Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
COLUMBUS — For the first time since 2000 and for the fourth time in program history, the Washington Blue Lions will appear in the state baseball tournament.
Washington earned that right with a dominant 10-0 win over Cambridge on Friday in a Division II regional final at Ohio Dominican University — a win that came in no-hit fashion.
Toeing the rubber was the duo of Will Miller and AJ Dallmayer, who combined to throw six no-hit innings.
Miller tossed the first five, striking out six hitters, while Dallmayer slammed the door shut with an inning of work and a strikeout of his own. The Bobcats had just one base runner — a walk in the second inning.
While Miller and Dallmayer hung zeroes, their offense did the exact opposite.
The Blue Lions (27-1) struck early and often, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning.
Titus Lotz laced a one-out single into center field before AJ Dallmayer followed suit. Jonah Waters was then hit by a pitch before Tanner Lemaster gave Washington a 2-0 lead with a two-run single.
Bryce Yeazel then walked to load the bases once again before RJ Foose singled for a 3-0 count.
That three-run lead swelled to four in the bottom of the fourth. Following a leadoff triple off the bat of Evan Lynch, John Wall logged a sacrifice fly, making it 4-0.
That is, until the sixth inning, when the wheels fell completely off for Cambridge.
After a strikeout began the at-bat, Wall and Lotz hit back-to-back singles. Dallmayer was then hit by a pitch before a single from Waters made it 5-0. Lemaster was then plunked, making it 6-0, before Yeazel reached base on a bunt single, pushing the lead to 7-0.
Foose was the hit by another pitch — the third of the inning — for an 8-0 count before Lynch put the Bobcats to bed early with a two-out single that scored Lemaster and Hunter Hinkley.
Statistically, Lynch led the Blue Lions’ offense with a 2-for-4 effort that included a triple, a run scored and two RBIs. Yeazel was 2-for-2 with two walks and an RBI, Lemaster went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBIs, Foose ended 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs, and Lotz finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.
Washington now advances to a Division II state semifinal, where they’ll meet with Ontario — a 7-3 winner over Defiance on Friday. That game is slated for a 1 p.m. start on June 9 at Akron’s Canal Park.
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