CONNORVILLE — Barnesville had a very special baseball season in 2021, qualifying for the OHSAA D-III State Tournament.

The Shamrocks opened the 2022 campaign still on the wave of that monumental success by knocking out Buckeye Local, 5-0, Tuesday afternoon at sunny Bill Mazeroski Field.

Coach DJ Butler’s well-drilled red and green charges showed good throwing, superb defense and just enough shots to leave Jefferson County with the win.

“It’s a great way to start the season” Butler offered. “We were a little slow with the bats, but we had a few kids who made progress. Duker (Castello) gave us a big boost.

“Our two pitchers were solid” he added. “Defensively, we made it through every game. We are proud of the way we play on the pitch.

Kyvan Johnson worked the first five innings on the hill for the Shamrocks. He was impressive, striking out eight, walking one while giving up just two hits.

Jaxon Wiley finished with two relief runs. He fanned one, didn’t walk, and was hit for one hit.

Barnesville scored the only point he would need in the second frame. Designated hitter Noah Strauss scored a single but was later erased on a fielder’s pick. Castello delivered a single for a 1-0 lead at Shamrock.

The visitors added another run in the third inning. Jeremy Hunkler persuaded a march to open the inning. He advanced on wild pitch and scored on an RBI single from Logan Shepherd.

Barnesville’s advantage increased to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth. Kason Powell and Castello rapped singles. Powell scored on CJ Hannahs’ pick of a defender. A pair of Panther errors allowed Hannahs to score.

The Shamrocks closed the scoring in the sixth. Hannahs opened with a walk and moved to third on an error. Shepherd brought it home with a ground out.

Senior Matt Scott started on the hill for Buckeye Local and pitched well despite the loss. He left with two outs in the fifth, scattering five hits.

Freshman Kaleb Stang and junior Aiden Polanski made some great relief stints for the Panthers.

“We gave up too many steps early which caused us problems, but other than that I was happy with our throw,” said Buckeye Local head coach Jeff Patrick. “Kaleb did a great job getting us in and out of a big jam.

“Obviously our striking needs to improve, and I think it will.” he added. “We lost against a very good team. Barnesville has a great program, but I think we competed well.

Scott, Corey Olinski and Trey Hoover delivered Buckeye Local’s only hits.

The two teams will meet again today at 6 p.m. in Barnesville. The game was originally scheduled for Friday.

“Doing the state tournament made this group hungrier. We had a great summer and off season,” Butler noted. “Our numbers are up. We have 32 children released.

“It’s a great group of guys. It’s a pleasure to coach them. he added. “We have no problem. Barnesville has always been a baseball town.

Barnesville 5, Buckeye Local 0

Barnesville 011 201 0 – 5 6 1

Buckeye 000 000 0 – 0 3 4

BARNESVILLE: Johnson (wp) 8K, 1BB, Wiley (6) 1K, 0BB and Powell. Castle 2S, RBI; Berger S, 2RBI; Powell D, S; Strauss S; Hannahs RBI.

LOCAL BUCKEYE: Scott (lp) 1K, 5BB, Stang (5) 1K, 2BB, Polanski (7) 2K, 0BB and Olinski. Scott S, Olinski S, Hoover S.