(8) Bay vs. (23) Rocky River, Division II district semifinal capsule – Morning Journal

Bay’s Evan Bottone speeds around the bases against Avon on March 30. (Tim Phillis – For The Morning Journal)

(8) Bay vs. (23) Rocky River

What: Division II district semifinal

When: 5 p.m., May 22

Where: North Ridgeville High School, 34600 Bainbridge Road, North Ridgeville

Records: Bay 16-10, Rocky River 11-15

Bay’s path: Defeated Tallmadge, 7-1

Rocky River’s path: Defeated Firelands, 6-3 and Lutheran West, 11-0

On deck: Winner advances to the North Ridgeville District final to play the winner of Elyria Catholic and Coventry on May 24.

For the record: This is a much closer matchup than the seeding shows between these two GLC West rival schools, and a game that can be viewed as a coin flip. Bay used a sixth-run sixth inning to get past Tallmadge and advance to the district round behind its current senior core yet again. A year ago, the Rockets fell just short of knocking off eventual Division II state runner-up in Akron Hoban, and they want more. Bay’s pitching staff is good, but it’s center fielder Evan Bottone’s time, as he is scorching hot in May each of the last three seasons. It’ll be tough to beat this experienced Bay group. Going up against them are the Pirates from Rocky River, with head coach Ed Piazza’s first year at the helm in Cuyahoga County a success following a long tenure with Elyria. While the record may look underwhelming, Rocky River has had a tough slate and played top-flight competition on its spring break trip to the Carolinas. The Pirates were 6-2 in their last eight games through a May 17 victory over Lutheran West, with ace pitchers Hudson Wissman and Thomas Rossi doing their job. The Pirates’ Achilles heel has been defense, which has been much improved during this recent hot stretch. If they limit the numbers in the error column, their first district run since 2018 could continue with a third straight upset. Rocky River recently beat Bay on May 12 by a 3-0 margin.

Fitzgerald’s pick: Bay