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The Newton Indians 2026 Baseball Concludes a Record Breaking Season.

Story & Photos by Dale Barger

CEDARVILLE – The Newton Indians came up one game short in their quest to reach the OHSAA Division VII State Final Four, falling 3–0 to Delphos St. John’s in the regional final and ending the best season in school history.

Newton finished the season 23–5 overall, 10–1 in the WOAC, with a district championship and a regional runner-up finish.

Going into the game, Newton head coach Jordan Kopp expected runs to be at a premium with two quality starters on the mound.

“We talked in the locker room before we left that their starting pitcher throws low 80s with good command, good curveball, good changeup, good fastball,” Kopp said. “If this was week two, we’d be like, ‘Oh, low 80s, we’re not ready for that,’ but we’ve seen a lot of really good arms lately, and our guys didn’t back down from it. That’s a credit to the 16 guys here today who poured everything they’ve got into this season.”

Newton threatened right away in the bottom of the first inning when Rhett Koffer singled to center with one out and then stole second to get into scoring position. With two outs, Will Bowser shot a ball up the middle, and Koffer never slowed, rounding third with his sights set on the plate. The center fielder came up firing, delivering a strike home, and the catcher applied the tag just before Koffer’s hand could get over the plate, ending both the threat and the inning.

It took a great effort by Delphos to get Rhett Koffer out at home in what would be a huge play early in the game.

In a pitcher’s duel, a run early is huge, but Cole Alexander did his job on the bump, setting Delphos St. John’s down in order for the second straight inning.

Brandon Flory led off the bottom of the second with a base hit, but a double play and a pop-out quickly erased the opportunity.

Alexander retired the Blue Jays in order for the third consecutive inning and looked in complete control.

Delphos finally broke through in the top of the fourth. A slow roller into the hole at short produced their first baserunner. Cam Elwer, who helped lead Delphos to the Division VII boys basketball state championship, then ripped a liner down the right field line just under the glove of Austin Tippie. The ball rolled into the corner for a triple, scoring McLain for a 1–0 Blue Jays lead.

Starting pitcher Andrew Elwer followed with a triple of his own, driving a ball over the center fielder’s head to score Cam and make it 2–0.

After a brief mound visit from Kopp, Alexander buckled down, striking out two of the next three hitters and inducing a lineout to limit the damage.

Newton would pick up a hit in each of the next two innings but never mounted a serious threat, heading into the top of the seventh still trailing 2–0.

Alexander, still throwing well, retired the first two hitters of the seventh before hitting a batter and then issuing a walk to put runners on first and second with Cam Elwer back at the plate. Elwer delivered again, drilling a double to left to bring home McLain and push the lead to 3–0. Alexander then struck out his counterpart, Andrew Elwer, to end the frame.

Down 3–0, the Indians needed late-inning magic. Will Weber got things started with a base hit to left. A fielder’s choice erased Weber at second for the first out, but an errant throw on the double-play attempt skipped past first, allowing Brady Pleiman to move up to second.

A ground ball to third moved Pleiman to third base with two outs, putting another Newton runner 90 feet away.

Delphos closed it out on a routine grounder to shortstop, the throw to first sealing the final out and ending Newton’s dream of reaching state.

After the game, a disappointed but proud Kopp reflected on the night, the season, and his six seniors.

“We played well today, hit the ball OK, but didn’t get many timely hits,” Kopp said. “They (Delphos) made a great play in the first inning at the plate… but that’s us, we’re aggressive. They made a good play on the ball, a good throw, and it was a good tag, so credit to them.”

He also praised Alexander’s effort on the mound.

Cole Alexander pitched well enough to win most games but the Indians were unable to get any runs home in regional championship game. 

“Cole pitched a good game tonight. His composure is so good, he doesn’t back down from anything, and he’s been really good all year,” Kopp added. “Going in, I talked to Cole about mixing it up, and he did a really good job of keeping them off balance. But that’s a big task. They’re a MAC school, and Delphos is really good.”

Kopp’s pride extended to the entire roster, especially the senior class that helped elevate Newton baseball to new heights.

