Base REGIONALS: The lineup

By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor

The 85th Annual OHSAA Baseball State Tournaments have moved on to the regional round May 24-25, with the state finals to follow May 31-June 2. Here’s the 2012 rundown plus a look back at last year’s tourney, courtesy of ohsaa.org …

The 2012 regional pairings (*home team listed first):

DIVISION I
Region 1 @ Canton, Thurman Munson Stadium
May 24
Chardon (24-3) vs. Mayfield (23-4) 2p
Hudson (24-2) vs. Massillon Perry (16-10) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 2 @ Dublin Coffman H.S.
Thursday, May 24
Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (26-3) vs. Worthington Thomas Worthington (22-7) 2p
Grove City (23-2) vs. Lewis Center Olentangy (23-2) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 3
Thursday, May 24
Oregon Clay (12-14) vs. Ashland (22-4) 5p @ Bowling Green State Univ.
Cleveland St. Ignatius (20-9) vs. Westlake (22-6) 5p @ Case Western Reserve University
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p @ Case Western Reserve University

Region 4 @ University of Cincinnati
Thursday, May 24
Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (22-5) vs. Cincinnati Anderson (21-7) 2p
Cincinnati Elder (22-8) vs. Vandalia Butler (19-11) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

DIVISION II
Region 5 @ Hudson High School
Thursday, May 24
Mentor Lake Catholic (18-10) vs. Tallmadge (20-8) 2p
Canton South (21-7) vs. Canfield (19-4) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 6 @ Tiffin University
Thursday, May 24
Plain City Jonathan Alder (21-6) vs. Defiance (29-1) 5p
Parma Padua Franciscan (11-16) vs. Wapakoneta (22-5) 2p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 7 @ Zanesville, Gant Memorial Stadium
Thursday, May 24
Richmond Edison (26-3) vs. Chillicothe Unioto (22-3) 2p
Millersburg West Holmes (19-5) vs. Washington Court House Miami Trace (10-10) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 8 @ University of Dayton
Thursday, May 24
Cincinnati Wyoming (16-11) vs. Tipp City Tippecanoe (24-5) 2p
Bellefontaine (21-6) vs. Columbus St. Francis DeSales (21-6) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

DIVISION III
Region 9 @ Massillon Washington H.S.
Thursday, May 24
Orrville (18-9) vs. Orwell Grand Valley (28-1) 2p
LaGrange Keystone (20-7) vs. Youngstown Ursuline (19-10) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 10 @ Elida, Ed Sandy Field
Thursday, May 24
Millbury Lake (24-5) vs. Carroll Bloom-Carroll (22-5) 5p
Milan Edison (18-9) vs. Lima Central Catholic (19-8) 2p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 11 @ VA Memorial Stadium
Thursday, May 24
St. Clairsville (16-7) vs. Frankfort Adena (24-5) 5p
Wheelersburg (24-2) vs. Piketon (22-8) 2p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 12 @ Xenia, Athletes in Action
Thursday, May 24
Fredericktown (21-4) vs. Cincinnati Madeira (24-6) 5p
Hamilton Badin (20-7) vs. Versailles (23-6) 2p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

DIVISION IV
Region 13 @ Lorain, Pipe Yard Stadium
Thursday, May 24
Mogadore (14-9) vs. Attica Seneca East (21-8) 5p
New Middletown Springfield (22-5) vs. Cuyahoga Heights (21-4) 2p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 14 @ Hamler Patrick Henry H.S.
Thursday, May 24
Leipsic (24-3) vs. Toledo Ottawa Hills (23-5) 2p
Defiance Tinora (25-3) vs. Gibsonburg (21-7) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 15 @ Lancaster, Beavers Field
Thursday, May 24
Newark Catholic (18-7) vs. Racine Southern (27-0) 2p
Lucasville Valley (13-12) vs. Berlin Hiland (23-4) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

Region 16 @ Springfield H.S.
Thursday, May 24
Fairfield Christian (23-5) vs. Sidney Lehman Catholic (23-5) 2p
Minster (22-6) vs. South Charleston Southeastern (20-9) 5p
Final – Friday, May 25, 5p

The state finals slate …

WHAT: 85th Annual Boys Baseball State Tournaments
WHEN: Thursday, May 31, through Saturday, June 2
WHERE: Huntington Park
300 Huntington Park Lane
Columbus, Ohio 43215

EVENT SCHEDULE:
Thursday, May 31 (semifinals)
10a & 1p - Division II
4p & 8p - Division I

Friday, June 1 (semifinals)
10a & 1p - Division III
4p & 8p - Division IV

Saturday, June 2 (finals)
10a - Division II
1p - Division I
4p - Division III
7p - Division IV

Results and recaps from the 2011 state tournaments ...

Division I: Lakota East wins first title, 6-2, over #5 Perrysburg
Seventh-inning insurance runs crucial for Thunderhawks

Semifinals:
Perrysburg 4, Willoughby South 3
Liberty Township Lakota East 7, Grove City 2
State Championship:
Liberty Township Lakota East 6, Perrysburg 2

In its first trip to the state tournament, unranked Lakota East leaves as champion after defeating fifth-ranked Perrysburg, 6-2, in the 2011 OHSAA Division I Baseball State Championship at Huntington Park.

