Coming off of a complete-game one-hitter in the district semifinals, sophomore Ottoniel Soloranzo was dominant on the mound once again to give Waynedale its first regional championship since 2016. The Hawks got to Soloranzo for two runs in the 3rd but the sophomore was able to settle in and finished the game giving up three hits and four walks to go along with twelve strikeouts.
The Golden Bears scored a run in each of the first three innings to give themselves a 3-0. Hawken drew things closer in the home half of the 3rd, with Khalil Suggs and starting pitcher Devin Anthony both crossing the plate to make the game 3-2. That score would hold until the Waynedale bats came alive in the 6th.
In the top of the 6th, the Bears struck for five runs with Ian Lehman, Ean Lehman, Trey Barkman, and Josiah Raber all scoring. Senior Josiah Raber played the game of his life in the biggest game of the year, going 4-4 with two triples and scoring three times. That pushed the Waynedale lead to 8-2 which was more than enough for Soloranzo.
Hawken pitcher Devin Anthony went 5.1 innings with six strikeouts and gave up all 8 Bears runs. Offensively for the Hawks, Anthony was his own biggest help finishing 1-3 with a single and a run scored. The loss brings to an end one of the best seasons in Hawken history, making their first regional appearance in 26 years and finishing with a 19-6 record.
Waynedale extended their win streak to 23 games and will move on to the state Final Four and are looking for their first state championship in school history. Up next for the Golden Bears is a matchup with Liberty Union Thursday, June 9th at 4pm at Canal Park. Liberty Union advanced to the semifinals after beating Fairland 3-1. Tickets must be purchased in advance from https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | R | H | E | |
| Waynedale | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 1 |
| Hawken | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
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