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2018 Baseball State Tournament Recaps

Division IV State Final

Eight-Run Fifth Inning Keys Fort Loramie's 8-4 Win Over Hicksville In Division IV State Championship

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An eight-run fifth inning earned No. 15 Fort Loramie (27-6) an 8-4 victory over Hicksville (21-5) in the 2018 OHSAA Division IV baseball state championship at Huntington Park on Saturday, June 2.
 
In its sixth trip to the baseball state tournament, Fort Loramie captured its third baseball state title and became the first Division IV team to win 27 games in a season since the 2010 Fort Loramie squad won 30 games en route to a state crown.
 
Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Fort Loramie’s bats came alive. A lead-off single by Fort Loramie senior Austin Siegel, a hit by pitch and then a single to left by senior Austin Siegel, loaded the bases. Two batters later, an RBI single to right field by junior Carter Mescher scored Siegel and cut the deficit to 4-1. In the next at bat, senior Dylan Albers came up with the biggest hit of the game, tripling to center field to score three and tie the game at 4-4.
 
Fort Loramie continued the offensive attack and scored four more runs to take an 8-4 lead into the top of the sixth. Junior C.J. Billing recorded an RBI single, junior Eli Rosengarten notched a two-RBI double, and a one-RBI triple by Siegel push Fort Loramie to its four-run lead.
 
Fort Loramie junior pitcher Nathan Raterman pitched the final 3.1 innings, holding Hicksville to three hits and no earned runs, earning the third baseball state title for Fort Loramie.
 
Fort Loramie’s Siegel and junior Shane Hilgefort each went 2-for-3, while Albers and Rosengarten combined for five RBIs.
 
Hicksville was making its first trip in an OHSAA baseball state final since 1978. Leading the way for the Aces at the plate was junior Parker Thiel, who went 2-for-3 and scored two runs.

Division III State Final

Canfield South Range Earns First State Championship, Defeats Coldwater 3-2 In Division III State Final

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In its first state championship appearance, Canfield South Range (18-15) defeated No. 6 Coldwater (27-7) by a final tally of 3-2 in the 2018 OHSAA Division III baseball state championship at Huntington Park on Saturday, June 2, marking South Range’s first state title in school history.
 
South Range becomes just the first team since 2005 to win an OHSAA baseball state crown with 18 wins or less and entered the postseason with an 11-15 record, reeling off seven-straight wins en route to its state title.
 
Leading the way for South Range were juniors Jared Bajerski and Ben Rivera, who each went 2-for-3 at the dish with one RBI apiece. Freshman Jake Gehring went 1-for-2 with an RBI and finished the state tournament with four RBIs overall. Earning the win for South Range on the mound was junior Sam Brooks, who pitched 5.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Senior Brandon Youngs put in 2.0 innings of work on the hill and surrendered just one hit.
 
South Range struck first, as Rivera singled to second base to score Bajerski and put the Raiders in front 1-0 in the first inning. In the third, South Range added to its lead after a sacrifice fly by Gehring scored senior Brandon Youngs to increase the lead to 2-0.
 
Coldwater answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the contest at 2-2, but another sacrifice fly for South Range in the top of the sixth by Bajerski scored junior Jaxon Anderson and pushed the Raiders ahead, 3-2.
 
Youngs induced two Coldwater popups and one groundout in the seventh, earning the first state championship in a team sport for South Range.
Coldwater was making its 10th baseball state final appearance and its 20th trip to the state tournament.

Division I State Final

First Baseball State Crown Earned By Powell Olentangy Liberty In Division I State Final Win Over Whitehouse Anthony Wayne

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With an 8-1 victory over No. 8 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (27-5) in the 2018 OHSAA Division I baseball state championship at Huntington Park on Saturday, No. 2 Powell Olentangy Liberty (30-4) earned its first baseball state title in school history and became just the fourth Ohio high school baseball team in the last five years to finish with a 30-win season.
 
Olentangy Liberty outscored its opponents by a 21-3 margin in the state tournament in its first trip to Huntington Park in the postseason.
The bats were once again staunch for Olentangy Liberty, which used 11 hits to score eight runs while holding Anthony Wayne to just one run on three hits for the contest.
 
At the dish, Olentangy Liberty junior Justin Nelson went 3-for-3 and tallied three RBIs with a triple. Senior Connor Osmond and junior Mitchell Okuley each finished with two hits, while senior Corey Mayer recorded three RBIs. On the mound, junior Jack Metzger pitched a complete game, surrendering just three hits without allowing an earned run.
 
Olentangy Liberty scored all eight of its runs in the first, third and fifth innings. In the bottom of the first with the bases loaded, Mayer hit a double to right center that scored sophomore Corbin Parrish, sophomore Brennan Rowe and senior Carson Comer to put Olentangy Liberty ahead 3-0.
 
