Rootstown baseball continued its postseason run Monday night, using timely hitting and a strong pitching performance to defeat Columbiana 4-2 in a sectional final.
The win improved the Rovers to 12-10 and sends them to a district semifinal matchup on Wednesday at Hillsdale.
After jumping out early, Rootstown leaned on the combined efforts of RJ Soika and Bryce Harless to keep Columbiana from building momentum throughout the night.
“Being able to help the team both on the mound and at the plate was really cool, especially in a district semifinal,” said Soika. “The homer gave us some momentum early, and once I got on the mound, I was just trying to attack hitters and throw strikes. It’s definitely rewarding to impact the game in multiple ways in a game that important.”
The Rovers wasted little time getting on the board in the opening inning. Alex Ely led off with a single, stole second, and later scored when Carson Hayn delivered a one-out RBI single to give Rootstown a 1-0 lead.
Rootstown added to the advantage in the second inning when Soika launched a one-out solo home run to left field on the first pitch he saw. Later in the inning, Ely ripped a two-out double, and George Luli followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0.
Columbiana answered with a run in the bottom of the third after a double and groundout cut the deficit to 3-1, but Rootstown’s pitching staff kept the Clippers from stringing together a big inning.
Harless struck out seven batters over three innings while allowing just one earned run. Soika took over in relief and worked four strong innings to earn the victory, striking out six while allowing two hits and one unearned run.
“What was working best for me was fastball command and being able to mix in my off-speed stuff to keep them off balance,” Soika said. “I felt good attacking the zone, and our defense made a lot of plays behind me too, which helped me stay aggressive.”
Columbiana threatened in the fifth after drawing a pair of two-out walks, but Harless induced a groundout to end the inning and preserve the lead.
Rootstown added an important insurance run in the sixth. Brady Brown reached on an error, and Luli came through again with a two-out RBI single to make it 4-1.
Columbiana mounted one last push in the seventh with a pair of doubles that produced another run, but Rootstown closed the door with a strikeout to end the game and secure the sectional championship.
“I think this win says a lot about the confidence and mentality of our team right now,” Soika said. “We trust each other, compete hard, and we know we’re capable of making a run. We’re excited to keep playing.”
Top Players
- RJ Soika (Rootstown): 1-for-3, HR, RBI, run scored; 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 6 K
- George Luli (Rootstown): 2-for-4, 2 RBI
- Alex Ely (Rootstown): 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B
- Bryce Harless (Rootstown): 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K
