After trailing all game, Berlin Hiland (29-1) got hot when it counted to take down Tiffin Calvert (29-3) 4-1 in eight innings to advance to the Division IV Championship game Saturday afternoon. The top ranked Hawks offense exploded for a three run eighth to advance to their first championship game since 2017.
Senecas Lead Early
Photo by Al Kornspan
While being a semifinal matchup, the Hawks (#1) and the Senecas (#3) were the top ranked teams remaining in Division IV. Despite two singles in the top of the second, Hiland was unable to push across any runs. In the bottom of the second, Connor Moyer led things off with a single to left field and twin brother Cameron drew a walk. After Connor was thrown out at home, pinch runner Cash Lee, running for Cameron, scored on a sacrifice fly from Harry Shultz to put Calvert up 1-0.
Both squads would have runners reach base, but the next real threat came in the bottom of the fifth for the Senecas. Shultz hit a lead off single to left center and Jacob Kidwell followed it up with a walk. When laying down a sacrifice bunt, Caden Otterbacher reached first on a fielder’s choice to load the bases with no outs. With his team already trailing by one, Nolan Yoder got a foul out to left field and a 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam unharmed.
Hawks Rally Late
Photo by Al Kornspan
Leading off the top of the seventh, it appeared that Collin Coblentz would fly out to right but the ball was dropped, allowing him to reach first on the error. After Isaak Yoder laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner, Grady Monigold hit a single up the middle to score Coblentz and tie the game at 1-1 late. Calvert would load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Isaak Yoder got out of it with a groundout to first to send it to extra innings.
Alec Weaver led off the eighth inning with a single up the middle and after a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt, Hiland had runners on first and second with no outs. After a single from Nolan Yoder, Coblentz came up big again with a single to left that scored Weaver and put the Hawks on top 2-1. Brady Yoder would drive in another run and reach base safely on a fielder’s choice to extend the lead by one. Monigold drove in his second run of the game on a fly out to centerfield, scoring Nolan Yoder and giving Hiland a 4-1 lead.
With their first state championship appearance since 2017 just three outs away, Isaak Yoder struck out the middle of the Senecas order, all three swinging, to give the Hawks a 4-1 victory and move on to Saturday’s Division IV Championship game.
Championship Game Set
Photo by Al Kornspan
The win puts the top ranked Hawks just one game from their first baseball state championship since 2016 and their second in school history. Awaiting them are the reigning Division IV State Champion Russia Raiders (26-6) who advanced to the title game with a 1-0 win over St. Henry in extra innings. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 pm Saturday afternoon at Canal Park in Akron.
Photo by Al Kornspan
Top Performers
Berlin Hiland
Nolan Yoder: 5 IP 3 H 2 BB 3 K 0 ER 1-4 R
Isaak Yoder: 3 IP 2 H 1 BB 5 K 0-3
Grady Monigold: 3-3 2 RBI
Cody Yoder: 1-3 R
Tiffin Calvert
Blake Coleman: 7 IP 6 H 0 BB 3 K 0 ER
Harry Shultz: 1-2 RBI
Nick Palm: 1-4
Connor Moyer: 1-4
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | R | H | E | |
| Hiland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| Calvert | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
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