“Our guys competed the way we want out of them. They’ve done it all year, and I’m just really proud of them and our six seniors — five of them start,” Kopp said. “The impact they’ve had on this program has been big. This goes down as the best team in school history — the most wins and the farthest we’ve ever gone for Newton baseball — and we just didn’t want it to end today.”

Over four years, Newton’s six seniors — Rhett Koffer, Brensen Skinner, Austin Tippie, Will Bowser, Carson Resides and Evanston Hemphill — combined to win 85 games, capturing a district championship and finishing regional runner-up, the most successful four-year stretch in program history.

For Newton baseball, the scoreboard in Cedarville signaled the end of a tournament run — but the legacy this group leaves behind will set the standard for every team that follows.


Six Senior's leave big impact on Newton Baseball Program.
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Austin Tippie lets a fastball fly registering one of his 10 strikeouts in game.  He led Newton to a 5-1 regional semifinal win over Russia to advance to Regional Championship.

Story & Photos by Dale Barger

CEDARVILLE – On the heels of winning their first district championship in 31 years, the Newton Indians continued to make history by advancing to their first-ever regional title game, handing Russia a 5-1 defeat in the OHSAA Division VII regional semifinal at Yellow Jacket Stadium.

Senior right-hander Austin Tippie put the Indians on his broad shoulders, throwing a complete game. He scattered six hits, struck out 10, and allowed just one run – a performance that had veteran coach Jordan Kopp beaming.

“Austin commanded the game from the get-go. We had a plan to keep those guys off balance with fastball, change-up, slider. His change-up early on wasn't great, but his slider was really good. His fastball was 86 to 89 and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple pitches touched 90 with this heat. He felt really good and was dominant, and I’m so proud of him,” Kopp said after the game.

While the pitching was solid, Newton also knew it was important to get off to a good start offensively. Senior first baseman Rhett Koffer helped get things rolling with a deep line drive to right field, and the speedy senior turned the one-out hit into a triple.

An animated Rhett Koffer after a stand-up triple & one of his two hits he had along with a rbi & run scored got the Indians off to a good start in regional semifinal game with Russia.

Tippie then helped himself, lining a hit to left field to bring Koffer home for the first run. Catcher Will Bowser drew a walk, and with runners on first and second, Brandon Flory hit a fielder’s choice. Russia got the force at second, but an errant throw on the double-play attempt allowed Tippie to score for a 2-0 lead after a half-inning of play.

Russia looked poised to answer with its leadoff hitter cranking a triple to start the bottom of the first, but Tippie struck out the next two batters and then coaxed a fly ball to centerfielder Garrison Hughes to escape unscathed.

Neither team got anything going in the second, but the Indians added on in the top of the third. Tippie collected his second hit of the day with one out, then stole second. Flory followed with a single to drive him in and push the lead to 3-0.

Second baseman Brandon Flory had a hit and rbi shows a little fire after the Indians knock off a runner stealing second base.

Newton kept the pressure on in the fourth. Hughes drew a one-out walk and Carson Resides dropped down a bunt to move him up, beating the throw for a bunt single. Hughes was later picked off for the second out, but the Indians still made the inning count.

Cole Alexander slams an rbi double to help push the Indians lead in 4th inning. 

Cole Alexander drilled a line drive into the right-center gap for a double, bringing Resides home to make it 4-0. Koffer then notched his second hit of the game, driving in Alexander for a 5-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fourth.

With the way Tippie was throwing, that cushion felt even bigger. Russia finally mounted a serious threat in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and a runner aboard, the Raiders put together back-to-back hits to load the bases, but a slow roller back to the mound turned into an easy out at first and ended the inning.

Newton didn’t score in the sixth, and Russia finally broke through in the bottom half. A leadoff walk followed by a double from Goubeaux scored Unverferth to cut the deficit to 5-1.

From there, Tippie slammed the door. A grounder to shortstop Alexander recorded the first out, and Tippie struck out the next two hitters to prevent any further damage.

Newton went down in order in the top of the seventh, leaving Russia one last shot at the senior ace, who was nearing his pitch count. The first out came on a pop-up in foul territory handled by Resides. Tippie then notched his 10th strikeout of the day for the second out, and a grounder to Resides at third – followed by a clean throw across the diamond – sealed the 5-1 regional semifinal win and punched Newton’s ticket to its first regional championship game.

