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Warren advances to district title game

Photo by Ron Johnston Warren’s Hunter Vincent fields a ground ball during the Warriors’ 2-1 Ohio Division II district semifinal win over Circleville Monday at Bob Wren Stadium in Athens.

ATHENS — Warren won in dramatic fashion — again.

The eighth-seeded Warriors rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning on Noah Edgell’s two-out, running-scoring single to defeat the second-seeded Circleville Tigers, 2-1, in a Division II district semifinal baseball game Monday night at Bob Wren Stadium on the campus of Ohio University.

Last Thursday, Warren beat Marietta 5-4, in a sectional final on Thomas Miller’s walk-off home run.

“I thought out kids did a good job of just plugging away tonight against Circleville, the defending regional champion,” said WHS skipper Ryan Lemley. “We got our runs in the sixth and seventh just from keeping the pressure on and having some good at-bats at times. This is the result of patience and of a bunch of kids who believed.”

With the victory, Warren (19-7) is scheduled to play second-seeded Athens High in a district title tilt at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Bob Wren. In Monday’s other semi, the Bulldogs drilled top-seeded Sheridan, 8-1.

Against Circleville, Warrior righty Kurt Taylor pitched a complete game and got the win. In seven innings of work, the sophomore fireballer fanned six, walked two, and allowed one run on three hits.

“Kurt Taylor pitched a heckuva ballgame,” Lemley said. “And Noah Edgell clutched up there with a couple of hits. Give those guys all the credit.”

Edgell, a senior and the No. 9 hitter in the batting order, scored the equalizer in the sixth inning on Seth Dennis’ clutch single to left. The following frame, he drove in Brett Gandee — who led off the seventh with a single — with the game-winner.

Not surprisingly, Edgell was mobbed by his Warrior teammates.

“All I saw all night from him (Circleville right-hander Ethan Wolfe) were fastballs,” Edgell said. “I’m so excited.

“When I saw all my teammates rush me (after the game-winning hit), I was thinking that this might hurt.”

Wolfe struck out eight and walked none in 6.2 innings of work on the bump. He only gave up four hits, two in the last inning.

Circleville staked itself to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second on Jake Bell’s run-scoring single to right. On the play, Taylor injured his ankle.

“I rolled it when I backed up the plate,” Taylor said. “It was painful, but I’m just happy we won.”

After the Tigers scored, it was a pitching duel between Wolfe and Taylor.

“I couldn’t have asked more from myself against the defending regional champion,” Taylor said.

In the bottom of the sixth, Edgell was safe on a throwing error by the Circleville shortstop and was able to advance to second on the miscue. Later, he scored the tying run on Dennis’ hit.

After Gandee singled to lead off the seventh, he moved up a base on Hunter Vincent’s sacrifice bunt. One out later, Edgell ripped a 2-2 Wolfe fastball up the middle, scoring Gandee.

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