The Batavia Big Dawgs defeated the Goshen Thunder to win the Class C Sr. silver division title.

The Batavia Big Dawgs defeated the Goshen Thunder to win the Class C Sr. silver division title.

By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor

After nearly a month of tournament action, Knothole baseball championships were given out all across Clermont County last week.

The Tealtown Dragons rallied through the consolation bracket of the Class D Jr. gold division in Goshen, defeating Milford on July 15 to take home the title.

Also in Goshen, one championship was left undecided. The Batavia Bull Dawgs faced off against the Mt. Orab Patriots on July 19 in a game that was not finished before press time. The Bull Dawgs had been defeated in the semifinals of the winner’s bracket on July 1, but won four straight games to return to the championship match.

New Richmond hosted Class D Sr. action, with teams from Goshen sweeping both the gold and silver division titles. In the gold division, the Goshen Hope Warriors maintained their perfect run through the postseason by knocking off the Milford Spartans.

The Amelia Pirates earned the Class B Sr. gold division championship with their victory over the Goshen Gators.

Meanwhile, in the silver division, the Goshen Bears had quite the turnaround from the beginning of the regular season to their championship run. The team started the first half 2-7 before storming their way to an undefeated 7-0 second half, culminating in a 4-0 sweep of the silver division. They defeated the Tealtown Sluggers 9-3 in the championship match on July 15 to seal the title.

Coach Darren Woodruff said he was proud of the team for how hard they worked during the season.

“[It’s] unbelievable,” Woodruff said. “I am so proud to be able to coach a great group of boys that worked hard and deserved the championship. From day one, I told the boys to work hard but always have fun and enjoy the great game we call baseball.”

Woodruff and the rest of the Bears’ staff are in their first year as a coach for the Goshen Knothole program, and he noted how important that staff was to the team’s success.

The Goshen Bears capped off an undefeated second half by winning the Class D Sr. silver division title.

“I couldn’t have coached these boys without the staff around me,” Woodruff said. “My two assistant coaches, Ron Fox and Jason Whitaker and my team mom Lisa Jones. I look forward to many years with this team and watching them improve their skills and grow.”

Meanwhile, in Amelia, the Amelia Defenders capped off a spectacular run of their own to the Class C Jr. gold division title.

The Defenders lost their first game of the tournament to the Withamsville Express 11-3. They then proceeded to tear through the consolation bracket, defeating the Felicity Red Sox 11-1 and the Batavia Dawgs 21-6. After back-to-back wins over teams from Milford, the Defenders then dispatched the New Richmond Redlegs 13-5 to advance to the championship game, a rematch against the Express.

An 11-3 victory over Withamsville ended up giving the Defenders the title after Withamsville forfeited the next game. Head coach Bill Rapp said the team’s success can be traced back to all the individual players who put forth the effort.

The New Richmond Rampage overcame the loss of their three best players and a 17-2 defeat to win the Class B Sr. silver division championship.

“This tournament was the realization of their potential,” Rapp said. “We have no offensive or defensive MVP. The credit for our success goes to each and every player for coming together as a very good baseball team.”

In the silver division, the Milford Coyotes blanked the Mt. Orab Stallions 15-0, capping off an unbeaten tournament run.

Williamsburg crowned a Class C Sr. champion last week when Blanchester rolled to a Class C Sr. silver division title. The Batavia Big Dawgs joined them as champions last week with a victory over the Goshen Thunder. Coach Joe Bell credited his team’s hard work and consistent hitting for their victorious run through the tournament.

“The boys worked hard all season and worked together as a team in every game,” Bell said. The championship game was won by us hitting the ball consistently well and Ryan Thom on the mound throwing strikes to wrap up the last few innings. I have a group of boys who just love this game and play with all their hearts.”

The Withamsville Revs defeated the Milford Mudcats twice to win the Class B Jr. silver division title.

In Class B Jr. gold division action, the Goshen Heat had to use an extra game but held off the Tealtown Dolphins for the title. The Dolphins lost to the heat in the championship finals, dropping them to the consolation bracket, where they defeated Milford to set up a rematch with the Heat. Goshen lost the second game between the two teams, setting up a winner-take-all game three that they won on July 18.

In the silver division, the Withamsville Revs played “smart baseball,” according to head coach Guy Franz, and it paid off with a championship victory. The team started the regular season 2-6 before rolling to an undefeated second-half record.

In the tournament, the Revs fell to the Milford Mudcats, but a victory over the Goshen Thunder set up a rematch between the two teams in the championship game, held at Riverside Park. Withamsville won both games against the Mudcats, the second of which by a 21-5 margin that gave them the title.

In Class B Sr gold division play, the Goshen Gators advanced to the championship match with an 11-3 win over the Amelia Pirates earlier this month. The Pirates returned with a vengeance, defeating the Milford Warriors 16-1 to set up a rematch with the Gators, which Amelia then won 10-6. A victory in the decisive game three gave Amelia the championship.

The New Richmond Rampage nearly completed a perfect season in the silver division, but a 17-2 loss to the Milford Outlaws forced a second game between the two teams to decide the champion. Head coach Jamie Strunk said the Outlaws were the last team the Rampage wanted to face in the title bout.

“[We] struggled against the Milford Outlaws all year,” Strunk said. “We hadn’t beaten them at all. As a matter of fact, the games were not even close. That was the last team we wanted to see in the finals.”

According to Strunk, the Rampage entered the deciding game of the bracket without their three best players. Nonetheless, the game was tied entering the bottom of the seventh inning. Raven West started the inning off with a single, and one out later Cohen Utsinger brought him home for the winning run in the Rampage’s 4-3 win.

“The coolest thing with the game was that the entire team made a play,” Strunk said. “Either on offense or defense. It was truly a team effort. Like I told the boys, you picked the best time to beat a tough team.”

In Milford, the Batavia Gladiators claimed the final championship of the weekend. The team faced off against the Fayetteville Storm on July 17 with Austin Hart on the mound.

According to head coach Jack Hart, the dominance from Austin Hart on the mound is one of the reasons the team found themselves in title contention. Hart continued his dominance, going six innings and allowing just one run. He also picked up four hits in five at-bats for the Gladiators.

Alex Jones drove in two runs with a long drive to center field for the Gladiators, while Ethan Bacca tallied two with a double to left field. Brennan Bruner closed out the game in extra innings with two strikeouts and a popup to give the Gladiators the title.

Coach Hart said he had a “great” group of players this past season.

“This Batavia team has been together for four to five years with a few exceptions,” Hart said. “They have been in the championship game in Clermont County knothole for three out of the last four years. They are a great group of kids and we have always taught them as coaches to put God first and have good sportsmanship.”

The highest level of play in Clermont County crowned a champion earlier this week. The Goshen Warrior Dawgs faced off against the Georgetown Generals in a Class A Sr. game that was not finished before press time. For more on that game, pick up a copy of the July 28 edition of The Clermont Sun.