Louisville Blanks Hoban 8-0 to Win Regional Championship, Advances to State – Softball
#18 Louisville 8, #2 Archbishop Hoban 0
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The #18 seed Louisville Leopards Softball Team shut out the #2 seed Archbishop Hoban Knights 8-0 in the DIII Region 9 Regional Championship Friday afternoon at Akron Firestone Stadium. With the victory, Louisville improves to 17-13 on the season and advances to the state tournament for the second time in team history.
Louisville will take on the Mansfield Madison Comprehensive Rams in the Division III State Semifinals on Friday, June 5 at 10:00 AM at Akron Firestone Stadium.
Miller Throws Shutout & Helps Her Own Cause
Starting pitcher Katelynn Miller threw a complete-game five-hit shutout and struck out six to lead the Lady Leopards in the circle. Miller did not surrender any free passes and at one point retired 12 straight Knights batters, retiring the side in order in the third, fourth, and fifth innings.
Miller finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of run-scoring hits to help her own cause. She was part of a trio of three straight doubles in the third inning that doubled the Louisville lead. Miller doubled home Anna Sirohman, who smashed the first of her two doubles in the previous at-bat. Courtesy runner Lilly Seaman then scored on a line-drive double to left field by Addy Campbell.
Miller also drove in Leah Claugus on a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning to remove all doubt and make it 8-0. The RBI base hit also marked the fifth straight inning in which Louisville scored.
Griffith’s 2-Run Homer Puts Leopards in Front Early
Kaitlin Twinem set the tone in the second inning with a leadoff triple to left field. Two batters later, Bailee Griffith crushed an 0-2 pitch off the center-field fence and over it for a two-run homer, giving the Leopards the first lead of the game at 2-0.
The home run was Griffith’s third of the season and the team’s 22nd overall.
Griffith would later reach base again in the fourth inning on an error and was replaced by pinch runner Olivia Gulling. Two batters later, Maggie Baker blasted a line-drive double over the head of the center fielder, plating Gulling to make it 5-0.
Baker’s only previous extra-base hit this season came on a triple against Warren Champion on April 11. Yet, in the biggest game of the season, Baker delivered in the clutch, and there was no hiding her joy as she stood on second.
O’Neill Hits “Little League” Inside-the-Park Home Run
Twinem again got things going in the bottom of the fifth with a one-out double. Shae O’Neill singled the opposite way to right field, easily scoring Twinem from second.
O’Neill then aggressively attempted to take second base, and it worked. The Knights overthrew the ball and it ended up deep into right-center field. O’Neill rounded third and briefly played a game of red light/green light while trying to locate the ball. The ball was nowhere near the infield, and she scored easily despite briefly pausing between third and home to increase the Louisville advantage to 7-0.
In the next half inning, O’Neill followed that up with a diving catch in right-field foul territory. The diving grab produced a key second out after Hoban had singled in the previous at-bat.
Miller Ends All Hoban Scoring Threats
Hoban’s Mariah Rankin led off the game by hitting an 0-2 pitch into center field for a single. Miller responded by getting the next two batters to fly out to Claugus in center and then struck out the next batter to end the frame.
In the second inning, the Knights’ Gracelyn Schultz hit a one-out line-drive single to left field and advanced to second on an error. Miller fanned the next two batters swinging to end the scoring threat and keep the game at a stalemate.
Those strikeouts started her string of a dozen batters retired in order. Hoban didn’t reach base again until Rankin’s one-out single in the sixth inning. She tagged and advanced to second on a flyout, but she was left stranded there as Miller ended the threat with a called third strike.
Claugus Throw Preserves Shutout & Sends Leopards to State
Earlier in the fifth inning, Claugus made a diving over-the-shoulder catch just in front of the warning track in left-center field. The grab prevented a leadoff runner from getting aboard for the Knights and led to a 1-2-3 inning for Miller.
Hoban didn’t reach third base until the final play of the game. Sophia Neilsen cracked a one-out single in the seventh and advanced to second on a groundout. Nevaeh Peters followed with a single up the middle, and Neilsen was given the green light to round third and head home.
Claugus rifled a throw home, and Campbell tagged Neilsen to end the game and punch the Lady Leopards’ ticket to the state tournament. The team celebrated on the infield and slapped hands with the Lady Knights. A few minutes later, each player was presented with a regional championship medal, and the team erupted in celebration again while receiving the regional championship plaque.
Louisville Vs. Hoban Softball Series
Louisville has now won two of its last three meetings with Archbishop Hoban, both in shutout fashion. The Lady Leopards blanked the Lady Knights 4-0 at Hoban last season. Their 8-0 shutout Friday avenged an earlier 3-2 loss at Louisville on April 15.
