NORTH RIDGEVILLE — Five regional Hot Stove champions in Classes H, G, F and EE were crowned at Palmer Field on Sunday.

In addition, four Class E regional championships were won at Patterson Sports Complex in North Akron.

All nine regional champions earned berths in state championship semifinals to be played at Butler Rodman Park in Alliance on Saturday.

For one of the two Class EE (ages 15-16) champions, it was a first-time experience, as the Lorain Saints came up with a 9-8 come-from-behind win over Wellington American Legion Post 8 to capture the first Hot Stove title for a team from Lorain.

In Class G (ages 11-12), the North Ridgeville Rockers defeated the Medina Yellow Jackets 15-7 for their second regional championship in three years.

Antoine Edwards laced a sharp two-run single to left-center field with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Lorain Saints their Final Four berth.

Adrian Castro led off the inning with a single before Dominic Diaz was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch before a teammate struck out, bringing Edwards to the plate. Edwards worked the count to 2-2 before delivering his game-winning hit, his second double of the game.

“This was a really exciting win for us,” Edwards said. “I was nervous but also confident when I came to bat. I connected on a fastball right down the middle.”

Wellington scored two runs each in the second and third innings before the Saints cut the lead to 4-2 after three innings.

Wellington scored three runs in the top of the fourth for a 7-2 lead and allowed just a single in the bottom of the inning.

Wellington got its eighth run in the top of the fifth and the Saints scored a third run in the bottom of the inning. Three strikeouts following a leadoff walk in the top of the sixth set the stage for Lorain’s comeback.

The Saints (19-5) scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth on two walks, three hits and a hit batter to make it an 8-7 game.

Wellington had a walk and a hit batter sandwiched around two outs in the top of the seventh before a runner was picked off and Lorain won it in the bottom of the inning.

“This is the first-ever Hot Stove championship for a team from Lorain,” said Saints manager Dan Ternes, who’s retired after a longtime stint as head varsity baseball coach at Southview High. “Wellington beat us twice during the regular season and Belden (a 9-6 victim of the Saints in a regional semifinal on Saturday) also beat us. It’s really nice to see us beat teams that gave us trouble during the regular season.

“We took advantage of the breaks when they came our way. We also got the timely hitting that we needed.”
“We made errors here and there that hurt us,” said Wellington manager Doug Broadwater. “That’s all it takes for a team to come back against you.

“All in all, we had a great season. We finish with a 21-2 record. Obviously, we’re disappointed with today’s final outcome.”
In addition to Edwards, Alec Nieto had two doubles and a single for the Saints. Dominic Diaz and Castro also had timely hits for the regional champions.

Rockers return to Alliance

The North Ridgeville Rockers forged an 11-0 lead after four innings and appeared to be en route to a mercy-rule win over the Medina Yellow Jackets. The Rockers were state runners-up in Class H (ages 9-10) in 2007.

Not to be denied, the Yellow Jackets scored seven runs in the top of the fifth inning to delay the Rockers’ victory celebration.

After a ground out, the Rockers tacked on three runs in the bottom of the fifth. The regional champions surrendered three walks in the top of the sixth but suffered no damage.

A Medina error in the bottom of the sixth allowed North Ridgeville to score its 15th run.

Starting and winning pitcher Shane Erny returned to the mound as the seventh inning began. After a ground out, Erny was touched for a double before a pop out to second base for the second out meant the end of his pitching eligibility.

Chad Kisel relieved Erny and induced a 6-3 fielder’s choice for the third out, and the victory celebration could begin in earnest.

“Returning to the Final Four has been our goal since 2007,” said Rockers (24-1) manager Will Dowell. “This team is not to be denied. This win puts us where we were expected to be.

“Our boys showed a lot of resolve when the Yellow Jackets fought back from the 11-0 deficit. We had some defensive letdowns but were confident that we could hold on and win. These boys have a lot of confidence in each other that they will get the job done.

“We liked our chances in this game. This is a very talented group of boys that I have been fortunate to manage since they were seven years old.

“Finally, I want to thank our parents and everyone, including our sponsors (Hovey Kaiser Insurance and Taw Pro Drum Shop) for all of their support.”

“This really feels awesome,” said Erny, who faced 12 batters and allowed just the one seventh-inning hit. “Our defense came through when we needed it. I wasn’t worried. And, we got our bats going again today as we have for most of this tournament.”

Logan Armaro had three singles, six stolen bases, two RBIs and scored three runs for the Rockers. Teammate David Dowell had two singles, two stolen bases and two RBIs.

Erny helped his cause with two singles, a double and had two RBIs. Ben Rankin added two doubles and three RBIs, while Andrew Dowell contributed a triple, one RBI and two runs to the winning scorebook.

Sunday’s scores

Regional championships
Class H (ages 9-10): Vermilion Aramys 11, Lorain Cardinals 1
Class G (ages 11-12): North Ridgeville Rockers 15, Medina Yellow Jackets 7
Class F (ages 13-14): Belden Amish Swings & Things 8, New London Red Eagles 3
Class EE (ages 15-16): Lorain Saints 9, Wellington American Legion 8, Midview North T & T Mortgage 17, Medina Snappers 3
Class E (ages 15-18): Massillon Eagles 190 9, Keystone B.K. Glass 3, Kenmore Cardinals 3, Coventry Comets 2, Tasker Bulldogs 7, North Akron Mets 2, Vermilion Sharpnack Chevrolet 15, Spencer Youth Sports 3

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