For the Thunderhawks (23-7), senior pitcher Evan Hills kept Perrysburg hitters off balance the entire game, surrendering only two runs in a complete-game effort. The two runs Hills did surrender came in the bottom of the seventh in an effort by Perrysburg to come back.

Lakota East began the second inning and its scoring with senior Mitch Geers lining a single up the middle and senior Craig Thomson hitting a double to left centerfield. After consecutive outs, senior Zak Kloenne lined a two-run single into right. The Thunderhawks added one in the fourth when junior Blake Wilder singled in a run.

The top of the seventh included all-important insurance runs for Lakota East, which scored three more times on two hits and an error. In the bottom half of the inning, Perrysburg threatened with a comeback beginning with senior Ryan Young singling up the middle followed by a walk and a pinch-hit double by freshman Mark Delas scoring a run. Yellowjacket senior Matt Garbig’s sacrifice fly two batters later plated Perrysburg’s second and final run.

The state championship is Lakota East’s first title in baseball. Perrysburg (26-4) finishes as runner-up for the first time in its second state tournament appearance.

Division II: DeSales holds off Hoban, 9-8, for first crown since 1979
Decamp’s dinger in the sixth the difference for Stallions

Semifinals:
Columbus St. Francis DeSales 4, Plain City Jonathan Alder 2
Akron Archbishop Hoban 3, Parma Heights Holy Name 2
State Championship:
Columbus St. Francis DeSales 9, Akron Archbishop Hoban 8

In a back-and-forth championship game, Columbus St. Francis DeSales held on to defeat Akron Archbishop Hoban, 9-8, in the 2011 OHSAA Division II state baseball championship game at Huntington Park.

In the bottom of the sixth inning with a runner on, DeSales junior Zak Decamp sent a ball over the wall in left-center field to put the Stallions ahead two runs. The towering shot proved to be the difference-maker in the game.

Scoring began early and often for both teams, with four Hoban baserunners crossing the plate in the top half of the first and three DeSales runners scoring in the bottom half. The Stallions scored three more in the bottom of the second and one in the bottom of the third before Decamp’s home run in the bottom of the sixth.

Hoban scored two more in the top of the third and one more in the top of the seventh but was unable to push across the tying run as a result of solid defense from shortstop Brennan Schlabig.

With the championship game victory, DeSales finishes the season 21-9 and wins its first state baseball title since 1979. Archbishop Hoban (18-9) finishes as state runner-up for the second time in school history, having also accomplished the feat in 1993.

Division III: Canton Central Catholic 7, #3 Madeira 5
Crusaders bust loose from 5-5 tie with trio of sixth-inning singles

Semifinals:
Cincinnati Maderia 9, Wheelersburg 6
Canton Central Catholic, 7, Defiance Tinora 3
State Championship:
Canton Central Catholic 7, Cincinnati Madeira 5

Unranked Canton Central Catholic jumped out to a 5-0 lead, then scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie and win the D3 state baseball championship over third-ranked Cincinnati Madeira at Huntington Park.

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday evening, but storms in Central Ohio caused a postponement until Sunday morning.

The championship is the second for Central Catholic (26-8), which also won it in 2008. Madeira (23-2) was aiming for its second title (1999).

Central Catholic used four hits, a walk, and an error to jump out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Three more hits and another error in the top of the third allowed the Crusaders to push their lead to 5-0.

That lead was erased when Madeira scored twice in the third and three times in the fifth, but CCC got singles from three seniors – Tyler Triner, Joe Tann and Ryan Pack – in the top of the sixth to produce two runs and the win.

Tann (11-1) earned the win for Central Catholic with three innings of scoreless relief. Pack went 4 for 4 with three runs batted in.

Division IV: Minster wins first title, 6-0, over New Middletown Springfield
Three runs to start the game get Wildcats rolling

Semifinals:
Mew Middletown Springfield 9, Delphos St. John’s 2
Minster 6, Newark Catholic 5
State Championship:
Minster 6, New Middletown Springfield 0

Minster scored early and late to secure a 6-0 victory over New Middletown Springfield in the 2011 OHSAA Division IV State Baseball Championship game at Huntington Park. The championship game victory marks the first time the Wildcats have won the title.

Minster (23-8) scored three runs in the top of the first inning off Springfield starting pitcher senior Brad Ferraro, who walked five batters in the frame including the bases loaded to begin the game. The Wildcats did not score again until the top of the seventh, when they collected three runs on four hits.

Leading the way for Minster were seniors Ben Heitbrink and Craig Purpus, which both went 1 for 3 with two RBIs.

Springfield (18-7) could not put anything together offensively to mount a charge during the game as Minster sophomore Adam Niemeyer pitched four scoreless innings while allowing only three hits and striking out three. Junior Austin Knapke matched his teammate’s effort on the mound, throwing the last three innings for the Wildcats to collect the win while only allowing two Tiger baserunners.

Minster now holds its first state championship trophy in baseball alongside the runner-up trophy from the title game in 2003. Springfield has now finished as runner-up four times, most recently in 2009 (also in 1980 and 1930).