Minster (25-6) will play Newark Catholic in the D-VII state championship game at Canal Park at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Green Wave beat Tiffin Calvert 6-4 in the other semifinal game played on Thursday afternoon. Both teams dropped to D-VII this season when the OHSAA expanded its postseason tournament from four to seven divisions.
Wildcats senior pitcher Louis Magoto tossed a gem, striking out 12 in the final game of his career. He threw a complete game, allowing three runs on six hits with three walks. He threw 107 pitches, including 73 for strikes. Magoto and senior Ian Homan each had an RBI and Reese Beair went 2-for-3 for Minster.
“This up there with any other game that I’ve pitched,” Magoto said. “Just to say that I’m part of getting Minster to the state finals is just amazing.”
Raiders senior Braylon Cordonnier went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and senior Caleb Unverferth went 2-for-3 for Russia, who made their fourth straight appearance in Akron, finished its season 18-12. Cordonnier took the loss for Russia, throwing 6⅔ innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks. The Raiders were charged with four errors in the game.
Minster senior Dylan Heitkamp led off the game with a walk and moved to second on a single by Beair. With two outs, Homan singled to center field, scoring Heitkamp. Beair then scored and Homan moved to second on a throwing error. Senior Rylan Edwards reached on another throwing error, scoring Homan from second base to give the Wildcats a lead they would never relinquish.
The Raiders got on the board in the fifth inning. Senior Ben York and freshman Parker Lloyd walked to lead off the inning and scored on a single by Cordonnier, but Magoto was able to strikeout Vince Borchers to end the threat.
In the sixth inning, Unverferth and senior Zach Schulze led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Magoto, however, finished the inning unscathed, striking out the next three Raiders hitters
“I just thought one pitch at a time and I tried to get one out at a time and not try to overthink it and think about the future,” Magoto said. “I just tried to stay in the moment.”
In the seventh, Magoto helped himself with a two-RBI single to make it 5-1.
Russia scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, including one on a triple by Cordonnier, but Magoto worked out of the jam, earning the game’s final out with a strikeout.
The Wildcats are 3-1 all-time in state championship games, bringing home the trophy in 2011, 2012 and 2017. They’ll have a shot at making history by becoming the first D-VII baseball state champions.
“These guys are already ready to play the next game because they know there’s one more in their high school career,” said Wildcats coach Mike Wiss. “We’ve got eight seniors and they’re playing really well. What would it mean (to when the first D-VII title)? It would mean everything in that moment.”
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