Southview rallies, stuns Clay in D-I baseball district semifinal

BOWLING GREEN — No. 9 seed Southview baseball stormed back in the late innings and put it away in the eighth to upset top-seeded Clay 12-8 in a Division I district semifinal Wednesday at Bowling Green’s Carter Park.

Avery Offenburg led off the top of the eighth with the go-ahead solo home run, and the Cougars added three more runs that inning to secure the win.

The favored Eagles led 5-0 after four innings of play, but the Cougars plated two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth to take the lead. Clay responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 8-6.

Down to its final outs, Southview scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game, then kept the Eagles off the board in the bottom of the inning to send the game to extras.

After Offenburg’s homer, Ryan DeShetler hit a two-RBI single and Carson Fielding worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 12-8. Clay loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, but Ryan Ragusa struck out one batter and got another to ground out to end the game.

Southview (9-17) advances to Friday’s district final against No. 4 Perrysburg, which beat No. 7 Ashland 8-0. Clay exits the tournament at 21-6.