“I’m just really proud of the group of guys, man,” Roberts said. “Last year, we fell short in this game to Vandalia Butler, and all offseason, our goal together as a team was let’s get that conference win and let’s go back to that district final and take it home this time. We came out here today, put a complete game together, and I’m just really proud of this group of guys and this senior class that I’m with to wear a Loveland jersey.”
Roberts navigated Brady Lupton’s first-inning single and held Northmont (16-12) to one hit through the first five frames.
The senior retired eight Thunderbolt hitters in a row across the second through fourth innings and 13 of 14 until he issued a full-count walk to Cameron Knight with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Northmont’s Aiden Pendleton lasered a groundball single to right field and Knight advanced to third base. The Thunderbolts capitalized for two runs the next at-bat as Lupton reached on an error when the Loveland center and right fielders collided after he flared the ball to right-center field.
Northmont starting pitcher Brady Whittaker went 2⅔ innings and allowed five runs. He surrendered an RBI single to Dylan Hacker in the second inning before getting flyouts to end the top half.
Loveland chased Whittaker after an error produced one run, Derek Fleming scored two more on a single to left-center field and Hacker brought home another on a groundball single in the third inning.
Kaden Nickell and Lupton finished the game out of the bullpen for Northmont. They combined to allowed one run over 4⅓ innings pitched.
“I think the biggest thing that I was proud of our boys today is that they didn’t quit,” Northmont coach Brandon Rexin said. “It would have been very easy early on when they jumped on us to just kind of sit back and take it. We made a little run there at the end to make the game interesting, and I mean, as a coach, that’s all you can ask for from them.”
After allowing his third hit of the game, Roberts regained himself and got the next four Northmont hitters out, including two by strikeout, to end it.
Loveland advanced to the D-II regional semifinals and will play Teays Valley on Tuesday in Xenia.
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