MANSFIELD, Ohio — When I woke up Sunday morning, I could have sworn it was 2010.
Clear Fork and Hillsdale had turned back the clock.
Back in 2010, the Clear Fork baseball team won a Division III state title with a resounding 14-3 run rule-shortened win over Wheelersburg in Huntington Park in Columbus. That same day, the Hillsdale softball team captured its sixth state championship with a 2-1 nail-biter over West Liberty-Salem at Akron’s Firestone Stadium.
Fast forward six years and the Colts and Falcons are back in the Final Four again.
Clear Fork completed an unlikely run to a regional crown with a 4-3 win over Archbold at Ed Sandy Field in Elida on Friday to earn its second ever trip to the state semifinals. Hillsdale punched its ticket to the Final Four for the 14th time in school history with a 3-2, eight-inning win over Plymouth at Kent State University’s Diamond at Dix on Saturday.
The 2010 Clear Fork baseball team was the best I’ve ever covered. The team featured two Division I pitchers, Travis Hissong (Wright State) and Brendan Liberti (University of Akron). Second baseman Joe Staab would go on to an outstanding career at Division III Heidelberg, while left fielder Jake Dickerson was the Crossroads League Player of the Year for NAIA Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Mike Kochheiser and Logan Perkins both pitched for MVNU, while shortstop Jordan McCune decided to pursue football and recently finished his career at Ashland University.
As good as the pitching was, the 2010 Colts’ calling card was its offense. Clear Fork battered opponents into submission, scoring 378 runs and banging out 404 hits (both of which rank in the top five in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s unofficial record book).
The 2016 Colts may not have the firepower of the 2010 edition, but the pitching has been sensational in the postseason. Clear Fork has given up just nine runs in five tournament games.
The 2010 Hillsdale softball team boasted a roster full of college talent, too. Carly West and Jenn Moore both played at AU, the latter finishing a spectacular career this spring, while Katlyn Simpson played at Division III Capital and Taylor Petush played for the University of Northwest Ohio. Kelsey Dropsey played soccer at AU.
Pitcher Adrienne Young was dominant throughout Hillsdale’s run in 2010. She gave up just five runs as the Falcons outscored opponents 40-5.
The 2016 Falcons have allowed just three runs in the postseason, two of which came in the first inning of Saturday’s eight-inning 3-2 win over Plymouth. After a rocky start, sophomore pitcher Sydney Long retired 21 of the final 22 batters she faced.
The Falcons will take on another small-school powerhouse, Strasburg, in the Division IV state semifinals at 10 a.m. Thursday at Akron’s Firestone Park. A win would send Hillsdale to the championship game at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Clear Fork will play Waynedale at 1 p.m. Friday at Huntington Park in Columbus. If the Colts should win, they will play for a state title at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Here’s hoping both local teams can celebrate like it’s 2010 this weekend.
