Badin got on the board with two runs in the top of the first. Landyn Vidourek led off the game with a walk. The No. 2 batter, Lucas Moore, reached on a fielding error by the pitcher after putting down a sacrifice bunt. Vidourek advanced to third on the play.
Then Moore stole second, and the catcher’s throw sailed into center field, allowing Vidourek to score the first run of the game.
With one out, Rodney Rachel bunted for a single, and Moore scored from second when the third baseman threw to first.
Hoban loaded the bases with no outs in the first but got one only one run out of the rally when Badin starter Nik Copenhaver, who struck out 11 in five innings, got a strikeout and double play to end the inning.
Hoban took a 4-2 lead with three runs in the third. The go-ahead runs scored on a two-out, two-run single by Parker Finkelstein.
Badin got a run back in the fifth when a two-out single by Diego DeCello scored Brady Imhoff.
Badin went down in order in the sixth and couldn’t capitalize on a lead-off single by Jimmy Nugent in the seventh.
Hoban pitchers Noah LaFine and Caleb Kepler combined to limit Badin to six hits.
Badin (26-7) was trying to advance to the championship game for the ninth time. It won state titles in 1991 and 1996 and was runner-up in 1975, 1984, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2016.
About the Author
