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2026 OHSAA Tournament: Division III State Semifinal - #17 Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy vs #2 Bishop Watterson

CANTON - Watterson scored four runs in the top of the first and went on to defeat CVCA 5-1 to set up a matchup between the top two ranked teams in the state in the Division III finals..

Ben Uhlenhake belted a three-run homer in the first for the second-ranked Eagles, which will meet No. 1 Badin in Friday's 7 p.m. Division III finals at 7 17 Credit Union Park.

Ben Burleson fired a six-hitter, not permitting an earned run, to pick up the victory for Watterson, which last captured a state crown in 1997. 

CVCA, the 17th-rated team in the state, scored its lone tally in the second on a RBI single from Alex Mammone.

Zac Anderson was the only player with more than one hit in the game, producing a pair of singles for the Royals, making their first state appearance ever.

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Burleson did it with his arm and bat in helping the Eagles to their 14th consecutve victory. The senior right-hander struck out three and did not walk a batter in the complete game effort. Burleson also had a two-base hit and scored the fifth Watterson run on a sacrifice fly by Connor Adkins Davidson.

WHAT'S NEXT?: Four seniors must be replaced but the future appears bright for CVCA, which was making its first appearance at the state tourney. One starting pitcher along with the catcher and shortstop Connor McGough, who set the school record for runs in a season, have graduated. Head coach Jason Herblet is 12 wins away from 200 for the Royals.  

LINESCORE

Waterson     400  100  0  -  5  5  2
CVCA            010  000  x  -  1  6  2

Records: Watterson 27-3, CVCA 23-9.

Winning Pitcher: Ben Burleson (7 innings, 1 run, 0 earned runs, 6 hits, 3 strikeouts, 0 walks).

Losing Pitcher: Kyle Shaw (1 inning, 4 runs, 3 hits, 0 strikeouts, 1 walk). Others: Alex Mammone, Peyton Drabick.

Leading Hitters: (Watterson) - Caden Mangini double, run; Michael Wozniak single, run; Michael Mulligan single, run; Ben Uhlenhake home run, 3 RBIs, run; Ben Burleson double, run; Connor Adkins Davidson RBI. (CVCA) - Connor McGough double; Jacob Lancy single; Jonah Gaudio single; Peyton Drabick run; Alex Mammone single, RBI; Zac Anderson 2 singles.

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