Amherst baseball: Comets repeat as district champions with 7-0 victory over Stow-Munroe Falls
With a late five-run rally, Amherst's district title win last season felt like destiny.
This time around, it felt inevitable.
The second-seeded Comets jumped on No. 16 Stow-Munroe Falls early with four first-inning runs on the way to a 7-0 victory for their second straight Division II district title on May 28 at Brunswick.
It was an all-around dominant display for the defending state runners-up.
Cael Charles pitched a complete game and gave up only two hits to go along with 11 strikeouts. The Comets' bats got going just as fast with three straight hits to start, including Cooper Bingham's three-run homer deep to right field. It was over from there.
Amherst (25-3) returns to Oberlin College in search of another trip to state. The Comets will take on Brecksville-Broadview Heights at 5 p.m., June 3, in a Division II regional semifinal.
"Last year for the entire state tournament run, we really weren't playing that great of baseball, but we were finding ways to win," Amherst coach Matt Rositano said. "We're hoping this year if we're able to make a run, we will play good baseball and continue to play good baseball.
"Other than a couple base running mistakes, our defense was fantastic and Cael was outstanding. Any time you can put up 10 hits and seven runs in a district championship game, you'll take it."
Charles was on his A-game from the get-go. The junior retired 17 straight batters and allowed only two baserunners all game. With plenty of big-game experience by this point, he was ready for the moment.
"We were ready. We prepared in practice all week," Charles said. "We came in and did our job. When we play like that, I don't think anyone can beat us. I was ready."
As Charles alluded to, the offense followed suit.
Nick Wilkinson hit a leadoff double before a base hit from Cole Charles put runners on the corners for Bingham. The sophomore unloaded on a fastball to firmly shift the momentum.
"As soon as I saw it fly off the bat, I was so ecstatic," Bingham said. "A great start can always lift the team and that's exactly what it did today. It gave Cael Charles the lead and he just kept shoving."
Two more runs crossed in the second inning as Bingham racked up his fourth RBI with a sacrifice fly and Harrison Schneider hit an RBI single. Cole Marquez scored Zach Diedrick with an RBI hit in the third inning for the seventh and final run.
In the end, seven runs were more than enough.
"When we were able to come in and put up that four-spot, it takes the pressure off Cael and puts pressure onto your opponent," Rositano said. "Honestly, one run would've been enough for Cael today because that might've been his best performance all year. He was dominant.
Although Amherst clearly has its sights on going back to Akron, this year's squad hasn't lost the plot. One game, one inning and one pitch at a time continues to be the mantra.
"We have to go 1-0 every game," Bingham said. "We just have to keep going slow and pushing on."
The score
Amherst 7, Stow-Munroe Falls 0
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.