The Indians will take on Delphos St. John’s, which defeated Fort Loramie 8-1 in the other regional semifinal. The regional final is set for Wednesday, June 3, at 5 p.m. back at Cedarville University’s Yellow Jacket Stadium.

While Newton is extremely excited to be advancing, the Indians are far from satisfied.

“You know, it's the first regional final in school history, but those kids aren't really satisfied. Our goal tomorrow is to win the game,” Kopp said. “We’re playing with a lot of confidence. Give credit to Russia – they're a scrappy team, a little different than in years past, but still a really good fundamental team. They’ve knocked us out of the tournament four or five times in the last 10 years since I've been here, so I’m really proud of our guys.”

Kopp also praised his battery, the defense behind them, and a steady offensive effort.

Senior Evanston Hemphill had several good catches in left field to help bolster the defensive effort for Newton in win over Russia.

“Austin Tippie on the mound was solid with Will Bowser behind the plate catching a really good game. It was one of our cleaner games in the field – when they got runners on, we got outs,” Kopp said. “Offensively we put the ball in play, got some key hits, and we took advantage of some errors. It was just a great game all around for this team.”

Newton leaned on its 6-foot-4, chiseled senior hurler, who will continue his education and baseball career at Thomas More this fall. Tippie, who battled through less-than-ideal circumstances coming in, talked about how good he felt once the game started.

“Today felt really amazing and I felt really great. Funny enough, I was coming in off a cold, so I didn’t know how I’d perform,” Tippie said. “Once I got up on the mound, I felt smooth, consistent and my body was loose. Once I saw my slider and change-up were working, my confidence grew knowing I could put pressure on Russia hitters with our defense doing their job, locking things down behind me.”

Offensively, Koffer’s big triple set the tone, leading to the first run and helping Newton flip the usual script.

“Prior to the game we're all talking about getting early runs, because our team usually struggles scoring until late in the game,” Koffer said. “So, getting those early runs really helped, and it just got our energy up. As a team we were able to keep adding to our run total and defensively Tippie was in control out there and our defense was able to support him as well.”

The senior reflected on how far this group has come in just one year.

“It feels great to be in this position to play in a regional championship,” Koffer added. “Last year we faced Fayetteville Perry in the district final and lost; it was a long bus ride home. This year we figured we owed them and were dialed for a 9-0 district championship win – and of course it was a lot more fun on the ride back this year.”

For Kopp, the breakthrough district title, regional semifinal win over Russia and now a shot at a regional crown mark a payoff for years of near-misses.

“That was special,” Kopp said of the district championship. “These senior kids, I believe, were freshmen when we lost to Russia in the district final on a walk-off, and they went on to win the state championship. We've had our experiences at district, and they haven't gone our way, but our kids have a lot of confidence in who we are and what we need to do to win and that's exactly what they did.

“I’m super excited for our kids to experience this, and I told them, anything can happen when you get to regionals,” he continued. “We got the first one, and now we have to come back and play the next day. We’ll be ready. We’ve got a lot of arms, our number two will be ready to go, and as a team we're excited and ready for the challenge.”

Newton improves to 23-4 will be looking to add to their district championship & make history with a regional championship vs Delphos St. Johns.
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Ansonia's Cade Shellhaas was a Regional Champion in the 110m Hurdles and qualified for 4 events at the OHSAA DV State Track Meet.

The WOAC produced five Regional Champions in Track and Field and is sending a number of boys and girls to compete at the OHSAA DIV & V State Track Meet this Thursday and Friday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.

Here are the regional results for the athletes qualifying for the state meet.

DIV Boys Regional Track Meet

Arcanum

Charlie Weiss – High Jump (2nd, 6-01.00)

Micah Arbogast – Pole Vault (5th, 13-04)

National Trail

Killian O’Connor – Shot Put (3rd, 50-06.50)

DIV Girls Regional Track Meet

Arcanum

Savanna Miller – 300m Hurdles (5th, 46.27)

Garbrielle Wooten – Shot Put

DV Boys Regional Track Meet

Ansonia

Cade Shellhaas – 110m Hurdles (1st, 14.17), 200m (2nd, 22.21), Pole Vault ( 2nd, 16’), 300m Hurdles (3rd, 38.53)

Ansonia's Bennett Lehman was a Regional Champion in the 1600m and 3200m & qualified for 3 events at state.

