OHSAA baseball: Badin falls to Chaminade Julienne 2-1 in regional final with walk-off walk
It took until the sixth inning for the Chaminade Julienne Eagles to record their first hit in the Division II regional finals and didn't get a run across the plate until the final frame. It was good enough for an upset of No. 1 Badin and a trip to the OHSAA state tournament.
The Badin Rams entered the day with a 29-1 mark, including two wins over the Eagles. A first-inning run for Badin looked for most of the game to be enough for its third-straight regional title, but Chaminade Julienne completed a final comeback in the seventh inning.
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Badin starter Nik Copenhaver allowed just one hit in six innings and started on the mound for the Rams in the bottom of the seventh inning to close out the game. A leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt and a walk ended Copenhaver's day.
Aiden Van De Hatert entered in relief and after two pitches got by the catcher, Chaminade Julienne had tied the game 1-1 with the winning run on third base. Tyler Verdin entered to pitch with runners on the corners and issued an intentional walk to load the bases.
Verdin notched a strikeout for the second out, but Isaac Sullivan worked a full count at the plate. Sullivan watched the next pitch go by for ball four and a regional championship for the Eagles.
The Rams started off the eventual arms race with a leadoff single in the first inning from Lucas Moore and Chandler Taylor later followed with a run-scoring knock for a 1-0 Badin lead. Badin had baserunners in four of the final six innings, but none were able to score.
Chaminade Julienne improved to 27-5 overall and topped Badin after a pair of 3-0 regular season losses to the Rams. The Eagles advanced to the Division II state semifinals where they will meet Chagrin Falls Kenston at Canal Park on June 9 for a 10 a.m. first pitch. It will be the first state tournament appearance for the Eagles since 2019 when they won their second-consecutive state title.
Badin's season ended at 29-2. It was the final game for an accomplished group of seniors, including: Reese Anzalone, Corbin Ausman, Nik Copenhaver, Brycen Fox, Justin Hoevel, Ashton Hopewell, Caleb Jackson, Sean Miller, Lucas Moore, Rodney Rachel and Aiden Van De Hatert.
After a canceled 2020 freshman campaign, the Badin 2023 class combined for an 82-15 record with three conference titles and two regional championships.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Badin falls to Chaminade Julienne in OHSAA Division II regional final
