Edison headed to state semifinals

ELIDA — Edison's baseball team spent a couple days in western Ohio and its reward was a regional championship — and a trip to the eastern part of the state. More specifically, Akron, where the OHSAA will stage its final four. The Chargers rode the strong right arm of Ben Bates, timely hitting and clutch defense to knock out Ottawa Hills 3-1 in a Division III regional championship game Friday at Ed Sandy Field. Edison (22-8) — ranked No. 10 in the final state coaches poll — will make its first trip to the state semifinals. The Chargers will play Cincinnati Roger Bacon (20-7) at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Canal Park. The final out of the game came on a high popup in foul territory near first base. Thomas Simon settled under the ball and thought about the Cleveland Indians' 2016 playoff run. "Carlos Santana in the ALCS, that's how he won the game," Simon said. "I had it in my head if I catch it like that, I'm gonna go down on my knees and celebrate like he did. After I caught it I went down on my knees and put my arms in the air. I remember that exact moment. It was awesome." So was Bates, who got the win in Thursday's semifinal by throwing a scoreless eighth inning in a 5-4 win over Fredericktown. Bates rolled through the Green Bears' lineup in fewer than 100 pitches, striking out eight and walking none. A celebration was in the works as the Chargers posed for photos with the regional trophy, but Bates planned a more low-key approach. "Probably go home and sleep," he said. "I'm tired." Simon, one of 10 seniors on the Edison roster, threw seven innings Thursday and admired Bates' performance from his position at first base. "Ben Bates threw the best game in his life and that was awesome to have," Simon said. "We backed him up on defense and he went out there with confidence. That team was here for a reason and Ben just shut them down. He got out of jams and that's what good pitchers do." Ottawa Hills (26-6) threatened in the first, fourth and sixth innings. After the Chargers went 1-2-3 in the top of the first, AJ George led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. Alex Nemunaitis, who started on the mound for OH and threw 5 1/3 innings, was hit by a pitch (one of three by Bates) and the Bears had something going. A would-be sacrifice bunt turned into a force at third and Edison catcher Dominic Dymond then picked off Nemunaitis, who strayed too far off second. Cleanup hitter Sebastian Stevens flew out to right fielder Xander Danner for the third out. Edison struck in the second. Hayden Fry led off with a double to the fence in left field. He went to third on Noah Smith's single, but Smith was picked off first. Brady Barker drove in the game's first run on a sacrifice fly. "Yesterday we were down 3-0," Barker said. "Getting the lead in the second inning, we were able to control the game and everything went smoothly after that." Bates cruised through the second and third innings. In the fourth, OH had runners on second and third with one out. Bates responded with two strikeouts. The Chargers tacked on two important runs in the top of the sixth. Simon reached on a one-out error and Clint Finnen walked before Dymond's RBI single scored Simon. After another error — OH committed four in the game — Barker singled in Finnen. "They brought in a new pitcher, a lefty, and I was able to see the ball better and take it right up the middle," Barker said. Bates wiggled out of more trouble in the sixth as the Ottawa Hills dugout and crowd got loud. Bates beaned the first two batters before Hoover visited the mound. After a strikeout, Stevens crushed a double to right-center field. But only one run scored. Nemunaitis held up after rounding third. Bates got a popup and strikeout to end the threat. "I don't know if there was a miscommunication, but that was big," Hoover said. "To get out of that with one, they had first and second with nobody out and their 4-hitter coming up. He put a ball in the gap and luckily the kid didn't try to score. I like a two-run cushion better than a one-run cushion." Edison loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh but didn't score as the Bears' spoiled a potential RBI sac fly by Finnen by cutting down Bryce Michaelis trying to score. It didn't matter because Bates was rolling. Facing OH's 7, 8 and 9 hitters, he got a line-drive out to Danner, a strikeout looking and the pop fly on a full count with the top of the order on deck. "I knew the last three batters were up to bat and they weren't doing very well against me, so it was gonna be good," Bates said. Bates looked strong throughout despite throwing the eighth inning on Thursday after an extended bullpen session. "We were looking for signs just in case, but he seemed to be throwing as hard if not harder than he was earlier," Hoover said. "He has a rubber arm and can go and go and go." Bates, who had an arm injury at the end of last season, used his fastball and curveball effectively. He said he felt fine throughout. "I don't really get sore," he said. "I make sure to stretch it and work it out all the time." Afterward, the Chargers celebrated with their parents and talked about their upcoming trip to Akron. "There's a great dynamic with these kids," Hoover said. "It's really special the way they come together and support each other. That leads to a lot of confidence on the field. "I said in front of the dugout, strikes and defense is where we win games. We've been able to do that better than our opponents this year." Edison 010 002 0 — 3 6 0Ottawa Hills 000 001 0 — 1 4 4 WP: Ben Bates; LP: Alex Nemunaitis 2B: (E) Hayden Fry; (OH) Sebastian Stevens