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Big Red returns to state baseball tourney

ZANESVILLE — They’re back!

For the first time in more than a decade, Steubenville has advanced to the state baseball tournament in back-to-back seasons.

Sunday afternoon at sun-splashed Gant Stadium, Big Red (28-4) scored early and often in dispatching Athens 9-2 in their Division II regional championship game.

With the win, Steubenville will play Thursday at 4 p.m. in the state semifinals against Dayton Chaminade-Julienne at Huntington Park in Columbus.

Sunday’s victory marked the second straight year Steubenville has defeated the Bulldogs (28-4) in the regional final.

“Our kids worked hard to get back to Columbus. They thought there was some unfinished business from last year and we’ve got a chance to redeem ourselves,” said Steubenville coach Fred Heatherington.

Big Red scored five runs in the first inning, thanks to two errors by Athens, a balk and three base hits.

The winners tacked on two more runs in the second to build a 7-0 advantage and coasted from there behind the sold pitching of freshman Calvin Bickerstaff.

Bickerstaff struck out four, walked just one and scattered seven hits in going the distance. He threw 88 pitches with 55 being strikes.

“It really helped my confidence when we scored five times in the first inning,” Bickerstaff said. “I wasn’t really nervous at first, but I did get nervous toward the end. We, as a team, were ready for this game.”

Nicky Zorne had two hits and two RBIs to pace the Steubenville attack.

Also with two RBIs was Johnny Agresta.

Big Red scored single runs in the fifth and seventh to reach the final score of 9-2.

Big Red went to the state tournament in 1991, 1992, 2003 and 2004.

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