Area prep baseball offers plenty of intrigue

Start players celebrate defeating Bowsher 2-0 in the City League baseball championship game.

THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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Start players celebrate defeating Bowsher 2-0 in the City League baseball championship game.

Senior Pier pitches Start past Bowsher for City League title

In a battle of crafty and lanky lefties at Bowman Park, Start defended its City League title with a 2-0 shutout of Bowsher. Start senior Austin Pier locked up in a pitchers' duel with Bowsher senior Will Hutt in the City League championship game on Thursday night. Both were efficient, matching each other pitch for pitch. Pier earned the victory when his Spartans broke through with two runs in the fifth inning. Pier struck out nine, and his counterpart, Hutt, fanned seven. READ MORE

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Southview head coach Ed Mouch talk to his players during the sixth inning of the Division I District baseball semifinals.

Southview upsets St. John’s; St. Francis tops Springfield

Southview will meet St. Francis de Sales in Saturday’s 1 p.m. Division I district baseball final at Mercy Field after each advanced in Thursday’s semifinals there. In the first semifinal, top-seeded St. John’s Jesuit (21-3) was upset by No. 4 seed Southview 2-1. In the second semifinal, St. Francis (18-6) jumped on Springfield and lefty starter Billy Todorowski early and cruised to a 5-0 victory. READ MORE

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Lake baseball rolls to set up matchup with Archbold

DEFIANCE — Backed by 13 hits, including two home runs, Jayce Vancena pitched a six-inning no-hitter as Lake (25-3) posted an 11-1 run-rule victory over the Royals (12-13)  in a Division III district semifinal at Defiance High School. Lake (25-3) now faces Archbold on Saturday at 2 p.m at Defiance for the title. Archbold advanced with a 4-3 win over Genoa, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning. READ MORE