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2024 OHSAA Tournament: Division III State Semifinal - No. 1 Heath vs No. 16 Waynedale

AKRON - The No. 1 team in the state against the two-time defending champion lived up to its billing in the Division III semifinals on Saturday afternoon. It took eight innings before Heath put an end to the reign of Waynedale with a 4-3 victory.

Connor Toomey, the Heath eight-hole hitter who had not hit a ball fair all game with a walk and two strikeouts, came up big when it counted most, lining a full-count pitch to right field for a triple, driving in Wyatt Binckley who had reached on a one-out error and moved to second on a wild pitch.

It made a winner of Heath pitcher Riley Baum, who had four 1-2-3 innings in moving to 8-2 on the year.

But it was far from easy for the Licking County League champions.

Trailing 3-1, the top-ranked Bulldogs evened the score in the bottom of the fifth on a walk to Tannar Patterson, an RBI double to deep right-center field by Findlay recruit Hayden Woodward and a Kaden Green sacrifice fly.

After Baum got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, the hard-throwing right-hander retired the last eight batters he faced to snap an 11-game Waynedale winning streak.

The Golden Bears jumped to a 2-0 advantage in the top of the second on a two-out two-run double by freshman Hudson Barkman after hits by Jordan Miller and Logan Troyer.

Heath and Waynedale then exchanged runs, with the Bulldogs scoring in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from Green, before the Golden Bears countered in the top of the fourth on a run-scoring two-out single from Troyer.

The defeat ended the season for the 16th-ranked team at 23-8, while Heath moves on to face Millbury Lake on Sunday at 4 p.m. with a 28-2 record.

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: An eight-inning pitching performance for the victory gives Baum the honor of being the Player of the Game. The Chatham University commit fanned six and walked two in his seven-hit effort, throwing 78 of 111 pitches for strikes. Additionally, the 362nd-ranked 2024 in Ohio had a single and stolen base for the Bulldogs.

COACHING MOVE: A decision to give an intentional walk to seven-hole hitter Miller proved to be the right call for Heath head coach Tom Warren. After the walk loaded the bases following one-out singles by Otto Solorzano and Brayden Steiner, Baum retired the bext two hitters on a soft liner to second and a strikeout to keep the game deadlocked at 3-3.

D COMES THROUGH: Two plays stood out for the Heath defense which could have been the difference. In the fifth with one away, Cameron Miller hit an apparent single to the right side that turned into a 4-3 out on an outstanding defensive play by Heath second baseman Tannar Patterson. An inning later, left fielder Connor Corbett made an impressive play to retire Tristan Franks leading off the top of the sixth. That catch became bigger when the next two batters hit singles.

WHAT’S NEXT?: While the chance to become just the third team in state history to win three straight titles has evaporated, don't feel too sorry for Waynedale. The Golden Bears started three freshmen, three sophomores and a pair of juniors, led by starting pitcher Shane Coblentz. The 282nd-rated 2025 in Ohio struck out nine and allowed six hits in 6.2 innings, permitting two earned runs for Lucas Daugherty, who has won 100 games in four years as the Waynedale head coach.

LiNESCORE

Waynedale      020  100  00  -  3  7  2
Heath              001  020  01  -  4  7  1

Records: Heath 27-2, Waynedale 23-8.

Winning Pitcher: Riley Baum (8 innings, 3 runs, 7 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks).

Losing Pitcher: Tate Venables (0.2 innings, 1 run, 0 earned runs, 1 hit, 0 strikeouts, 0 walks). Other: Shane Coblentz (6.2 innings, 3 runs, 2 earned runs, 6 hits, 9 strikeouts, 6 walks).

Leading Hitters: (Waynedale) - Shane Coblentz single; Otto Solorzano single; Brayden Steiner single, run; Jordan Miller single, run; Logan Troyer 2 singles, run, RBI; Hudson Barkman double, 2 RBI. (Heath) - Connor Corbett single; Tannar Patterson 2 runs; Hayden Woodward double, run, RBI; Kaden Green single, 2 RBI; Riley Baum single; Wyatt Binckley single, run; Connor Toomey triple, RBI; Paul Gould single.

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