'The job is far from finished': Waynedale wins district title, wants more

CRESTON — Was Waynedale happy after its district championship game against Chagrin Falls?

Sure. They smiled. They laughed. They took a few pictures with family and friends.

But they weren't satisfied.

Waynedale won its second straight district title Wednesday, shutting out Chagrin Falls 3-0 behind another sterling performance from junior pitcher Otto Solorzano. The Golden Bears advance to next week's regional semifinals at Massillon Washington High School, where they'll face Independence at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 1.

"We work really hard throughout the season to get to this point," Waynedale coach Lucas Daugherty said. "We have a strong senior group, and they've had to work had this season. It means a lot. We have strong leadership and a lot of those guys came through."

The Bears' tame celebration for the championship has a simple reason. This isn't the trophy they want. They don't care too much about being back-to-back district champions. They don't even care about being back-to-back regional champions.

They want to be back-to-back state champions.

"Our goal was pretty set at the beginning of the year," Waynedale senior Trey Barkman said. "Our goal is to win a state title. This is just one of the steps. We're definitely going to enjoy it but we're not done, and the job is far from finished."

Of course, to win a state title, they have to take care of business along the way, and the Bears did it in a very familiar way Wednesday — relying on Solorzano's golden left arm.

Solorzano — the winning pitcher of the 2022 Division III state title game — didn't overwhelm Chagrin Falls' hitters. In fact, he worked with runners on base in almost every inning, giving up seven hits. The Tigers loaded the bases in the seventh inning with one out, bringing the potential winning run to the plate on two occasions. Neither had any luck against Solorzano.

When it mattered mostly, Solorzano calmly delivered his best stuff, pitching all seven innings and staying undefeated as a postseason starter. He finished with seven strikeouts while only surrendering one walk.

"Since he's been here, I haven't thought for one moment that Otto is nervous or that he's going to fall apart," Waynedale senior Timmy Short said. "He always seems composed and goes out there and throws strikes. It doesn't matter what the situation is, he's just going to go out there and throw strikes."

Barkman — the other half of Waynedale's devastating one-two pitching punch — showed his appreciation for his teammate's performance.

"He definitely threw a gem," Barkman said. "He got out of some jams most pitchers wouldn't be able to get out of. He's a special kid."

The combo of Barkman and Solorzano — the two players who started every game during last year's playoff run — gives Waynedale two true aces, making them a nightmare matchup going forward in the tournament.

"We know the ball isn't going to be going all over the place," Waynedale senior Timmy Short said. "They're mostly going to be those weak little grounders and pop ups. They're pretty hard to touch as pitchers. We know if we just do our thing (as fielders), make the routine plays, we're not going to do anything special in order to win."

Meanwhile, the Waynedale offense did its job, as the Bears put up two runs in the first to give Solorzano a lead virtually all game long.

Dylan Raber led off the bottom of the first with a single, and then Tristan Franks brought him home with a single of his own — after Raber stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball — to give Waynedale a very early run. Barkman brought Franks home later in the inning with an RBI single.

Solorzano helped his own cause in the third, driving in Short, who led off the inning with a towering double to left.

It hasn't always been a smooth ride for Waynedale this year. There were a few head-scratching losses. Extended stretches when the team offense wasn't producing. Frustrating close games that didn't end in Waynedale's favor.

But now the Bears are taking the lessons they learned in the midst of some struggle and thriving.

"We got our teeth kicked in earlier this year," Barkman said. "We had a couple of losses we shouldn't have had. But we stuck together as a team. Our coaching staff really pushed us to play harder. ... Our goals are still all in place and we can achieve anything."