“Good defense and good pitching that will put us in a position to win has been our recipe for success,” said Badin coach Brion Treadway, who is in his 13th season at the Ram helm. “It’s about making the routine plays and not getting too far ahead of ourselves.”
Badin (23-6) will face Monroe at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Miami University. The Rams are seeking their fourth trip to the state tournament in the past five seasons and 16th appearance in school history.
Badin lost to Chaminade Julienne 2-1 in the 2023 Division II regional finals and to Beloit West Branch 3-2 in the 2024 Division II state final.
Eli Wolpert (3-for-4, run), Cooper Ollis (2-for-4, run), Kade Bowling (1-for-3, three RBI, run), Kyle Anderson (1-for-2, two RBI, run) and Chase Luebbe (1-for-3, two RBI) paced the Rams on offense.
Caleb Dreissen pitched four innings of five-hit ball for Badin, while giving up just one run and two walks. He had three strikeouts.
Anderson and Luebbe highlighted Badin’s big second inning by each hitting two-RBI singles. Bowling added a two-RBI double in the sixth.
MONROE 5, CHAMINADE JULIENNE 4
Drew Heagan went 2-for-4 with a run, and Keegan O’Hara hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Jayden Hounchell in the top of the sixth to help Monroe beat Chaminade Julienne 5-4 in a Division III district final.
This is the first district championship for the Hornets since 2014.
“It was pretty cool yesterday winning the district championship — a lot of pictures taken, a lot of smiles from families and parents,” Monroe coach Ed Beck said. “On the way back into Monroe, getting a police escort and getting to ring the bell at the football stadium when our Monroe teams do well. That was cool. There was a lot of community members that met us at the school.
“They had our theme song for this year — Eric Church’s ‘Springsteen’ — playing at the stadium as we entered. So this has been really cool stuff.”
The Hornets (19-10) moved out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Monroe scored three unanswered and held the Eagles scoreless during the final five innings.
“We have a lot of kids who love to play together,” Beck said. “They’re willing do the right thing for the team to make that happen. So far through three games, we’ve been successful with that.
“We haven’t overpowered anybody by any means, but we play good defense and allow them to put the ball in play for us to make plays.”
Monroe plays Badin in a regional semifinal on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Miami University.
ROSS 12, TIPPECANOE 2
Evan Gabbard went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs as Ross beat Tippecanoe 12-2 in five innings to capture a Division III district title on Saturday.
The Rams (18-9) have won seven of their last eight and will play Butler in a regional semifinal on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Miami University.
“We are executing this that we talk about as a program at a very consistent level,” Ross coach Brad Voegele said. “It’s things that we always harp on that we didn’t do throughout the season. It’s what has gotten us through the last quarter of the season, but we’ve also have grown up. We’ve started a lot of young kids, and they’re really starting to figure it out right now.
“We’ve competed in the box, we’ve gotten runners on and have moved them over and gotten them, and we’ve even sacrificed our own at-bats at times to do that. I think it’s taken a long time for us to figure that out, but they’re seeing the benefits of it now.”
Ross senior Kerry Snyder Jr. pitched five innings, gave up just one earned run on four hits. He struck out four while walking five.
EDGEWOOD 5, TROY 4
Edgewood scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Troy 5-4 in a Division II district final on Thursday.
Roman Smith’s two-RBI walk-off single gave the Cougars their first district championship since 1981.
Edgewood (22-7) has won 13 in a row and plays Whitehouse Anthony Wayne on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Athletes in Action.
FENWICK 6, BENJAMIN LOGAN 0
Fenwick has won nine in a row, including a 6-0 victory over Benjamin Logan in a Division IV district final on Friday.
The Falcons (15-10) play Indian Hill in a regional semifinal on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Athletes in Action.
LAKOTA WEST 3, PRINCETON 1
Lakota West scored two runs in the fifth inning to beat Princeton 3-1 in a Division I district final on Thursday.
The Firebirds (22-7) have won six of their last seven and play Powell Olentangy Liberty in a regional semifinal on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Wright State University.
MASON 19, WAYNE 4
Grant O’Conner went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, three runs and two walks as Mason rolled Wayne 19-4 in a Division I district final on Thursday.
The Comets (21-7) play Oak Hills in a regional semifinal on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Miami University.
SPRINGBORO 8, LAKOTA EAST 7
Springboro moved out to an 8-0 lead after five innings before holding off a Lakota East comeback to claim an 8-7 Division I district final victory on Thursday.
The Panthers (21-7) play Beavercreek in a regional semifinal on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Miami University. The Thunderhawks ended their season at 17-12.
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