Bennett Lehman – 3200m (1st, 9:31.96), 1600m (1st, 4:18.28), 800m (6th, 2:01.49)

Zac Zerkle – Pole Vault (5th, 12-06.00)

Branson Landis – Long Jump (3rd, 20-02.75)

Newton

Jackson Cress – 400m (3rd, 50.04)

Elliott Cook – 110m Hurdles (7th, 15.47)

4x200m Relay – (2nd, 1:31.25) - Lincoln Smith, Jacson Cress, Chase Wackler, Luke Cornett

4x400m Relay – (4th, 3:28.37) – Jacson Cress, Chase Wackler, Lincoln Smith, Luke Cornett

Franklin Monroe

Ethan Wilson – Discus (5th, 138.06”)

4x100m Relay Team – (6th, 45.11) Kevin Huang, Madex Skidmore, Evan Addis, David Reed 

Tri-Village

Dom Black – Shot Put (3rd, 52-00.25)             

DV Girls Regional Track Meet

Ansonia

Ansonia's London Reichert is  400m Regional Champion & also qualified in Pole Vault.

London Reichert – 400m (1st, 58.88), Pole Vault (5th, 11-00.00)

Anna Yeomans – 1600m (2nd, 5:08.97)

Olivia Creager – Long Jump (4th, 16-09.75)        

4x400m Relay Team – (3rd, 4:09.35) London Reichert, Olvia Creager, Olivia Schmitmeyer, Anna Yeomans)

Franklin Monroe

Franklin Monroe's Sydney Baker is 200m Regional Champion, also qualified in 100m & Pole Vault with 2nd place finishes.

Sydney Baker – 100m (2nd, 12.12), 200m (1st, 25.19), Pole Vault (2nd, 12-00.00)

Faith Wintrow – Shot Put (5th, 35-06.00)

4x100m Relay Team – (3rd, 50.07) Mia Brookey, Hannah Wolfe, Quincy Cox, Sydney Baker

Newton

Cole Thompson – 400m (3rd, 59.34)

Michaela Flora – 1600m (6th, 5:12.35), 3200m (3rd, 11:14.44)

Claire Stull - 3200m (5th place)

Tri-Village

Adalynn Hines – 100m (7th, 12.57), 200m (5th, 25.90), Long Jump (1st, 18-00.50)

Congratulations to all our WOAC Athletes on Regional success and good luck in the State Track Meet.


Tri-Village's Adalynn Hines will compete for the 4th straight year at State Track meet.  She was the Regional Long Jump Champion and qualified in 100m & 200m races.

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Arcanum boys baseball hoist the coveted DV District Championship Trophy.

Story & Photos by Dale Barger

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP – The Arcanum baseball team defeated Cincinnati Mariemont 9-3 in tournament action to claim the OHSAA 2026 Division V District Championship.

The Trojans have collected their share of district runner-up trophies over the last 13 years, but not the one they really wanted. That changed on Saturday as Arcanum finally hoisted the coveted district championship trophy for the first time since 2013.

“Yeah, it's been a while,” veteran coach Randy Baker said. “Playing in these big games, it was a heartbreaker last year in the first round falling to Graham, who went on to the state finals. We thought we had a really good team last year and lost a couple guys this year, but this team has believed all year. We came out here excited today, we played really loose there to start, and you can tell when we're ready to play. We did that today by putting constant pressure on them.”

Often times you think of Regan Christ as Pitching Ace ... but he also can make you pay at the plate.

Arcanum struck first in the opening inning. Regan Christ led off with a line drive to right field and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Kolton Quigney for a 1-0 lead.

It was no surprise that Christ, undefeated on the mound this year, got the ball to start. Mariemont made him work early, collecting three hits and pushing across a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game.

Cole Kessler had a multiple hit day as the the Trojans ripped 13 hits for the game.

