AKRON, Ohio — The OHSAA baseball championships are taking place this weekend at Akron's Canal Park, and appropriately, there will be an all-Northeast Ohio showdown for the Division III state title.
Milan Edison will battle Waynedale in Saturday afternoon's finals, with the winner taking home its first-ever victory in the event. The Chargers advanced with a 3-0 win in extra innings over Roger Bacon in Thursday's semifinals, while the Golden Bears held off Liberty Union 4-3.
Edison (24-8) is playing in its first state title game after entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Norwalk district. The road hasn't always been easy, as two of the Chargers' postseason wins have needed longer than the normal seven innings. Thursday's triumph saw a scoreless tie through regulation before Bryce Michaelis delivered with an RBI single in the eighth, earning starter Thomas Simon the victory after a stellar 10-strikeout performance.
In just his second season leading the program, head coach Lucas Daugherty has Waynedale (26-4) back in the championship game for the first time since 2016. The Bears were seeded second in the Creston district and slipped through with back-to-back 2-1 victories over New Franklin Manchester and Gilmour before eventually getting another one-run win in the semis. Josiah Raber drove in three runs and Ottoniel Soloranzo overcame a Lions rally in the seventh by striking out John Edwards to end the game.
First pitch for the D-III state championship is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, part of a quadruple header of title games in Summit County. Divisions I and II will also have their semifinals on Friday.