In the bottom of the third with a 3-1 lead, Nelson tripled to left center to score Osmond and sophomore AJ Rausch to increase the Olentangy Liberty advantage to 5-1. Okuley singled up the middle to score junior Justin Nelson, and a double steal later in the inning allowed Okuley to score and make it 7-1 Olentangy Liberty.
 
Another run in the fifth increased the lead to 8-1 for Olentangy Liberty, and Metzger finished the complete game to earn the victory.
 
Anthony Wayne was making its first state tournament and state final appearance.

Division II State Final

Late Rally Lifts Dayton Chaminade Julienne To 3-1 Victory Over Wapakoneta In Division II State Final, First State Title Since 1970

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Trailing 1-0 in the top of the seventh, Dayton Chaminade Julienne (24-5) scored three runs to rally for a 3-1 win over No. 1 Wapakoneta (24-2) in the 2018 OHSAA Division II baseball state final at Huntington Park on Saturday night, earning its second baseball state crown and first since 1970.
 
The game was a scoreless tie until the bottom of the sixth, when Wapakoneta senior Don Goodes scored from third base on a passed ball to give Wapakoneta a 1-0 lead.
 
But Chaminade Julienne scored when it mattered most. With runners on first and second base with one out, Chaminade Julienne senior Zach Scott was able to score from second after a throwing error by Wapakoneta in an attempted double play, tying the contest at 1-1. Then with the game tied and the bases loaded after a stolen base, intentional walk and walk, Chaminade Julienne sophomore Sebastian Gongora sent a hard-hit single up the middle, scoring senior Ryan Peltier and junior Andrew Simones to seize a 3-1 lead for the Eagles.
 
Wapakoneta senior Bubba Miller led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple, but Chaminade Julienne pitcher Nick Wissman shut the door on a potential comeback. Wissman struck out the next two Wapakoneta batters and induced a fly out to right field to end the game and seal the win, 3-1.
 
Wissman allowed just four hits and did not give up an earned run in the complete game effort, striking out nine batters along the way.
 
Wapakoneta was making its second trip to a baseball state final.

Division IV State Semifinals

Fort Loramie Grinds Out 2-1 Win Over Garfield Heights Trinity, Advances To Division IV State Final

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Fort Loramie (26-6) scored runs in the top of the sixth and seventh innings to earn a 2-1 victory over Garfield Heights Trinity (22-4) in a 2018 OHSAA Division IV baseball state semifinal at Huntington Park on Thursday.
 
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the sixth, Fort Loramie’s C.J. Billing recorded an RBI triple to center field, scoring junior Carter Mescher to tie the game with Trinity at 1-1.
 
The game winning run came for Fort Loramie in the top of the seventh. A passed ball allowed Fort Loramie base runners Devin Wehrman and Ben Barhorst to advance to second and third, then in the next at bat, junior Shane Hilgefort recorded a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Barhorst and lifted Fort Loramie to a 2-1 lead.
 
Fort Loramie junior pitcher Jared Middendorf recorded a strikeout to end the contest and earn a 2-1 win. Middendorf allowed just one earned run on three hits for the contest.
 

Hicksville Advances To Second Baseball State Championship In School History Following 4-1 Win Over Mowrystown Whiteoak

COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 9 Hicksville (21-5) rode a dominant performance by senior pitcher Jake Greer to defeat top-ranked Mowrystown Whiteoak (28-3) by a final tally of 4-1 in a 2018 OHSAA Division IV baseball state semifinal game at Huntington Park on Thursday, booking its second trip to a baseball state final in school history.
 
Greer notched 12 strikeouts and allowed just two hits and no earned runs to hold Whiteoak under two runs for the first time this season.
 
Hicksville scored four runs on five hits, with junior Zac Brickel leading the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
 
It’s the 40-year anniversary of Hicksville’s 1978 baseball championship, and the Aces will look face No. 15 Fort Loramie (26-6) in the 2018 Division IV state championship on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Division III State Semifinals

Coldwater Advances To 10th Baseball State Championship With Semifinal Win Over Minford

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coldwater (27-6) defeated Minford (24-3) 11-0 in five innings in a 2018 OHSAA Division III baseball state semifinal, advancing to its 10th baseball state championship in school history.
 
With 11 runs, Coldwater scored the most runs in a Division III state tournament game since Bellville Clear Fork recorded 14 in the 2010 Division III state final.
 
Coldwater notched 10 hits and capitalized on four Minford errors. Coldwater senior Sam Broering went 3-for-3 at the dish, while junior Alex Wourms and senior Seth Miller each recorded two RBIs.
 
