Wyoga Lake Road rivals Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and Walsh Jesuit are both headed to the 2026 OHSAA baseball state tournament.
The Royals and the Warriors each won a regional championship Thursday, June 4.
WJ punched its ticket to the Division II state tournament with an 8-4 win over Shaker Heights at Gilmour Academy’s Figgie Field in Gates Mills. CVCA earned its spot in the Division III state tournament with a dramatic 3-2 win over Archbishop Hoban at the Ballpark at Hudson.
This is the first time CVCA will play in a baseball state semifinal.
But it will be the 11th time WJ will play in a baseball state semifinal. The Warriors have won four Division II state championships.
CVCA tops Hoban to advance to OHSAA baseball state semifinal
Junior Alex Mammone hit a walk-off single to right-center field to score senior Jacob Lancy with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift CVCA (23-9) over Hoban (24-6).
“Lancy started off the inning with a nice line drive [single],” Mammone said. “Jonah [Gaudio laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Lancy to second], Peyton [Drabick] gets walked. I kind of felt disrespected when they intentionally walked Peyton. The Lord was with me in that at-bat.”
CVCA will meet Columbus Bishop Watterson in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Thursday June 11, at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton.
“I am so proud of these kids and the culture we have created,” CVCA coach Jason Herblet said. “It started 12 years ago when I started here. My staff [Ben Miller, Kyle Silk and Ryan Starcher] is pretty much the same staff that has been around the whole way through. It has been exciting to watch the program grow and the program be built up to this point.
“… Alex is a big-timer. He goes in on the mound and shuts people down when we need him to and he came up with a huge hit to win the game.”
CVCA junior Layne Davis led off the bottom of the first with a walk and scored on two-out singles by junior Gaudio and sophomore Drabick.
“Ever since the first day of practices, this was our goal — to get here, to keep going and to win a state championship,” Gaudio said. “We all love each other.”
Hoban took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Senior Brady Wachter tripled and scored when senior Zak Zellers laid down a bunt that resulted in a fielder’s choice. Sophomore Scottie Albrecht also put down a bunt that resulted in a fielder’s choice, and senior Grady Falkenstein followed with an infield single to score Zellers.
CVCA senior Connor McGough tied it at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run that cleared the left field fence 325 feet away.
“I looked pretty bad on the curveball all day,” said McGough, who has hit seven home runs this season. “I figured if I was the pitcher I’d be throwing me a curveball, too. He did, and with the ball spinning like that, you gotta smack it and it kind of does the job on its own.”
Herblet said McGough “got out in front a little bit, but snapped the wrists through and he is a strong enough kid … to put it over the fence.”
Drabick and Mammone limited Hoban’s high-scoring offense by pitching a strong five innings and two innings, respectively.
“Hoban is one of the best teams in the area,” Herblet said. “Peyton went out and dealt and Alex came in like he has done all year as a reliever and closed it out for us.”
Drabick allowed four hits, two walks and two runs, hit a batter and struck out six. Mammone allowed a hit and struck out five.
“We had grit,” Drabick said. “We knew this was going to be a really tough team to beat. We knew we could beat them, and we just gave it our all. We want to give all glory to God. … I knew it was going to be a close game. Connor coming in in the clutch with a bomb, that was awesome.”
CVCA snapped Hoban’s 13-game winning streak.
“We played great team baseball,” said CVCA senior Kyle Shaw, who pitched 6⅔ shutout innings June 3 in a 2-0 win over Chardon in a regional semifinal at Hudson.
Mammone was also a key figure in the win over Chardon with two singles, a run and save.
Hoban concludes baseball season as OHSAA regional runner-up
Hoban was unable to match the 11 hits it produced June 3 in a 10-0 win over St. Vincent-St. Mary in a regional semifinal at Hudson.
“This group definitely exceeded expectations,” Hoban coach Derek Carmichael said. “We came into the season with three starters [Dashel Hemlick, Breyan Stewart and Dominic Daetwyler] — key starters, middle of the order guys, top-end arms — out for the season [with injuries].
“… We got hot late. This is the greatest team I have ever been on in the sense of team. Guys doing more than they were asked to do. Guys stepping up.”
Senior Zachary Karhoff was hit by a pitch and walked against CVCA after he lined a two-run triple and was hit by two pitches versus STVM.
In the two regional games, junior Colt Andrews totaled four hits, two RBIs and two runs; Falkenstein had three hits, two runs and an RBI; Wachter had three hits, a walk, two RBIs and a run; and senior Seth Brilmyer added a single, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs.
Carmichael praised Karhoff, Andrews and Ben Rovnak for being “vocal leaders.”
Walsh Jesuit beats Shaker Heights to advance to OHSAA baseball state semifinal
Tanner Fitzwater totaled three hits and two runs and Matthew Mansbery contributed two hits and two runs to lead Walsh (13-11) past Shaker Heights (19-12).
Mansbery’s line Thursday followed a 4-for-4 with two runs in a 2-0 win over Highland in a regional semifinal June 3.
Walsh will meet Hoover in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton.
Walsh scored four runs in the second inning and three runs in the third inning to separate from Shaker Heights. The Warriors are in a state semifinal for the third time under coach Joe Bowers (Division I in 2023 and Division II in 2025 and 2026).
Walsh’s Ryan Clark had two hits and Rylan Batley finished with a double, three walks and an RBI. Colin Locigno and Carlos Smith each had a hit, RBI and run. Sean McHugh added a hit and an RBI and Ben Babinec walked twice and scored two runs.
Caleb Mecurio pitched 3⅔ innings, struck out six and allowed six hits, five walks and four earned runs for Walsh. Luca Borichevsky pitched 3⅓ scoreless innings.
Shawn Sullivan is Walsh’s projected starter in the state semifinal after he pitched a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in the win over Highland in the regional semifinal.
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: CVCA, Walsh Jesuit baseball teams advance to OHSAA state semifinals
Reporting by Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
