Credit Hamilton Badin’s defense for three double plays that thwarted repeated comeback effortss by Bishop Watterson. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Three rally-killing double plays played a huge role in this long-awaited showdown between the state’s top-two ranked Division III teams.
Akron, OH – Due to the longevity of two earlier state championship games at 7 17 Credit Union Park on Friday, the eagerly anticipated Division III title game between top-ranked Hamilton Badin and second-ranked Bishop Watterson didn’t start until 8:45 p.m. – more than an hour and a half later than scheduled. The clock already had struck midnight by the time the teams had celebrated/mourned, and boarded their buses.
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But for Hamilton Badin, so often the bridesmaid at these Ohio High School Athletic Association final four events, what did a few more hours matter? The Rams had been waiting some 30 years to hoist the gold trophy.
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“The No. 1 thing in my mind right now is I don’t have to answer that question any more,” 15th-year Badin coach Brion Treadway said with a wry grin directed at a flock of reporters.
That question, posed by avid fans and community members, was this: “When are you finally going to win the championship?”
A 30-year drought in which the Rams made the final four 11 times but went home unfulfilled, finally ended with a 7-2 win over Watterson.
One of the blue bloods of Ohio high school baseball, Fenwick only had two titles (1991 and 1996) and seven runner-ups to show for 17 trips to the state tournament. The third trophy was well earned as the Rams (30-3) finished their incredible run on a 26-game win streak. And they did so against an exceptional 27-4 Watterson squad that came in having won 23 of its past 24 games.
Early runs…Badin’s Colt Emerson scores from second base in the Rams’ 3-run bottom of the first.
“It’s a dreadful experience to come here and not win that last game,” Treadway said. “There is a lot of pride and expectations of success in this program and I’m glad we could finally make a lot of people happy. Let’s face it: Winning matters in life. It pays to be a winner and there’s always consequences when you don’t. There’s no better feeling in the world right now.”
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The outcome in this showdown ultimately was decided the way many championship games are: One team (Badin) made the most of its opportunities while the other (Watterson) squandered too many of them.
“The first thing that comes to my mind is that they made the plays in the field and we were sloppy,” Watterson seventh-year coach Jeff Boulware said. “We knew they were very talented but we felt like we were on the same level. That said, we needed to play clean defense and take advantage of the chances we gave ourselves. We didn’t do that.”
Watterson was just 3 for 14 with runners on base and 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position. The Eagles left nine on base.
But perhaps the most glaring thing any observer would take away from this game was the three double plays Fenwick turned to thwart potential Watterson rallies.
The first came in the fourth inning when Badin’s Eli Wolpert made a running catch in medium-deep left threw and gunned down and Caiden Holcomb trying to advance to third.
In the fifth, the Eagles parlayed three singles, an error and a hit-by-pitch into a run, cutting Badin’s lead to 3-2, and loaded the bases with just one out.
Double plays galore…Watterson’s Caiden Holcomb was doubled up at third on on a caught fly ball to Badin left fielder Eli Wolpert. Third baseman Austin Vangen makes the tag.
Ben Burleson proceeded to hit a hard smash that shortstop Derek Ogden slickly played and turned it into a beautiful inning-ending double play.
And in the sixth, the Eagles got their first two hitters on base but Carter Baldwin hit into a textbook 4-6-3 twin killing.
“All year long, we’ve turned a lot of double plays to kill rallies,” Treadway said. “I think Ogden is the best shortstop in Ohio and he proved that on what might have been the biggest play in the game. Our defense has been incredible all year.”
Added Boulware, “In a game like this, it’s hard to overcome rally-killing double plays like that.”
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In the top of the first, Michael Wozniak doubled and promptly scored on a triple by Michael Mulligan to give Watterson a quick lead. But Mulligan was stranded at third.
Badin responded with three runs of its own and tacked on three more in the fifth to take command.
The Rams’ top seven batters accounted for seven of their eight hits, all seven runs and six RBIs. Starter Brooks Treadway, the coach’s son, ran his record to 7-0.
Badin outscored its opposition 67-5 in its amazing seven-game tourney run.
Mulligan went 2-for-3 with a walk to pace Watterson. Starter Max Steinbrunner, who came in with an 8-0 record, lasted only 3 ⅓ innings and took the loss.
Watterson, which has enjoyed a phenomenal 2025-26 sports season with state championships in football, boys soccer, boys wrestling and girls cross country, couldn’t help but be thankful for a second runner-up (along with boys lacrosse).
The Eagles, who captured state championships in 1988, 1991 and 1997, were making their first trip to the final four 2015 and just ran into a buzz saw.
“I’m really proud of these guys and what they achieved,” Boulware said. “We have a very veteran team that made the regional semis last year and grew from that experience. We have a lot of abnormal athletes who are unbelievably competitive human beings.”
Mulligan conceded that the Eagles simply got beat by a superior team – at least on this night.
“They threw their No. 1 (pitcher) on Thursday and we thought we could get to them but they’ve got a bunch of really good hitters who just kept coming at us,” he said.
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