The Lady Leopards are now 3-6 against the Lady Knights all-time, which includes a 1-1 record in the postseason. Louisville was edged by host Hoban 2-1 in the 2023 sectional finals in their only other tournament meeting.
The 8-0 win is Louisville’s second-largest against the Knights all-time. The Lady Leopards pounded Hoban 26-3 in five innings on April 29, 2011, at the Diamond of Dreams.
Archbishop Hoban had won 10 of their last 12 coming into the contest. They finish the season with a mark of 23-7.
<<< Previous 2026 | Hoban All-Time Series
Lady Leopards Advance to State for the Second Time in Program History
The regional title is the second in team history for Louisville Softball. The Lady Leopards edged Solon 2-1 in 2019 to claim their first regional title in Division I. Many members of this year’s Louisville Softball Team were there to cheer on those 2019 Lady Leopards at the University of Akron’s Lee R. Jackson Softball Field. It was a full-circle moment back in Akron.
Louisville Softball is just the second LHS girls athletic program to advance to an OHSAA state tournament in two separate seasons. Lady Leopards Cross Country punched its ticket to state as a team, finishing third in 2010 and 19th in 2018. On the boys’ side, Cross Country and Wrestling are the only programs to advance to the state tournament multiple times.
Louisville Softball has now won five straight tournament games this year, outscoring the opposition 37-5 in the process. They have also won nine of their last ten postseason games overall.
The Lady Leopards are now 54-39 all-time in the tournament, including a 9-1 record since moving to Division III and a 16-17 mark in postseason games played on a neutral field. They will look to make that neutral-site mark a winning one while, more importantly, seeking their second state championship.
<<< Vs. Holy Name | Tournament History | Vs. Mansfield Madison >>>
UP NEXT: The Lady Leopards will next take on the Mansfield Madison Comprehensive Rams in the DIII State Semifinals on Friday, June 5. Game time is set for 10:00 AM at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
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Louisville Vs. Hoban Softball Box Score
LEOPARDS 8, KNIGHTS 0
Team 123-456-7—R-H-E
Archbishop Hoban 000-000-0—0-5-4
Louisville 022-121-X—8-11-1
ARCHBISHOP HOBAN KNIGHTS BATTING
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mariah Rankin #4 (SS) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Madison Shenigo #6 (2B) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elli Weigand #22 (CF) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Adeline Herstich #27 (3B) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sophia Neilsen #14 (RF) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gracelyn Schultz #29 (1B, P) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nevaeh Peters #16 (C) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Channing Jackson #24 (1B) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kalie Watson #1 (LF) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| TEAM | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
TB: Mariah Rankin 2, Gracelyn Schultz 1, Nevaeh Peters 1, Sophia Neilsen 1
E: Adeline Herstich 2, Mariah Rankin, Sophia Neilsen
ARCHBISHOP HOBAN KNIGHTS PITCHING
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alivia Havanas #10 | 3.1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Gracelyn Schultz #29 | 2.2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| TEAM | 6.0 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
HBP: Gracelyn Schultz
Pitches-Strikes: Alivia Havanas 58-40, Gracelyn Schultz 43-25
Batters Faced: Alivia Havanas 18, Gracelyn Schultz 14
LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS BATTING
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leah Claugus #14 (CF) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anna Sirohman #27 (3B) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Katelynn Miller #16 (P) | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| –Lilly Seaman #2 (CR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Addy Campbell #4 (C) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| –Mia VerBeck #10 (CR) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaitlin Twinem #8 (SS) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shae O’Neill #99 (RF) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bailee Griffith #6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| –Olivia Gulling #29 (CR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taylor Thompson #22 (1B) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maggie Baker #17 (2B) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM | 30 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
2B: Anna Sirohman 2, Addy Campbell, Kaitlin Twinem, Katelynn Miller, Maggie Baker
3B: Kaitlin Twinem
HR: Bailee Griffith
TB: Kaitlin Twinem 5, Anna Sirohman 4, Bailee Griffith 4, Katelynn Miller 3, Addy Campbell 2, Maggie Baker 2, Leah Claugus 1, Shae O’Neill 1
HBP: Anna Sirohman
SB: Leah Claugus
E: Olivia Gulling
LOUISVILLE LEOPARDS PITCHING
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katelynn Miller #16 (W) | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| TEAM | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
WP: Katelynn Miller
Pitches-Strikes: Katelynn Miller 86-59
Batters Faced: Katelynn Miller 25
