AKRON, Ohio — Neither of these teams was expected to be here. In fact, you likely wouldn't have been surprised if both suffered an early tournament exit.
Yet here they were at Canal Park in Akron, and these two underdogs from Northeast Ohio gave us an instant classic in the OHSAA Division II state baseball championship game.
When it was over, the Kenston Bombers hung on to win their first-ever title, beating Ontario 4-3 Saturday afternoon. The back-and-forth affair ended in the top of the seventh when, with the tying run in scoring position, Warriors third baseman Jayden Leach lined into a stunning double play.
The on-the-edge nature of this game was indicative of both schools' journeys up to this point. Kenston entered the state tournament with a less-than-stellar record of 14-11, but despite being seeded ninth on their side of the regional bracket, the Bombers upset favorites Lake Catholic and Norwayne to take the district crown before outlasting Gilmour, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, and Chaminade Julienne to reach the state final.
Ontario was even more backed up against the wall, seeded eighth in their section with a record of only 10-14. However, after holding off Sandusky by just a run in their opening game, the Warriors then knocked off Perkins, Shelby, and Clyde to reach regionals before victories over St. Mary's Memorial, Defiance, and No. 5 overall seed Washington Court House gave them an unthinkable shot at a championship.
Ontario took a 1-0 lead in the first when Gage Weaver brought home Colten Ramion with a sacrifice fly. But in the second, Kenston took the lead for good when Nikko Georgiou, Bridger Bischoff, and Grant Beclay all drove in runs (the final one on a squeeze bunt). Another run in the fifth made it 4-1 Bombers.
Still, the Warriors weren't done, closing the gap to 4-3 on a 2-run single by Carter Walters in the sixth. With two on and still nobody out, starting pitcher Georgiou remained in the game, and stifled the rally with a flyout and back-to-back strikeouts.
Ontario would get one more chance, as in the top of the seventh, Peyton Dzugan singled before reaching second on a sacrifice. Then, Kenston second baseman Tommy Pecoraro made the play of the year, diving to catch Leach's line drive before flipping to shortstop Carter Flynn and doubling off Dzugan. The Bombers were on top of the mountain.
Georgiou went the full distance on the mound striking out seven, and Pecoraro added two hits with a run scored. Dzugan also pitched a complete game for the Warriors, who remain without a state baseball title since 1994.
This is just Kenston's second state championship in any team sport during the 21st century, following football's D-III title in 2018. The Bombers actually made it to the D-I state semifinals last year before falling to eventual champ Sylvania Northview.