Bandits use late rally to edge Findlay Legion for district crown

OTTAWA – The Napoleon River Bandits have always fielded some of the most talented American Legion baseball teams in District 1. At Ottawa's Memorial Park on Monday, they proved then can be one of the more gut-check dramatic teams as well. Devon Morris tied the game with a seventh-inning grand slam and Blake Hauenstein later won it with a clutch RBI single to give Napoleon a 6-5 win over Findlay on Monday in the rain-delayed District 1 championship game. It was the 16th District 1 title in the last 26 years for Napoleon, which now advances to the 2023 American Legion state baseball tournament to be held July 24-28 at Beavers Field in Lancaster. The River Bandits (35-8) have won five state and two regional titles over that 26-year span as well. Trailing 5-1 and down to their last at-bats, the River Bandits started their comeback with consecutive base hits from Parker Moore, Gavino Gomez and Abe Delano. Morris who smacked two home runs in Napoleon's 19-5 win over Ottawa in Saturday's opener, then tied it with his grand slam to right. Blake Wolf followed with a base hit, stole second and took third on an error. Hauenstein, a University of Findlay commit, then lined his game-winning hit. Findlay scored a run in the second inning, went up 4-0 in the third on Mason Johnson's double and RBI singles by Brady Birkemeier and Trevin Lieb, and added another run in the fourth when Lincoln Garlock tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. It was a first-inning rally that sparked Napoleon on Saturday when the River Bandits beat Findlay 7-4 in the winners bracket final. Taysen Beckrosh belted a two-run home run to highlight Napoleon's first-inning rally. Lucas Gerken had an RBI single in the third inning and Micah Bok doubled and scored on an error – one of four by Post 3 – to put Napoleon up 7-1 in the sixth. Lincoln Garlock had three base hits for Findlay and scored twice, once in the fifth inning and again in the bottom of the seventh. Jordan Vallejo doubled in a run in the seventh and Birkemeier singled home another before Jackson Grine, who relieved Napoleon starter Aidan Keissling in the seventh, nailed down the win. Findlay rebounded for a 4-1 win over Ottawa Post 63 in the losers bracket final as Vallejo pitched a four-hitter, banged out a pair of base hits and scored twice. Lieb singled in the run that put Findlay up 2-1 in the second inning, and Ben Best had a two-run double in the sixth. Shep Halker doubled and scored to give Ottawa a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning. Evan Niese had two singles for the Fighting 63rd, but Vallejo (6-2) pitched out of jams in the second and third innings, then retired the last 12 batters in order. Findlay (21-10) opened district play with a walk-over win, advancing to the second round when Pemberville could not field a full team for the tournament opener between the two squads. DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP Findlay 013 100 0—5 8 2 Napoleon 000 010 5—6 12 1 WP—Bok. LP—Johnson. TOP HITTERS: (Fin) Lieb 2-1B; L. Garlock 3B; K. Garlock 2B; Johnson 2B. (Nap) Morris 1B, HR, 4 RBI; Wolf 1B, 2B; Moore 2-1B; Gomez 2-1B. WINNERS BRACKET FINAL Napoleon 401 002 0—7 7 0 Findlay 000 010 3—4 9 4 WP—Keissling. LP—K. Garlock (3-1). TOP HITTERS: (Nap) Deckrosh HR, 2 RBI; Bok 2B; Moore 2B. (Fin) L. Garlock 3-1B; Jordan 1B, RBI; Vallejo 2B, RBI. CONSOLATION FINAL Ottawa 100 000 0—1 4 1 Findlay 020 002 x—4 6 0 WP—Vallejo (6-2). LP—Hunter. TOP HITTERS: (Ott) Niese 2-1B; Halker 2B. (Fin) Best 2B, 2 RBI; Lieb 1B, RBI; Vallejo 2-1B. (14-sub head) Sharninghouse ace Findlay's Al Sharninghouse scored a hole-in-one at Hillcrest Golf Club on Friday, acing the 127-yard 12th hole with a 7-iron. Larry Salisbury from Florida, in town visiting his former high school classmate, witnessed Sharninghouse's third career hole-in-one.