After sweeping pool play on Friday, the Chiefs carried their hot bats into Sunday’s elimination rounds, defeating the West Jefferson Golden Gloves 11-5 in the semifinals before knocking off the Ohio Baseball Club 14U squad out of Springfield 7-4 in the championship game.
SEMIFINAL – Chieftains 11, Golden Gloves 5
Bellefontaine punched its ticket to the championship game with an explosive offensive performance against West Jefferson.
Sammy Strayer got the start on the mound and worked around early control issues in the top of the first inning. Despite walking three batters, Strayer struck out two and escaped a bases-loaded jam when Keaton Dinovo hauled in a pop-up at second base to end the threat.
The Chiefs immediately rewarded their pitcher with run support.
Rowan Daring opened the bottom of the first with a single and eventually came around to score on an RBI single by Ean Fultz. After Strayer reached safely and Hudson Banta entered as a courtesy runner, Bellefontaine continued to pressure the defense. Fultz scored during aggressive baserunning and Banta later crossed the plate on a line-drive single from Sennett Stolly, giving the Chiefs a quick 3-0 advantage.
Strayer worked another scoreless inning in the second, and Bellefontaine added three more runs in the bottom half. Bennett Lang drew a walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch during a two-out rally. Daring also scored on a wild pitch, and Banta came around on Fultz’s second RBI single of the afternoon as the lead grew to 6-0.
West Jefferson broke through in the third inning, taking advantage of a hit batter and a two-out single before an error allowed a run to score. The Chiefs answered immediately.
Stolly led off the inning with a single, and Colson Garver reached on an error to put runners on the corners. Dinovo delivered a two-run single to right field, then later scored on an RBI double by Dean Buffkin. Buffkin eventually crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly from Karter Keller as Bellefontaine exploded for four more runs and stretched the lead to 10-1 after three innings.
The Chieftains turned a key double play behind Strayer in the fourth inning to keep West Jefferson off the board, but the Golden Gloves mounted a rally in the fifth. A combination of walks, hit batters, singles, and a Bellefontaine error helped West Jefferson score four runs and trim the deficit to 10-5.
Bellefontaine added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Stolly walked, worked his way around the bases, and scored on an RBI double by Garver. The game ended shortly afterward due to the time limit, sending the Chiefs to the title game with an 11-5 victory.
Strayer tossed 4.1 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit while striking out two. Keller finished the final outs in relief.
At the plate, Fultz led the way with two hits and two RBIs. Dinovo also drove in two runs, while Daring, Stolly, and Garver each recorded two hits. Daring, Banta, and Stolly scored twice apiece as Bellefontaine swiped eight bases as a team.
CHAMPIONSHIP – Chieftains 7, Ohio Baseball Club 4
The championship game provided a much stiffer test, but the Chiefs once again delivered in the biggest moments.
Batting as the visiting team, Bellefontaine struck first in the opening inning. Banta ripped a one-out triple and scored moments later on an RBI groundout by Fultz for an early 1-0 lead.
Ohio Baseball Club answered immediately.
A one-out double sparked the bottom of the first, and consecutive hits allowed OBC to score twice and move in front 2-1.
Facing one of its few deficits of the tournament, Bellefontaine responded in the second inning. Garver singled and Dinovo walked before both runners moved into scoring position. Keller then put the ball in play, and an errant throw allowed both runners to score as the Chiefs reclaimed the lead at 3-2.
Starting pitcher Ean Fultz settled in after the rocky first inning. He struck out the leadoff batter in the second and escaped a jam later in the frame by inducing a flyout to right field, preserving the one-run advantage.
The game swung decisively in the third.
Daring singled, stole second, and scored on a Banta RBI single. After Fultz reached on an error, Strayer drove home another run with a single to center. Bennett Lang scored as a courtesy runner on a Stolly RBI groundout, and William Jenkins later crossed the plate when a relay throw got away from the defense. By the end of the inning, Bellefontaine had turned a one-run game into a 7-2 cushion.
Ohio Baseball Club continued to battle, scoring once in the third inning on an RBI groundout and adding another run in the fifth on a two-out RBI single to cut the margin to 7-4.
Fultz completed five innings of work, striking out three while allowing four runs on eight hits before handing the ball over to Daring for the final inning.
With the offense held scoreless the rest of the way, Bellefontaine needed one last defensive stand.
Daring delivered.
He struck out two batters in the sixth inning and worked around a two-out baserunner created by an error before recording the final out to secure the 7-4 championship victory.
Banta paced the offense with two hits, an RBI, and two runs scored. Fultz, Strayer, and Stolly also drove in runs, while six different Chieftains crossed the plate during the title game.
With the two Sunday victories, Bellefontaine completed a perfect weekend and claimed the 2026 Chieftain Classic championship to complete its defense of the home field.
