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2026 OHSAA Tournament: Division III State Semifinal - #4 Badin vs #3 Padua Franciscan

CANTON - Is this the year that Badin another championship? The fourth-ranked Rams used a three-run sixth inning to get past Padua Franciscan 5-2 in the Division III semifinals on Thursday.

Badin has been to state 11 times since last winning a title in 1996, finishing second five times. An RBI single by Cade Cummins and a two-out two-run double from Chandler Taylor in the last of the sixth has the Rams headed to the finals on Friday.

Caleb Driessen went the distance for the victory, with the Miami commit striking out nine and walking a pair in a seven-hit performance to bow out of his final high school game with a win.

A two-run base hit by Cummins put Badin on top in the second, but Padua evened the score with two in the top of the third on a triple from Chase Martin to plate Braylon Benson and Michael Cangelosi who both reached on singles.

The third-ranked Bruins managed just one more hit until loading the bases in the seventh on hits by Carter Palange and Benson along with a Badin error. But Driessen closed out the game with a strikeout to move the Rams to 29-3 on the season.

The Rams will take a 25-game winning streak into the finals, with Badin's only loss to a team from Ohio coming in the season opener.

HOT TAKES

PLAYER OF THE GAME: A senior second baseman batting in the nine-hole is more than deserving of this accolade. Cummins had two singles, three RBIs and scored a run while also drawing a walk for Badin. Cummins, who was 2-2 in a 5-0 win over Butler in the regional finals, came into state batting .400 in tournament action.

WHAT'S NEXT?: No team at state has more returning starters than Padua, which has just one senior starter in second baseman Brendan Reilly. Three sophomores and a freshman were in the lineup for head coach Kevin Leigh, who next year will win his 100th game as head coach at a school looking for its first state title in school history.

LINESCORE

Padua       002  000 0  -  2  7  1
Badin        020  003  x  - 5  6  2

Records: Badin 29-3, Padua 25-5.

Winning Pitcher: Caleb Driessen (7 innings, 2 runs, 7 hits, 9 strikeouts, 2 walks).

Losing Pitcher: Chase Martin (5.2, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, 6 hits, 5 strikeouts, 5 walks). Other: Jack Degeeter.

Leading Hitters: (Padua) - Michael Reis single; Braylon Benson 2 singles, run; Michael Cangelosi single, run; Chase Martin triple, 2 RBIs; Jacob Rihvalsky single; Carter Palange single. (Badin) - Chandler Taylor double, 2 RBIs; Austin Vangen single, 2 runs; Cooper Clay single, run; Eli Wolpert single, run; Cade Cummins 2 singles, 3 RBIs, run.

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