing two hits and a walk to pick up the win.
The Redskins went on to face No. 3 Columbus Academy (17-10, 9-3) for the district title on May 24.
Columbus Academy 2, Utica 0
No. 3 Columbus Academy (17-10) went up 1-0 after two innings and then tacked on another run in the fourth. That was enough to secure the win as the Redskins couldn’t get the bats going in a 2-0 loss in the District championship game, ending their season as runner-ups for the district title. Utica managed only four hits – one each by Tyler Collura, Jordan Hartman, Gavin Chinn and Matt Hite. The team also worked three walks – Roman Gamble, Hartman and Isaak Wogan each drew a free pass.
Fredericktown 5, Liberty Union 4
No. 1 seed Fredericktown (25-1) took care of business as expected in a tight semifinal game in Division III, Region 12 play on May, 22, beating the No. 14 Liberty Union Lions (9-12) 5-4. The Freddies allowed two in the first, but came back with four in the second on three hits and two Lions' errors to go up 4-2. The Lions scored a run in the fourth and Fredericktown countered with one in the sixth on a double by Evan Hogg and a wild pitch and a sac fly by Jaxen Doup. Three straight Lions baserunners (two singles and an error) loaded the bases to start the seventh, making it tight. But Kaid Carpenter came in to relieve and got two strikeouts before a 0-2 wild pitch plated one run and ended the game with another runner caught at the plate trying to tie the contest.
Xavier Mullins and Braden Sapp each had two hits for the Freddies, and Evan Hogg and Jaxsen Doup each doubled. Doup drove in a pair and Brady Lester had one ribbie. The win advanced Fredericktown to the championship game vs. Heath.
Heath 3, Fredericktown 1
The No. 5 Heath Bulldogs (18-8) put an end to a remarkable Freddies' season May 24 in the D-III, R-12 finals, earning a 3-1 victory.
The Freddies struck first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but that was all they could muster as the Bulldogs put across single runs in the third, fourth and fifth. The Freddies got their only tally on a one-out single and a stolen base by Kaid Carpenter, and a two-out passed ball to score the run. The Freddies only had two rallies the rest of the way, and had one runner erased at the plate.
Carpenter went 3-3 with a steal and scored the team's lone run. Braden Sapp had two hits and Carter Mull and Brady Lester each knocked out singles. Carpenter went all the way on the mound for the loss, allowing only five hits and striking out 12. Fredericktown finished with a 25-2 record.
