2016 OHSAA Tournament: Road To Huntington Park - Division II State Semifinal Recap
June 3, 2016
By Dylan Hefflinger
Editor in Chief/NW Scout
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2016 OHSAA Tournament: Road To Huntington Park - Division II State Semifinal Recap
****Rankings are based on PBR Ohio's Final Team Power Rankings
Game 1:
COLUMBUS - Defending Division II state champion Defiance moved within one win of a repeat with a 6-1 victory over Steubenville.
Shay Smiddy (pictured right) threw a five-hitter, striking out eight and walking a pair while permitting a fifth-inning run by the Big Red.
Smiddy, a Louisville commit, led off the game with a walk and scored on a two-out wild pitch in the first. Defiance added a run in the second on a Jacob Jimenez double, Austin Taylor bunt single and Gage Grunden sacrifice fly and put two on the board in the third featuring singles by Connor Stykemain, Jimenez and Taylor.
Bryce Borton, Emilio Gonzalez, Smiddy and Stykemain had singles in the Defiance two-run sixth.
Taylor had three singles for the Bulldogs while Smiddy walked three times and singled for the No. 1 team in Ohio, which will take a 28-2 record into Saturday's 10 a.m. championship game with Hamilton Badin.
Nick Scott had a single, walk and scored the lone run for No. 3 Steubenville (25-3).
Game 2:
COLUMBUS - Hamilton Badin spoiled Poland Seminary's hopes of making it to the Division II state championship game for the second year in a row with an 8-3 win. A seven-run sixth inning helped Badin overcome a 3-1 deficit and move the Rams into Saturday's 10 a.m. D-II title contest with No. 1 Defiance.
Mitchell Raley (pictured right) had a two-run double to highlight the Badin sixth while Cody Boxrucker, Zach Larkin and Ross Mulcare all had RBI singles in the frame. Gavin Matthews added a sac fly while the final run of the inning came home on a wild pitch.
Larkin finished with a single, double and two RBIs while Boxrucker hit a single, double and scored a run for the Rams. Garrett Hogan chipped in with a pair of singles in the Badin victory.
Logan Heintzman went the distance for unranked Badin (22-11), giving up eight hits and three walks while fanning three.
Tony Chairo and Dan Klase each hit two singles for the No. 2 Bulldogs (28-4), with Klase scoring a pair of runs.