The Sweet 16 turned bitter for a pair of Knox County baseball teams on Friday night.
Both Fredericktown and East Knox were bounced out of the regional semifinal in tournament action.
It was a particularly tough pill for the Freddies, who lost 3-2 in 12 innings to Barnesville during the Division III regional semifinals at Muskingum University.
The Shamrocks took a 1-0 lead in the botton of the second, but coach Ryan Hathaway’s squad tied it in its half of the fifth inning.
The game stayed locked up at 1-1 into the 12th, when the Freddies edged ahead 2-1. But Barnesville plated a pair of runs in the final at-bat to eliminate Fredericktown in excruciating fashion.
It was the reversal of the district championship game, when sophomore Xavier Mullins ripped a two-run single for a walk-off 4-3 victory over Amanda Clearcreek.
The Freddies finished a fine season ranked 14th in the state and completed the campaign with a 24-6 record.
Barnesville takes a 23-7 mark into Saturday’s regional title tilt against Minford (24-2).
The scenario was very different for East Knox in the Division IV regional.
Although the Bulldogs lost 8-0 to Berlin Hiland at Lancaster, reaching the regionals for the first time in school history was a feat unto itself.
East Knox began the season 3-9, then got white hot at just the right time. The Bulldogs won 12 of their next 15 games, including the first district championship in school history. Manager Randy Baugher’s club upset Berne Union 7-5 to hoist the trophy last week.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs completed a memorable season with a 15-13 mark.
Hiland boasts a 27-4 record when it meets Lucasville Valley (19-11) on Saturday with the winner earning a trip to the Final Four.
