Gates Mills, OH- On May 27, #6 Hawken will welcome #23 Holy Name for an OHSAA Division 4 District Semifinals clash. In years past, this game would have been played at a neutral site. However, the additions of divisions five, six, and seven spread the playoffs out more. Neutral sites now begin in the district finals.
The Hawks enter play posting a 19-5 record along with a CVC championship after an 8-2 league campaign. Additionally, they dominated Akron Springfield 14-0 to begin postseason play. As for the Green Wave, they sit at .500, with a 13-13 record. For the second season in a row, the Namers are playing on ‘borrowed time’ as they upset #14 Cloverleaf 6-1 in the Sectional Finals. This round has been a tough roadblock for HN to overcome. Last season, they fell to STVM 8-1 in this round. Their prior two appearances in the District Semifinals saw them lose to Tallmadge and Elyria Catholic in 2022 and 2019, respectively.
Similar to last year, Holy Name found a rhythm down the stretch after a rough start. With a 2-8 conference record, a lot of expectations were undershot. After losing to Elyria Catholic on May 7, the Green Wave found their wakeup call. Since then, they are 8-3 with big wins over Gilmour and Padua thrown in the mix.
Hawken has been a model of consistency all season. One look at their offense tells the story of their success–runs, runs, and runs. Averaging 9.08 runs per game while having a team batting average of .328, the Hawks have dominated at the sticks. Stars such as Miles Hamilton (.379 average) and Asher Kimball (.362 average) have led by example.
Looking at the ballpark, the Hawks have one of the most unique in the state. If you take a look at the outfield, you’ll find a soccer field and a softball field. Given these dimensions’ obscurities, Hawken has still hit five home runs this season.
Defensively, both squads have stellar pitching staffs. Ethan Gibson started for Hawken against Springfield. In four innings, he allowed 1 hit while striking out 8 batters. Holy Name threw their ace, Dom Marchetta, against Cloverleaf. With his 12 strikeouts, Marchetta now sits second on the career strikeout leaderboard at Holy Name.
Based on the stats and the season so far, Cole Twardokus or Billy Butler will most likely be on the mound for the Hawks. As for Holy Name, it has been confirmed by coach Mike Masetta that Harrison Frank will be starting. Frank pitched in HN’s Sectional Final win over Canton South in 2024. He threw a complete game while allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 2 batters.
The game will begin at 5 PM at Hawken, with the winner advancing to the District Championship against the winner of #1 Lake Catholic and #27 Northwest.
You can watch the game on the SmeeSports YouTube channel with Nathan Smee and Cameron Ragazzo on the call starting at 4:50 PM with pregame.
Watch Hawken Vs Holy Name Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/live/pSWZ4zfGPDI?si=Sli4-b-KK6xHOms3
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