LEBANON — Tanner Booth went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and drove in four runs to lead Tri-County North past New Miami 16-1, Saturday, May 20, in a Division IV district final at Lebanon.
With the win, North advances to the regional semifinals on Thursday, May 25, at Bill Davidson Stadium in Springfield. The Panthers will play Newark Catholic at 2 p.m. The winner advances to Friday’s regional final.
Booth drove in runs on a double in the first, a double in the fourth, and a single in the sixth.
North jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the first inning and never looked back in winning their third district title in the past four years.
The Panthers added a run in the second for a 3-1 lead and extended the lead to 7-1 after four.
North tacked on nine runs in its final two at-bats, scoring twice in the sixth and seven more times in the seventh.
North scored on a doubles by Booth and Chandler Sproles in the first inning. In the second, Casey Whipp doubled to make it 3-1.
Sproles earned the win for North tossing seven innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out seven. For the game, North collected 10 hits.
North reached the district by defeating Middletown Christian 12-4 in the sectional final on Wednesday in a game played at Newton High School.
North jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning, but let MC back in the game with a four-run second which featured a walk and hit batter.
The Panthers regained the lead for good in the bottom of the second with a run and added another in the third for a 6-4 lead. They put the game out of reach with a five-run fourth.
Booth earned the win tossing a complete game, allowing three hits and striking out eight.
Bo Hendrickson had four RBIs and Sproles added two. North had just six hits on the night, but took advantage of nine walks issued by MC pitching.
On Monday, North played Carlisle in a regular season game and lost 8-3.
The Panthers, champions of the Cross County Conference, are 19-9 on the season.
