Minerva baseball wins first district title, track athletes qualify for state

If there was ever a week for Minerva athletes to make history, this was it.

The Lions brought home the first district baseball championship in program history, sent a caravan of athletes to the state track meet and sprinkled in enough personal records to keep the record board operator gainfully employed for the foreseeable future.

Baseball

May 29 will live comfortably in Minerva baseball lore for a very long time.

Playing at Mazeroski Field in Cadiz, the No. 8-seeded Lions knocked off No. 4-seeded Cambridge 8-2 in the Division IV East 2 district championship game to secure the program’s first district title. Considering the number of baseball seasons Minerva has played over the years, that is the kind of achievement that earns permanent bragging rights at future class reunions.

The Lions wasted little time getting to work. Owen Frazier reached base and later scored on an RBI single by Braydon Wood in the first inning. Cambridge answered immediately, but Minerva regained the lead in the second when Cole Sivy doubled and eventually scored on an RBI single by Parker Linkous. From there, the Lions patiently waited for opportunities and gradually squeezed the life out of the Bobcats.

Minerva carried a slim 3-2 lead into the late innings before pulling away with two runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh. The Lions finished with nine hits and took advantage of three Cambridge errors, proving once again that tournament baseball often comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes when the pressure ramps up.

Lane Tarbet delivered a championship-caliber performance on the mound, throwing a complete game while allowing only one earned run over seven innings. Tarbet kept the Bobcats off balance all afternoon and slammed the door on Cambridge’s hopes with a strikeout to end the game.

At the plate, Braydon Wood went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Cole Sivy doubled and scored twice, Owen Frazier scored two runs and drove in another, Parker Linkous added an RBI, and Kolton Almasy chipped in a run and an RBI. It was the definition of a complete team effort, which is exactly what it takes to make history.

The victory improved Minerva to 14-13 and sent the Lions into a regional semifinal against Richmond Edison. More importantly, it ensured that no future Minerva baseball team will have to answer the question, “Why hasn’t this program ever won a district title?”

Track and field

While the baseball team was busy making history on the diamond, Minerva’s track and field athletes were making reservations for Columbus.

Competing at the Division III New Concord Regional hosted by Muskingum University May 28-30, the Lions qualified seven athletes and two relay teams for the state meet while turning in several personal-best performances along the way.

Leading the boys contingent was Owen Shick, who qualified in two sprint events. Shick placed fourth in the 100-meter dash with a personal-best time of 10.81 seconds and fifth in the 200-meter dash with another personal-best effort of 21.79. Apparently, when the pressure increases, Shick simply decides to run faster.

Distance standout Rowen Hoffee qualified in the 1,600-meter run with a fourth-place finish and a season-best time of 4:20.72. Hoffee also helped the 4x800-meter relay team of Owen Yoder, Tyson Fetty, Anderson Scott and Hoffee qualify for state by placing fifth in 8:03.54.

Other boys competitors included Nate Green, who placed 11th in the 100-meter dash; Anderson Scott, who finished 13th in the 800-meter run, while Hoffee added a 15th-place finish in that event; Tyson Fetty, who placed 13th in the 1,600-meter run; Owen Yoder, who finished seventh in the 3,200-meter run; Fox Johnson, who placed 14th in the same race; the 4x200-meter relay team, which finished eighth; Landon Frankford, who placed 14th in the shot put; and Ben Herstine, who finished 13th in the discus.

The girls were equally impressive.

Tateum Richard punched her ticket to state with a runner-up finish in the 800-meter run, posting a personal-best time of 2:13.73. Makenzie Beavers qualified in the 3,200-meter run by placing sixth in a personal-best 11:13.41.

The girls 4x800-meter relay team of Addison Keyser, Beavers, Charlie Galley and Richard also secured a trip to Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium by placing second in 9:37.26.

Additional girls placers included Gracie Momirov-Dierick, who finished eighth in the 400-meter run; Keyser, who placed ninth in the 1,600-meter run while setting a personal best; and Ivey Rettig, who finished 12th in the 300-meter hurdles with a personal-best performance.

Not every athlete advanced to state, but every one of them contributed to a postseason run that saw Minerva baseball make history and Minerva track and field send a sizable contingent to Columbus. That’s a pretty productive week by any standard.