Allowing just two hits was Coldwater senior pitcher Brad Giere, who went 5.0 innings and did not allow an earned run.
 

Late Offensive Explosion Powers Canfield South Range Past Cincinnati Madeira, 7-0

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Canfield South Range (17-15) scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning and two in the top of the seventh to secure a 7-0 win over Cincinnati Madeira (21-7) in a 2018 OHSAA Division III baseball state semifinal game at Huntington Park on Thursday.
 
South Range will be playing in its first baseball state final and will face Coldwater (27-6) in the Division III state championship on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
The game was a scoreless, pitcher’s duel through five innings of play, but it was freshman pitcher Jake Gehring who broke the game open offensively for South Range. With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Gehring drove home three runs with a double down the left field line. The Raiders added two more runs in the inning to take a 5-0 lead and scored two more runs in the top of the seventh to extend the advantage to 7-0, then Gehring shut the door in the bottom of the seventh. Gehring struck out six in the complete game effort on the mound.

Division I State Semifinals

Bats Lift Powell Olentangy Liberty To First Baseball State Final Appearance, Win Over Medina Highland

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With 13 runs on 13 hits, No. 2 Powell Olentangy Liberty (29-4) used a high-powered offensive attack to top Medina Highland (19-10) by a final mark of 13-2 (5 innings) in a 2018 OHSAA Division I baseball state semifinal on Friday at Huntington Park and advance to its first baseball state final in program history.
 
Olentangy Liberty scored the most runs in an OHSAA baseball state tournament game since Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller put up 16 runs in the 2015 Division I state final, and the 13 runs marked the most in a Division I state semifinal since Archbishop Moeller scored 13 runs in a 2013 state semifinal.
 
Olentangy Liberty sophomore Corbin Parrish went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored three runs. Senior Corey Mayer finished 2-for-4 and tallied four RBIs. Senior pitcher Mitch Milheim went 2-for-3 at the dish with three RBIs while also going 4.1 innings on the hill, where he allowed just two earned runs and struck out four Highland batters.
 
Highland was making its first appearance at the OHSAA baseball state tournament.
 

Strong Defense Earns Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 1-0 Win Over Mason, Trip To Division I State Final
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 8 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (27-4) held No. 7 Mason (26-6) to just two hits en route to a 1-0 victory in a 2018 OHSAA Division I baseball state semifinal at Huntington Park on Friday, earning the right to play in its first baseball state final.

 
Anthony Wayne senior Brock Nartker pitched 6.2 innings, struck out six batters and allowed just two hits, throwing four innings of hitless baseball in the process.
 
The game winning run came in the bottom of the third for Anthony Wayne, when a single to left field by senior Nick Schneider scored junior Jacob Neumeyer from second base, lifting Anthony Wayne to a 1-0 lead, which it maintained for the remainder of the contest.
 
Anthony Wayne will face No. 2 Powell Olentangy Liberty (29-4) in the Division I state championship on Saturday at 4 p.m., with both teams seeking their first baseball state crown.

Division II State Semifinals

Wapakoneta Tops Circleville 6-1 In Rain-Delayed State Semifinal

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In an OHSAA Division II baseball state semifinal that included a one-hour rain delay in the bottom of the third inning, No. 1 Wapakoneta (24-1) earned a 6-1 victory over Circleville (19-11) at Huntington Park on Friday.
 
The win earns Wapakoneta a berth in the Division II state championship on Saturday at 7 p.m., its second state final appearance in school history.
Wapakoneta scored six runs on 10 hits and senior pitcher Gage Schenk held Circleville to just one run on three hits and notched 10 strikeouts in an impressive performance on the mound.
 
Going 3-for-3 at the dish for Wapakoneta was junior catcher Jett Makar. Senior Wyatt Moyler finished 2-for-4 with a game-high three RBIs.
 
Circleville was making its first appearance at the OHSAA baseball state tournament.
 

Dayton Chaminade Julienne Defeats Tallmadge 2-1 In Rematch Of Last Season’s State Final

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a rematch of the 2017 OHSAA Division II baseball state final, Dayton Chaminade Julienne (23-5) defeated Tallmadge by a final score of 2-1 in a 2018 OHSAA Division II baseball state semifinal at Huntington Park on Friday night.
 
Chaminade Julienne recorded seven hits and capitalized on four Tallmadge errors. Chaminade Julienne senior Ryan Peltier held Tallmadge to just two hits and gave up just one earned run while striking out four.
 
With the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the fourth, a single to center field by sophomore Jack Huffman allowed junior Nick Wissman to score and give Chaminade Julienne the game winning run, 2-1.
 
Chaminade Julienne faces Wapakoneta in the Division II state championship.