by Akron, Ohio – So far, it has been a season of firsts for Sylvania Northview.
On this playoff journey, they captured their first district crown, defeating Perrysburg, 3-2, on May 26. On June 3, they captured their first regional title, knocking off Saint Ignatius, 3-1 in North Ridgeville.
June 11, 2022, can be marked down as the day the Wildcats captured their first state championship.
Thanks to the efforts of Blake Bradford, and timely hitting by the offense, Northview defeated Grove City, 6-1, in the OHSAA Division I state championship.
Both Northview and Grove City came into the afternoon looking for their first state championship in school history.
Grove City took the lead in the top half of the first inning. Jackson Ware hit a one-out triple to right-center field. After a Dennis Ritlinger-Nirider walk and steal of second, Ware scored on an errant throw.
Brody Acres gave the Wildcats the lead in the bottom of the third, thanks to a two-run double down the right field line.
Garrett Draper added to that in the fourth with a single to center field. The Wildcats had a chance to add more, but Jackson Ware worked out of a jam.
Northview got a pair of runners on in the fifth inning, looking to add to their lead. A runner scored on a wild pitch to make the score 4-1, and Garrett Draper had a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 5-1.
Alex Dupree added a run-scoring single in the sixth for the final margin.
Sylvania Northview senior pitcher Blake Bradford threw a complete game on 111 pitches. He allowed just one run on four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts.
