Hoban tops STVM on 'big stage at Canal Park' ahead of OHSAA baseball sectional tournament

Archbishop Hoban senior Michael Ciavolella is ready to make another run in the OHSAA baseball tournament.

So are seniors Noah LaFine and Parker Falkenstein.

Ciavolella, LaFine and Falkenstein were starters on Hoban's Division II state championship team as freshmen in 2021 and have designs on adding a Division I state title as seniors in 2024.

Regular-season wins over rivals Walsh Jesuit and St. Vincent-St. Mary only help as Hoban (15-4) prepares for a Division I sectional final at home against Eastlake North or Ashtabula Lakeside at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Ciavolella hit an RBI triple, added a single and a walk and scored two runs Friday night in Hoban's 4-3 win over STVM at Canal Park.

"This is a big game and we are on a big stage at Canal Park," Ciavolella said. "This is the biggest stage that we can play on and we have played here multiple times. This would be my ninth time playing at Canal Park. It is a big game, but at the same time it is another regular-season game to us. That means a lot that we can beat our rivals, but at the same time, we just want to keep the momentum going into the playoffs so that we can keep the wins coming."

Ciavolella is 6-3 at Canal Park with three OHSAA tournament wins and three wins over STVM. He is 5-1 against STVM overall with two additional wins at Hoban and a loss at Canal Park.

Hoban junior Will Givens contributed a single, walk and run, sophomore Grady Falkenstein had a single, hit by pitch and RBI and junior Andrew Karhoff walked twice, scored a run and pitched 2 ⅔ scoreless innings in relief to get the win.

"Coach has been using the word toughness for the last month and a half," Ciavolella said. "That shows how tough we are as a team. We don't back down from any challenge. Noah didn't have his best stuff today, but he got out of a bases loaded jam [in STVM's three-run third]. Karhoff came in and shut the door [in the fifth]. That was team baseball."

Karhoff inherited a bases loaded jam in the fifth and promptly recorded two outs to end the inning.

"We are playing really gritty and really tough, like Chev said," Karhoff said. "I don't think we showed what we are at our best tonight, but this is a rivalry game and it is going to be close no matter what."

Ciavolella has a career-high four home runs this season, including two in a 3-2 win over Berlin Hiland.

Hoban junior Justice Buckner is another power hitter who flew out to STVM center fielder Max Milkovich twice on balls that could been home runs on a high school field. Buckner has two home runs, one in the 7-3 win over Walsh.

"We just locked in," Buckner said of the wins over Walsh and STVM.

Said Givens: "We are at a great place right now. Tonight, we didn't have our best hitting stuff. We had five hits, but we still put up four runs."

Hoban took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Ciavolella's triple scored Givens, a throwing error brought in Ciavolella and Karhoff scored on a Grady Falkenstein ground out.

"I grew up watching these guys and I always wanted to compete with them," Grady Falkenstein said. "When I got the chance, I just took it."

STVM (16-9) made it 3-3 in the top of the third after freshman Matt Engelhart reached via an error. Milkovich and junior Zack Kurkey hit singles to load the bases and senior Daniel Krabill followed with an RBI infield single. Sophomore Rylan Hurley worked a bases loaded walk with one out and junior Tyler Slone hit an RBI infield single.

Givens walked and Ciavolella singled to start the bottom of the fifth. Ciavolella scored on a throwing error.

Krabill threw out two Hoban players attempting to steal second base, and applied the tag on another runner trying to score on senior right fielder Aidan Zwisler's throw.

"I don't think we are playing our absolute best baseball right now, but I think we are being a lot tougher than we were 365 days ago," Hoban coach Derek Carmichael said. "We had some really bad at-bats today and we had some really clutch at-bats. We made some bonehead plays in the field today, but we made some really clutch plays in the field in huge moments.

"We talk a lot about being tough. When things are going crazy and when things are not going well, be tough. When things are going well, keep being tough. We made huge plays in huge moments. Andrew Karhoff, that was his first [pitching] outing since his injury and man, he didn't miss a beat at all."

Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hoban beats St. Vincent-St. Mary ahead of OHSAA baseball tournament