The Licking Valley baseball team certainly made the most of its first trip to the state tournament.
Evan Roberts fired a three-hit shutout June 14 as Valley beat University School 1-0 to win the Division III state championship at Canal Park in Akron. The Panthers won the school’s first boys team championship in the baseball program’s first trip to state.
Valley took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Adam West led off the inning with a single, and he eventually scored when Carter Sopher’s ground ball was misplayed.
Brody Rodgers made a game-saving play to end the sixth. The throw back to Roberts got away, and Rodgers alertly threw out the runner attempting to score.
Rodgers also reached base a team-best three times, and Silas Kyle continued to be busy in center field to back up Roberts.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking Valley baseball blanks University, wins first state title
Reporting by Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
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