The Trojans answered right back in the second. Ethan Kearney led off with a base hit, followed by a hit from Cole Kessler. After a strikeout, Kearney and Kessler each advanced on a passed ball. Landon Brewer then singled to left to drive in Kearney, and Christ followed by lacing a double to the gap to score Kessler and Brewer, pushing Arcanum in front 4-1.

Ethan Kearney stays behind the ball and rips a line drive for an RBI.

Mariemont went to the bullpen, but reliever or not, the Trojans’ bats stayed hot. Derek Longstreth greeted the new pitcher with a shot to right field to score Christ. Longstreth then stole second, and Quigney delivered another RBI with a line drive to center, stretching the lead to 6-1.

Mariemont got one unearned run back in the bottom of the second.

Arcanum returned the favor in the top of the third. With one out, Bishop Cartwright doubled to left field. With two outs and Christ due up, Mariemont chose to intentionally walk him.

Derek Longstreth was hot at the plate with multiple hits and 3 rbi's.

Longstreth made them pay, singling to center to score Cartwright and extend the margin to 7-2.

On a bright, sunny day, the heat can wear on a pitcher, but Christ settled in and finally posted a 1-2-3 inning to lighten the load.

Mariemont scored its third run in the bottom of the fifth, but true to form Arcanum answered again. In the top of the sixth, Quigney singled and Kearney doubled him home to make it 8-3.

Paul Brewer made the ultimate sacrifice on this slide for a run with spikes to the hand.

The Trojans added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Brewer reached on a base hit, and Mariemont again elected to intentionally walk Christ. Longstreth then grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Brewer came around to score. The run came at a cost, as Brewer slid into home with the catcher blocking the plate. As he reached his hand around to touch the base, the catcher’s spikes came down on his hand, but Brewer still managed to score to make it 9-3.

Arcanum made that 9-3 lead stand, with Christ going the distance for a complete game and his 12th win in as many starts this year.

While Christ allowed three hits in the first inning – sometimes as many as he gives up in an entire game – there was no panic in the Arcanum dugout. The Trojans’ mindset was simple: keep scoring and keep the pressure on.

Regan Christ reacts after getting the last out to win district title.

“We've had problems during the year where we'll score like a five spot in the second inning, like we did here today, and then we'll throw goose eggs up and we don't get anything,” Baker explained. “We just kept the pressure on them offensively by getting guys on base. We had runners on every inning, and the guys did a good job of putting balls in play.”

“We made some mistakes, but our guys have each other’s back. Things are going to happen in these games, and you’ve got to stay with it. It takes seven innings, 21 outs to win, so you have to stay focused and I'm very proud of the boys,” Baker added. “These six seniors that we've had this year are just tremendous – great leadership, great work ethic. I am so proud of them, and this team, that hard work paid off and got us to this point.”

Arcanum baseball team flips out after winning district title.

Arcanum finished with 13 hits, with Longstreth, Brewer, Christ, Kearney, Kessler and Quigney all collecting multiple hits.

With the win, Arcanum improves to 23-4 overall and advances to the Division V Regional Semifinal. The Trojans will face Columbus Academy on Tuesday, June 2 at 2 p.m. at Mason High School, looking to extend their postseason run and add another chapter to a season built on pressure, resilience, and belief.

Arcanum Baseball 2026 District Champions 
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Patriots Grind Past Fayetteville Perry, Return to Regional Final

Elizabeth Poling threw a 6-hitter with 6 strikeouts to pick up her 15th win on the year in Patriots 4-2 win over Fayetteville Perry.

Story & Photos by Dale Barger

BELLFONTAINE – The Tri-Village softball team is headed back to the regional final for the third straight year, grinding out a 4-2 win over Fayetteville Perry and knocking the Rockets out of the tournament for the second year in a row.

The Patriots’ offense, typically explosive, managed just four hits on the day, but they did enough to offset Fayetteville Perry’s six hits, capitalizing on miscues and doing the little things that win postseason games.

Tri-Village struck first in the opening frame. Emma Greer led off with a base hit, and with two outs, Aereonna Baker worked a walk. Baker was awarded second on defensive indifference, putting runners at second and third.

