Elisha Steiner stonewalls St. Ignatius, leads Wooster to first district title in 25 years

CLEVELAND — Elisha Steiner had a myriad of reasons to come into Thursday's district championship game nervous.

Two days earlier, Steiner only made it a third of an inning in relief as the Generals struggled to close out Brecksville-Broadview Heights in the district semis. He missed almost his entire junior season on the mound with an arm injury and toiled early in the season while attempting to regain his sophomore form that saw him earn Ohio Cardinal Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.

But Steiner kept plugging away, trusting that his hard work would pay off when it mattered most.

Thursday, it mattered most. And Thursday, all the hard work paid off.

Steiner pitched a complete-game four-hitter, stymying St. Ignatius' powerful lineup to lead Wooster to a 3-2 win in the Division I Cleveland District final — the Generals' first district championship since 1998.

"As a kid you always dream of game seven of the World Series, but this is as close as we're going to get. Well, at least so far," Steiner said. "But it feels amazing. I love the moment. It was a lot of fun and luckily I have a team behind me that I have confidence in to make plays."

Wooster moves on to face Medina — the top seed in the Strongsville District — in next week's regional semifinals at Gilmour Academy. The matchup is set for Thursday at 5 p.m. Medina won has won all three of its playoff games by a 1-0 score.

"This team is awesome in every single category," Wooster senior Blake Bowen said. "It's been great competing with them. I can't wait to have a great June with them and hopefully win a state championship."

Steiner may not have shut out Ignatius, but it sure seemed like it.

After giving up two hits and a run in the first inning, Steiner only allowed four baserunners the rest of the way. He hit two batters but didn't surrender a walk. Ignatius rolled out three Division I recruits at the top of its lineup in Max Palinski (Ohio State), Pauly Mancino (Ohio) and Sawyer Solitaria (Kent State). They went a combined 1-for-9 against Steiner.

"He was locked in," Bowen said of Steiner. "He's sitting in this corner over here, just sitting there waiting to go out there next inning and shove. It was great."

Meanwhile, Wooster piled up eight hits and five walks as a team, putting pressure on the Wildcats in almost every inning. And they broke through in the third.

Hayden Meese walked, Ben Winge singled and Blake Bowen walked to load the bases with no outs, putting the Generals in prime scoring position. Wooster only needed one hit over the next three at bats to score three runs as Meese scored on a Brady Bowen groundout, Winge scored on a Steiner single and Blake Bowen scored on a Sam Nielsen groundout.

That 3-1 lead ended up being all Wooster needed to bring home the district title.

In a game full of college talent, the University of Kentucky-bound Blake Bowen stood out, going 2-for-2 with two walks.

"I truly, truly believe he's not just one of the best players in the state, but in the country," Wooster coach Steve Young said. "The impact he has on the game is immense. In our league, he was walked 19 times. Teams didn't want to throw to him. ... Everything he does, our guys feed off of. The thing that I like the most is that this year he's been willing to take his walks, trust the guys behind him, steal a base as needed and keep the train moving. That's a huge, huge maturity leap."

Steiner and Bowen are two of Wooster's three senior starters, but another senior has helped make Wooster into such a complete team this year. Jacob Russell went from playing junior varsity as a junior in 2022 to everyday outfielder in 2023. He went 1-for-3 against Ignatius to continue his breakout year.

"It was mentally demoralizing playing JV as a junior," Russell said. "But I finally got my chance, and I showed out. And now here I am."

Young realizes the value Russell brings to the Generals.

"Having him in the seven-hole and being able to flip the order consistently has been huge," Young said. "He's a lockdown right fielder. He had a huge throw out at the plate against Normandy. He's put together some of the best at bats of the entire season. I told him against Normandy, that 12-pitch at bat changed the complexion of the entire game. He's done everything we could have possibly asked for and way, way more."

Wooster's win was truly a team effort, but sophomore Brady Bowen's play in the field at third base made a clear difference. Ignatius smacked the ball to the left side of the infield in some tricky spots, making Brady move considerably to make plays. And he did just that, making tough outs look routine in the process.

"He's a big-time player," Blake Bowen said. "He's always ready for the moment."

Seven Wooster players finished the game with at least one hit: the Bowen brothers, Winge, Steiner, Nielsen, Russell and Dylan Hudson. Meese didn't record a hit but walked twice. Wooster definitely has some top-end talent, but getting production from every position and every spot in the lineup has been just as important to the team success this year.

After getting close several times over the past 25 seasons, there's a reason this Generals team was the one to get it done.

"I've told them, and I've told anyone that will listen — this is a special group," Young said. "Are we the most talented team in the state? No. But do we have to be? No. These guys legitimately play for each other. There is a bond and a closeness that I would put up against anybody in the country."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Baseball: Wooster wins first district title since 1998