Ohio High School Athletic Association regional baseball action for Cincinnati teams kicked off with a bang as some teams didn’t just win; they won big.
Here’s a recap of the action. The Enquirer will update this story with results from Moeller, Badin, Roger Bacon, Summit Country Day and Miami Valley Christian Academy. More photos are coming for the photo gallery as well.
DIV regional baseball semifinal: Fenwick 16, Newark Licking Valley 6
Fenwick had a quick first inning in its regional semifinal baseball game against Newark Licking Valley. Licking Valley ace Grayson Snow retired the side on about five pitches.
After that, the team had a meeting in its dugout about being more patient at the plate. That turned out to be the right strategy as the Falcons overwhelmed the Panthers for a 16-6 win in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division IV regional semifinals June 2 at Day Air Ballpark.
Fenwick (22-8) advances to the regional final 2 p.m. June 4, also at Day Air. LV was the 2025 Division III state champs.
Fenwick is one win away from its first trip to the state tournament since 1982 and has its first appearance in the finals in more than 20 years. The program won state titles in 1974 and 1981.
Fenwick had lost in the regional semis last year.
“Our junior year we just decided, that’s not happening anymore,” senior Jackson Kauffman said. “Last year we lost in the regional semis so it was kind of personal for us. We were talking before the game just to remember that hurt that we had. And that was a really good Indian Hill team, and we’re not going to let that stop us again. So we just got to come into every game and play hard as we can.”
The Falcons trailed 3-0 when they stepped to the plate in the bottom of the second. Kauffman led off with a double. Jude McCullough hit a single. Boyd Westerfield drove in Kauffman with a groundout. After the next two batters drew walks, Conner Enderle drove in a run with a single, and another scoring on an error on the play to tie the game at 3.
“As soon as we tied that game up in a second, two-out hit, it just felt like everything, all the momentum just came to us,” Enderle said.
In the bottom of the third, Isaac Barker and Kauffman drew walks to start the innings. Snow retired the next two batters, but senior Ty Miller reached on an error by the shortstop that would have ended the inning, but instead scored a run.
Snow, whose ERA was less than 1.00 this season, was replaced on the mound. Enderle walked with the bases loaded to give Fenwick a 5-3 lead.
Carter Shouse gave Fenwick a big cushion with a two-run single, to make it 7-3. After an error scored another run, Kauffman delivered a triple to the wall in left field, scoring three to make it 11-3. In all, Fenwick only had two hits in the frame but made them count.
Shouse hit a two-run single in the fourth. In the fifth, McCullough hit a two-run double to make it 15-6. A run scored on a wild pitch to end the game on the mercy rule and the players were thrilled with their effort.
“My first and second bats were pathetic,” Shouse said. “I had to change my approach a little bit, being a little bit more smooth than the plate, and that really helped for me personally. And the momentum just kept building.”
Kauffman had two hits and two walks. Shouse had three hits and four RBIs. Barker had a hit and two walks. Nick Bachmann had two hits, as did Enderle, who drove in two. The batters six through nine in the order got on base 10 times in 12 appearances.
They were helped by Licking Valley making a gamble with its pitching that Fenwick head coach Doc Wieland didn’t. Snow threw 81 pitches in LV’s district final May 29, and the Panthers’ coaches started him on three days rest.
Shouse said the team could tell Snow wasn’t in top form, and he had a sleeve on his left throwing arm.
“After his first five-pitch inning, the guys kind of made a decision not to be too anxious on him,” Wieland said. “So we started being patient with him. They made a decision to change their approach, and not necessarily swing early in the count. Fortunately for us, he threw a lot of balls, and we were able to be disciplined, work the count and get his pitch count up.”
Shouse, Fenwick’s dominant sophomore ace as well as its leadoff hitter and center fielder, threw 104 pitches in the Falcons’ district final win over Urbana May 29. He was eligible to pitch but Wieland went with his next two in the rotation, junior Anthony Snyder and senior Caleb McMonigle. They had their issues but settled down and held the big lead.
“With ‘CMac’ coming in, all the faith in the world in that kid,” Enderle said. “He just led us the rest of the way on the mound, dominant, and then the bats came alive.”
Shouse said he could have pitched late in the game if it was close, but Wieland was glad they didn’t need to, saving him for the regional final.
“He could have by rule,” Wieland said. “But in terms of me as a coach, never going to happen. He’s got a bright future. He’s only a sophomore. There was no talk of bringing him back to this game. We felt confident enough to win with our two and three out there, have Shouse safe for Thursday.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati baseball teams advancing to OHSAA regional finals June 2