Prep Baseball Report

2023 OHSAA Tournament: Division II State Semifinal - No. 5 Chaminade-Julienne vs No. 19 Kenston


Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Ohio Senior Writer

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2023 OHSAA Tournament: Division II State Semifinal - No. 5 Chaminade-Julienne vs No. 19 Kenston

AKRON - Kenston was two outs away from a second consecutive state semifinal defeat before exploding for four runs in the top of the seventh en route to a 4-2 win over Chaminade Julienne in the Division II semis on Friday.

Trailing 2-0 entering the seventh, Parker Munday led off the frame with a single for Kenston. After a pop out, Bridger Bischof singled down the left-field line and, after Jackson Frasure threw two balls to pinch hitter Avery Siperke, Frasure was pulled in favor of Charlie Hoagland.

Siperke then walked before Carter Flynn tied the game at 2-2 with a base hit to right-center. After a steal of second, LA Mighton put the Bombers in front 3-2 with a high-hop single to left. WIth runners on first and third, Flynn stole home on a pickoff throw to first making it 4-2.

Munday made the uprising stand up in the bottom of the seventh, fanning the last two batters of the game with a runner on to improve to 5-0 on the season.

Until the seventh, the 19th-ranked team in the state was stymied by Frasure, who took a no-hitter into the sixth while never allowing more than one base runner in any inning. Drew McKenna ripped a double to left-center with one out in the sixth for the first hit off Frasure, but was left stranded at third.

C-J scored an unearned run in the first on two Kenston errors on the same play and upped the lead to 2-0 in the fourth. Jacob Brunner hit a soft liner to right with one down for the first hit of the game for either team and was sacrificed to second by Hoagland. Patrick Gonter-Dray then plated Brunner with a run-scoring single to right-center.

The loss prevented C-J, the fifth-rated D-II team in Ohio, from a potential third state championship in six years and first under third-year head coach Todd Barhorst.

Kenston, a Division I semifinalist a year ago that lost to eventual state champ Sylvania Northview 3-2 on a bases-loaded wild pitch in the seventh inning, will be playing in its first state final in school history.

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Munday struck out a dozen in the complete-game performance, giving up one earned run on two hits and four walks. The Akron commit, who had given up just two earned runs in 23 innings this season entering the game, also had the big hit with one away in the seventh to start the comeback and scored the first run for the Bombers.

STRONG IN DEFEAT: Frasure showed why he is one of the top uncommitted pitchers in Ohio in the loss. The 6-2 225-pounder topped out at 91 and still hit 90 with his fastball in the seventh while adding in a 78 mph slider and low-80s changeup. The C-J junior gave up three runs on three hits and three walks while hitting four in 6.1 innings on the mound, throwing 62 of 109 pitches for a strike.

KEY PLAYS: With two on and one down in the C-J sixth, Munday’s time left on the mound was in doubt. But a 6-3 double play got the Bombers out of the inning setting up the seventh-inning rally. .. Already up 3-2, Kenston scored a big insurance run in the top of the seventh with Mighton on first and Flynn third and one out. Mighton took a huge lead resulting in a pickoff attempt and Flynn took advantage on the play sprinting home for the steal and two-run advantage.

WHAT’S NEXT?: Peltier is headed to Wright State and leaves a big hole at shortstop for the Eagles, which also must replace three other starters. Freshman outfielder Isaac Sullivan, the  leadoff hitter, could move to short and will also bring depth to a pitching staff led by Frasure and Hoagland making C-J one of the teams to beat once again in Division II.

LINESCORE

Kenston                       000  000  4  -  4  6  3
Chaminade Julienne  100  100  0  -  2  2  0

Records: Kenston 20-11, Chaminade Julienne 27-6.

Winning Pitcher: Parker Munday (7 innings, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 2 hits, 12 strikeouts, 4 walks).

Losing Pitcher: Jackson Frasure (6.1 innings, 3 runs, 3 hits, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks). Other: Charlie Hoagland (0.2 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 0 strikeouts, 0 walks).

Leading Hitters: (Kenston) - Carter Flynn single, run, 2 RBIs; LA Mighon single, RBI; Drew McKenna double; Wes Toth single; Parker Munday single, run; Bridger Bischof single, run; Grant Beclay run. (Chaminade Julienne) - JP Peltier run; Jacob Brunner single, run; Patrick Gonter-Dray single, RBI.

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