Caley McCarroll then delivered one of the game’s pivotal at-bats. After fouling off multiple pitches and running the count full, she kept battling, fouling off four more before lifting a high pop-up between the pitcher and first. Miscommunication left the ball untouched, allowing both Greer and Baker to score and give the Patriots an early 2-0 lead.

Caley McCarroll hits a major league pop-up that resulted in a Rocket miscue leading to two runs for the Patriots in 1st inning. 

Tri-Village added to that advantage in the third. With one out, Kash Mead drew a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Hailey Burk drove a ball to center that was caught, but Mead tagged and narrowly beat the throw to third, putting a runner 60 feet from home with two outs. Baker then ripped a shot down the third-base line for a double, scoring Mead and extending the lead to 3-0.

Aereonna Baker rips a double down left field line scoring Kash Mead to give TV 3-0 lead.

Fayetteville Perry finally broke through in the fifth. With two outs, Autumn Waddell singled, and the next batter dropped a soft blooper into center. An overthrow to third trying to cut down Waddell allowed her to score the Rockets’ first run.

They made it 3-2 moments later. A pickoff attempt by catcher Hailey Burk down to third was mishandled by Greer, and Lilly Carlier immediately broke for the plate, scoring on the error. Tri-Village escaped further damage on a fly ball to center fielder Mylee Bierly, but the Rockets had seized momentum.

“After giving up those two runs we huddled up the girls knowing we've got to shift the momentum now,” coach Osborne said. “I could kind of sense some were coming into the dugout pouting after some bad at-bats and a bad inning in the field. So, we called out everybody: when you’re in the dugout make sure you’re up and cheering, go out and just do your job in the position you're in. It’s a game of inches, you’ve got to have a short memory.”

The message landed.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kaley Brandon led off with a base hit to center. Greer followed with her second hit of the day, putting two on with nobody out. Mead then dropped a near-perfect sacrifice bunt, moving both runners into scoring position. Brandon soon scored on a passed ball, with Greer advancing to third. The Patriots couldn’t push across another run, but that insurance marker restored control and flipped the momentum back their way, making it 4-2.


Kaley Brandon clutch hit to start bottom of 5th was big & she scored to push Patriots lead to 4-2.

“Kaley Brandon’s hit was much needed at a critical time. Greer’s hit and the bunt from Mead were just enough to help us take back some of those inches needed to manufacture a run and gain back some momentum,” Osborne said.

With Tri-Village clinging to a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth, assistant coach Shane Mead simplified the task for starting pitcher Elizabeth Poling.

“Shane told me we’re at the end of the lineup, and he made it very clear we had to shut them down,” Poling said. “I talked to Ray (catcher Hailey Burk), and she gave me some confidence, told me I know what I’m doing, just go do it.”

Poling responded with her most dominant stretch of the day, dialing up the fastball and striking out the side in order.

“I just went out and did my job and that definitely felt good, striking out the side. I know they were counting on me,” Poling said.

Tri-Village went scoreless in its half of the sixth, then came out three outs away from another trip to the regional final.

Poling finished what she started in the seventh, inducing a flyout to Bierly in center, a groundout to Greer at third and a pop-up to shortstop Cam Osborne, who squeezed it to secure the 4-2 victory.

It wasn’t the typical offensive outburst from a Patriots team that averages 12.5 runs and 11 hits per game, but Tri-Village again found a way—manufacturing runs, making timely defensive plays and leaning on Poling in the circle, a formula that has carried them for three seasons.


Kash Mead’s bunt help manufacture a needed insurance run late in the game.

“I felt like our girls stepped up in the moments we needed them to with that first hit… or error that scored two runs,” coach Osborne said. “Sometimes that’s what we need in a kind of win-ugly situation. It wasn’t maybe our best game overall at the plate today. We were a little bit anxious trying to jump on things, but we got some good plays from our defense.”

Poling echoed that sentiment, emphasizing how much she trusts the group behind her.

“Mylee had that super nice catch where she laid out in the second inning to thwart a scoring opportunity, she does a great job moving to the ball,” Poling said. “The defense is what saves my game. I'm not always going to throw strikeouts. Our defense in the infield is on it as well, we stay down on the ball, and we're good. I really count on them. If we mess up, we're able to talk through errors and pick each other up. We'll get the next play.”

