9 Mahoning Valley high school baseball and softball teams remain on the tourney trail
Nine greater Mahoning Valley-area softball and baseball teams remain in contention on the postseason tournament trail.
SOFTBALL
In softball, Austintown Fitch in Division I, Canfield in Division II, Champion and South Range in Division III and Mathews in Division IV will all be playing for regional titles and a trip to next week’s state tournament in Akron.
Fitch, the defending Division I state champion, bested Amherst Steele 2-1 in a regional semifinal earlier this week and will meet Walsh Jesuit for a regional crown and trip to state Friday at 5 p.m. at Youngstown State University.
In Division II, Canfield will also be playing for a regional crown Friday when the Cardinals meet the Medina Buckeye Bucks for a D2 regional championship at Nordonia at 1 p.m. Canfield advanced in a regional semifinal earlier this week in a 12-2 rout of Aurora.
In Division III, powers Champion and South Range will collide Friday at 5 p.m. in a regional championship game in Avon, with a state berth to the winner. Champion beat Norwayne 11-2 and South Range routed Tuslaw 10-2 in regional semifinals earlier this week.
In D4, Mathews will play Canton Central Catholic for a D4 regional title Friday at 5 p.m. in North Ridgeville. The Mustangs won their regional semifinal earlier this week with a 7-1 triumph over Fremont St. Joseph.
BASEBALL
In baseball, four area teams won district titles this week and will be playing in regional action next week, including Youngstown Ursuline and West Branch in Division II, South Range in Division III and Warren JFK in Division IV.
Ursuline defeated Canfield for a D2 district crown while West Branch routed Geneva for a D2 district title earlier this week.
Ursuline and West Branch will meet in a D2 regional semifinal next Thursday at 2 p.m. at Canton’s Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium.
Meanwhile, in Division 3, South Range defeated Garrettsville Garfield 11-1 for a D3 district crown earlier this week and will meet the Waynedale Golden Bears next Thursday in a D3 regional semifinal in Massillon at 5 p.m.
In Division IV, Warren JFK captured a district crown with a 2-0 decision over the Mineral Ridge Rams and will meet the winner of the Tiffin Calvert vs. Gibsonburg game in a regional semifinal next Thursday at 2 p.m. at Louisville’s Field of Dreams.