State baseball: CJ looking to defend D-II championship

Nick Wissman, the winning pitcher in in prior day’s semifinal, delivered what held up as a game-winning, two-run hit in the seventh inning as Chaminade Julienne defended its Division II high school state championship with a 4-2 defeat of Gates Mills Gilmour Academy at Canal Park on Sunday night.

Wissman had two hits and all four RBI’s for the Eagles. That was enough to make a winner of junior Sebastian Gongora. The lefty went the distance, allowing just four hits and striking out six.

»» RELATED: Wissman hurls CJ over Van Wert

»» PHOTOS: CJ in D-II state semi baseball

CJ (27-2) finished its second straight title run by winning its final 23 games. Gilmour Academy had the bases loaded with no out in the bottom of the seventh. CJ turned a double play and Gilmour scored. A shallow fly ball to center that was caught by Andrew Simones ignited a championship dog-pile on the mound like CJ first did in last year’s title defeat of Wapakoneta. Gilmour finished 25-7.

The championship extends an unprecedented history-making run by the Eagles. Besides the last two D-II state titles, CJ was the D-II state runner-up in 2017. That makes three consecutive state title appearances. As Chaminade, the Eagles also won a Class AA (big school) state championship in 1970.

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If CJ is to make another state-title run next season, it’ll do it without Mike Barhorst as head coach. He announced prior to the postseason this would be his last after 20 years as CJ’s head coach.

It also was the fourth straight season for the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed to have a rep in the state final four. Cincinnati Roger Bacon of the GCL Central was eliminated by Coldwater in a D-III state semifinal on Saturday. Hamilton Badin, also of the GCL Central, was the D-II state runner-up in 2016.

»» RELATED: Coldwater advances to D-III title game

»» PHOTOS: Minster in D-IV state semi baseball

Cleveland St. Ignatius needed 10 innings to defeat Mentor 4-2 in Sunday’s opening D-I title game. Ignatius also worked overtime in its 4-3 semifinal defeat of Hilliard Darby that went 13 innings, a marathon record for the 92 years of the state tourney. Mentor eliminated Springboro 4-0 in that Friday semifinal.

Toronto defeated Jeromesville Hillsdale 3-1 to win a D-IV championship prior to CJ’s game. Hillsdale pitcher Jay Luikart, who signed with Wright State University, defeated Minster and its ace pitcher Austin Brown 1-0 in a Friday semifinal.

»» RELATED: Springboro’s historic run ends

»» PHOTOS: Springboro in D-I state semi baseball

Coldwater (26-6) was scheduled to play Ridgewood (24-9) in the D-III state final, the last of Sunday’s four title contests. It was the sixth straight year a Midwest Athletic Conference team advanced to a final four. Coldwater was the D-III state runner-up last season, losing to Canfield South Range.

This was the first time the baseball final four was held at Canal Park, home of the Akron RubberDucks, a Double-A minor-league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. A 10-year run at Huntington Park in Columbus, home of the Clippers, ended after the International League ceased to adjust its schedule and accommodate the Ohio High School Athletic Association. The state final four will return to Akron in 2020 as part of a two-year contract.