That blend of resilient pitching, opportunistic offense and connected defense has powered Tri-Village (22–5) to a third consecutive regional final, and they’ll lean on that same blueprint Saturday at Blue Jacket Stadium in Bellefontaine. The Patriots will face Danville (22–5), a 12–2 winner over Ada, with a noon first pitch and another chance to extend a three-year run built on doing all the little things right when it matters most.


Mylee Bierly diving catch squelched a scoring threat in the 2nd inning. Tri-Village moves on to Play Danville in Regional Final on Saturday at Noon.

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Arcanum Lady Trojans Earn Trip to Regional Championship Game

Arcanum Lady Trojans celebrate regional semi-final win over Piketon Lady Redstreaks

Story and Photos by Jim Freeman

Indian Hill — The Arcanum Lady Trojans mixed power hitting, small ball, and outstanding defense to earn a hard-fought regional semifinal victory over the Piketon Redstreaks and punch their ticket to the regional championship game.

Arcanum entered the contest with a 16-5 record while Piketon arrived with an impressive 27-3 mark. Despite the difference in records, both teams proved why they had advanced this far, battling through a tightly contested game from start to finish.

The Redstreaks struck first in the top of the third inning. Aubrey Heath opened the frame with a double before Jaylin Forbes followed with a triple to drive in the game’s first run. Briar Penwell  then executed a sacrifice bunt to bring Forbes home and give Piketon a 2-0 lead.

The Trojans answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning.

Mattingly Noe led off with a line drive single to center field. Claire Hein moved her into scoring
position with a sacrifice bunt before Jordyn Garbig stepped to the plate. After getting ahead 1-0
in the count, Garbig launched a two-run home run over the fence in right-center field, tying the
game at 2-2 and swinging the momentum back toward Arcanum.

Neither team could break through again until the fifth inning.

Hein worked a leadoff walk to get things started for the Trojans. Jordyn Garbig then laid down a sacrifice bunt, but beat the throw to first to put runners at first and second. Grace Fry followed with another perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position.

Jordyn Garbig lays down Arcanum sacrifice bunt in Lady Trojans regional semi-final win over Piketon.  

That set the stage for Cameron Garbig, who delivered the biggest hit of the game. The senior lined a ground ball into center field, scoring both runners and giving Arcanum a 4-2 advantage.

Cameron Garbig drills 2-run single to advance Arcanum Lady Trojans to regional championship game.

“That is what we do,” said Arcanum coach Abbey Morris. “Just because you hit a home run doesn’t mean you are too good to bunt. We will bunt all day long if they will give it to us.”

Piketon refused to go quietly. In the top of the sixth inning, Penwell blasted a solo home run over the center field fence to cut the deficit to 4-3.

That would be the final run the Redstreaks would score.

“Our goal is to play and win every inning,” Morris said. “We won them all but one inning, the sixth inning.”

Arcanum’s defense made sure the lead held up in the seventh.

Arcanum defense plays error-free ball in regional semi-final win over Piketon.

Emily Fox made a tremendous catch in left field to rob Peyton Day of a hit for the first out. Moments later, Rees Hoffman raced down what appeared to be an extra-base hit off the bat of Adriauna Spradlin and made a key grab in right field for the second out.

With the game on the line, Cameron Garbig took care of the rest, striking out Heath on three pitches to end the game and send the Trojans to the regional championship.

“We stuck with it,” Morris said. “We’ve been preaching to play seven whole innings, and that’s exactly what we did. We left a lot of runners on base. Bases loaded with one out and didn’t get a run, but they came back and got two, and we came back and got two with them.”

Arcanum battery mates, Claire Hein (L) and  Cameron Garbig (R) celebrate following regional semi-final win over Piketon.  

Garbig earned the complete-game victory, allowing just five hits while striking out three and walking only one. She trusted her defense throughout the afternoon, and the Trojans rewarded that confidence by playing a flawless game in the field without committing an error.

“We did everything right that we were supposed to do,” Morris said. “They are a heck of a team, a great defensive team.”

With the victory, Arcanum advances to Friday’s regional championship game at Indian Hill, where the Trojans will be one win away from earning a trip to state.
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