by Akron, OH: After falling to the Hiland Hawks in last year’s Division VI Championship, the Lake Center Christian Tigers got their revenge with a 2-1 victory in Friday morning’s championship game. Leading the way for the Tigers was junior Grant Coblentz, who went 6.1 innings, allowing only one run while going 2-3 at the plate. For the Hawks, who were looking for their fourth straight title, Grady Monigold went 2-3, and Logan Yoder went 1-3 with a run scored.
Neither squad found much offensive success early in the contest, as each time a team would threaten, their pitcher would get out of the jam. In the bottom of the fourth, Colton Smilek got things started for the Tigers by getting hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch moved him up to second base and a groundout moved him to third, the Hawks’ second baseman committed a crucial error, allowing Smilek to score and the Tigers to take a 1-0 lead after four.
Aaron Zietlow got things going for the Tigers in the fifth by drawing a lead-off walk, moving up to second on a wild pitch. A single to right plated Zietlow to make it 2-0, but the Hawks escaped further damage by retiring the next two in order.
Trailing 2-0 heading into the final frame, the Hawks had their backs against the wall. Logan Yoder got the ball rolling with a one-out single centerfield. Isaiah Wagler followed that up with Hiland’s biggest hit of the day, a double down into the left field corner that scored Yoder, drawing the Haws closer at 2-1. Unfortunately that was it for Hiland, as Caleb Shelly got the big strikeout to end the game, a 2-1 victory for Lake Center Christian.
Keys to the Game
After picking up the save in the semifinals, Grant Coblentz locked in and got the win when it mattered most, the state championship. In addition to his impressive performance on the mound, the junior also went 2-3 with a double at the plate. The win avenges last year’s championship game loss and gives Lake Center Christian its first ever baseball state championship.
Top Performers
Hiland Hawks
Andre Yoder: 5 IP 3 H 1 K 1 ER 1-3
Logan Yoder: 1-3 R
Isaiah Yoder: 1-3 RBI
Lake Center Christian Tigers
Grant Coblentz: 6.1 IP 7 H 7 K 1 ER 2-3 2B
Colton Smilek: 0-2 BB R
Luke Heckert: 1-1 RBI BB
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | R | H | E | |
| Hiland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| Lake Center Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | X | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Box Score: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=661278
