Division II State Championship Game
Beloit West Branch Makes Late Push to Claim First State Baseball Title in 3-2 Victory Over Hamilton Badin
AKRON, Ohio – Beloit West Branch scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally past Hamilton Badin, 3-2, in the Division II state championship game at Canal Park on Sunday, June 9.
West Branch (27-6) wins its first state title after finishing as the Class AA runner-up in its only previous state tournament appearance (1973).
Badin led 2-0 after six innings, but West Branch’s first two hitters reached base to open the top of the seventh. After a sacrifice bunt, Maddox Coleman scored on an infield single by Boston Mulinix, Jaxon Robb scored on a groundout, and Mulinix came home from third on a wild pitch to give West Branch the lead.
The potential tying run reached base for Badin with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but West Branch starting pitcher Anthony Perry stranded the runner to finish the complete-game victory.
Perry allowed just one earned run on five hits to improve to 9-0 on the year on the mound.
Xander Arnold’s sacrifice fly scored Austin Buckle with Badin’s first run in the fourth inning. The Rams tacked on an unearned run in the sixth.
West Branch had just three hits—singles by Beau Alazaus, Charlie Biskup and Mulinix—two of which came in the three-run seventh. Robb reached base twice via walk.
Junior Chase Luebbe was 2-for-4 with a double to lead the Badin offense. Sophom*ores Chandler Taylor and Jeremiah Carmella and junior Kade Bowling were responsible for Badin’s remaining hits.
Badin (27-7) finished runner-up for the seventh time in school history to go along with state championships in 1991 and 1996.
Division I State Championship Game
Mason Pulls Away Late to Take Home the Division I Crown
AKRON, Ohio – Mason (27-6) scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings on its way to an 8-1 victory over Twinsburg in theDivision I state title game Sunday afternoon at Canal Park.
Twinsburg (23-6) was making its first state championship game appearance while Mason was making its second state championship game appearance (1987 runner-up).
Mason got on the board first with an RBI single from senior Casey Doner in the top of the second inning. Later they extended their lead to 4-0 in the top of the fifth inning when a trio of singles from seniors Alex Koelling, Brad Hart, and Jake Hanley loaded the bases for senior Drew Stevens who brought around two runs with a base hit. Senior Mark Rutherford plated the third run of the inning with an RBI single.
The Comets continued to apply pressure in the sixth inning, scoring on a Twinsburg error, a sacrifice fly from Koelling, and a wild pitch, taking a commanding 8-0 lead.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth before Twinsburg got its first scoring opportunity. They had the bases loaded with one out when senior Jack Phillips scored on a wild pitch. Mason senior pitcher Bryce Brannon buckled down and struck out two of the last three batters to neutralize the threat.
Junior Lucas Tinter got the start on the mound for Twinsburg and breezed through the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He finished allowing four runs across five innings and striking out four. Senior Michael Bilo followed up a no-hitter in the regional championship against top-ranked Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller with another stellar outing. He threw 5-1/3 innings and allowed just one run while punching out six. Sophom*ore pitcher Ben Hanley threw a scoreless seventh inning to put a ribbon on Mason’s first-ever state championship.
Division III State Championship Game
Heath Wins Third State Baseball Title, 3-1 Over Millbury Lake
AKRON, Ohio - Three early runs and a complete-game effort by starting pitcher Wyatt Binckley carried Heath (28-2) to a 3-1 win over Millbury Lake in the Division III state championship game at Canal Park on Sunday.
Heath wins its third baseball state title (2002, 2007) in its third trip to the state championship game. Lake (28-5) was making its first appearance in the title game in its third time at the state tournament.
Heath scored once in the first inning and twice in the second. Binckley controlled the game from there, limiting Lake to three baserunners over the final four frames.
Three of Heath’s first four hitters reached to open the game, and Connor Corbett eventually scored from third on Riley Baum’s fielder’s choice grounder to second.
Binckley walked to open the Heath second and scored three batters later on Corbett’s sacrifice fly; Tanner Patterson followed the sac fly with a single to right that brought home Conner Toomey.
Lake used a walk, an error and a fielder’s choice to push across an unearned run in the third inning, but Binckley retired 12 of Lake’s final 15 batters to improve to 9-0 on the year.
Patterson and Toomey were both 2-for-3 at the plate for Heath, while five different players accounted for Lake’s five base hits.
