COLUMBUS -- Walsh Jesuit completed a stellar season in dominating fashion, shutting out Canal Winchester, 6-0, to win the Div. II state championship Saturday morning. Senior lefty David Starn went the distance, striking out nine, and six different players drove...

Sophomore Johnny Fasola and junior Matt Keller had two hits apiece for a young Walsh team that finished 26-3 and might be even better the next two seasons. The Warriors' only losses were to Div. I state finalists St. Ignatius and St. Edward.

They jumped on Canal Winchester (22-13) with two runs in the first inning and two more in the second. Ross Brunello's RBI double started the scoring, and Ryan Berry knocked in Brunello later in the first.

Berry and Joe Pawlowski delivered RBI singles in the second.

The Indians loaded the bases with two outs in the third but couldn't convert, then started the fourth with two baserunners before Walsh picked off Wes White in a rundown and Starn struck out the final two batters of the inning.

THE GAMES: Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (25-3) vs. Springfield Kenton Ridge (23-6), Thursday, 10 a.m. Canal Winchester (21-12) vs. Chardon Notre Dame Cathedral Latin (22-4), Thursday, 1 p.m. The winners play Saturday at 10 a.m. THE SKINNY: If there's a...

The winners play Saturday at 10 a.m.

THE SKINNY: If there's a clear-cut favorite in any of the four divisions this weekend, it's Walsh Jesuit. The Warriors are balanced offensively, stocked with arms and athletes and haven't allowed a single run since the sectionals.

But in Kenton Ridge, Walsh is facing an experienced team - the Cougars were state runner-up last season - that's more than capable of ending that scoreless streak. Kenton Ridge embraced the underdog role in its regional final by scoring 17 runs and winning via the mercy rule against a Columbus DeSales squad that entered the game 28-1.

Canal Winchester just keeps finding a way to win on an improbable tournament run, and in its way now is another team that's mixed good baseball with good bounces and big breaks along the tournament trail. NDCL has several players with state tournament experience; the Lions lost the 2006 Division II state championship game to Walsh, 3-0.

This year's Lions team benefited from a similarly bizarre situation. They lost in the sectionals to Chagrin Falls before it was discovered Chagrin Falls used an ineligible pitcher. A day later they were back in the tournament and cruised to a third-straight district crown.

The regionals weren't so easy - the Lions sweated out a 6-5 win over Parma Heights Holy Name and then held off a West Branch rally to win, 15-9 - but NDCL is back at the state tournament. Pat McConville and Alex Toth combined to drive in seven runs in the win that sent the Lions back to Cooper Stadium.

STAYIN' ALIVE: Canal Winchester, one of just two teams to advance to the state semifinals despite having double-digit losses, scored five runs in a sixth inning rally to beat Steubenville, 9-5, and win the Zanesville Regional championship.

The Indians, who advanced past the district tournament for the first time since 1992, will likely hand the ball Thursday to junior Wes White, who has two wins and a save in the postseason.

White also had a two-RBI double during Canal Winchester's big inning against Steubenville.

SIT 'EM DOWN: Walsh Jesuit has outscored its opponents 53-2 in postseason play, with the only two runs coming from Akron Buchtel in what became a 22-2 sectional win.

The Warriors survived what was probably the state's toughest Division II district with close wins over a pair of 20-win teams. Tyler Skulina allowed just two hits and struck out 11 in a 1-0 win over Mogadore Field, then David Starn threw a one-hitter in beating Tallmadge 3-0.

Walsh cruised through the Tiffin regional, 10-0 over Lima Shawnee and 17-0 over Medina Highland, to advance to its fifth state tournament. The Warriors won state titles in 1999, 2004 and 2006.

GOOD COMPANY: Walsh's only losses have come against Division I state tournament qualifiers, two to St. Edward and one to St. Ignatius

HEAT CHECK: DeSales had won 19 consecutive games before running into a hot Kenton Ridge offense that scored seven runs in the first two innings and had 16 hits overall in a five-inning win.

Senior Matt Palmer will likely be the Cougars' starting pitcher Thursday against Walsh. He was the DH for Kenton Ridge in last year's state tournament and is still helping with his bat this season; he hit a three-run home run in addition to earning the victory on the mound in Kenton Ridge's regional semifinal win over Cincinnati McNicholas.

THE GAMES: Cleveland St. Ignatius (27-4) vs. Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (24-6), Thursday, 4 p.m. Lakewood St. Edward (22-6) vs. West Chester Lakota West (26-1), Thursday, 7 p.m. The winners play Saturday at 1 p.m. THE SKINNY: Neighborhood rivals from Cleveland...

The winners play Saturday at 1 p.m.

THE SKINNY: Neighborhood rivals from Cleveland join two perennial Southwest Ohio powers for what seems to be a wide-open Final Four. Though three parochial schools have advanced to Columbus, the lone public representative - Lakota West - happens to be the defending state champ and would probably be considered a slight favorite to repeat the feat.

File photoThe state baseball tournament is being held at Cooper Satdium, home of the AAA Columbus Clippers (Washington Nationals) in Columbus, Ohio.

The neighborhood theme, though, goes deeper than just the possibility of a St. Edward-St. Ignatius final. Moeller defeated its archrival, St. Xavier, in last week's regional semifinals, 9-5, before holding off Lakota East - the neighborhood rival of its state semifinal opponent - by the same score a day later.

Lakota West went the Columbus route for its regional and won a trip back this weekend in dominating fashion. Just as dominating along the way, though, has been a St. Ignatius team that's outscored its tournament opponents 57-4 and shutout perennial power Toledo Start, 12-0, in last Friday's Tiffin Regional final.

Ignatius will likely counter with senior Matt Rosinski, a Miami (Ohio) University recruit and, like Williams, a possible selection in Major League Baseball's Amateur Draft, which also begins Thursday. Rosinski is 8-1 on the season.

DEEP THREAT: In a stadium named after an outstanding former catcher, Alex Lavisky of St. Edward showed he's one to keep an eye on in the future.

Just a sophomore, Lavisky homered three times in two days to push the Eagles through the Canton Regional at Thurman Munson Stadium. His two homers in the semifinal helped the Eagles top an efficient Massillon Jackson team that was essentially playing a home game.

Then Lavisky added another - plus a 400-foot triple off the top of the wall - en route to producing four RBI in a 9-5 win over Mayfield to send St. Edward to Columbus.

YOUNG GUNS: First-year St. Edward coach Danny Allie turned to another sophomore to take the mound and record the final six outs of both of the Eagles' regional wins.

His son, Stetson, struck out three and didn't allow a ball out of the infield against Mayfield. Against Jackson, he struck out five of the six batters he faced.

Stetson Allie plays shortstop and hits cleanup for the Eagles, one spot behind Lavisky. Lavisky's three homers last weekend gave him a share of the team lead for the season, at seven, with Allie.

HIT PARADE: Lakota West batted around twice in five innings in a 13-2 regional semifinal victory over Newark, then scored 16 runs the following day in a wild 16-11 win over Gahanna. Senior Craig Gauden had six RBI and pitched five innings of relief in the regional final.

MATCH 'EM UP: Likely pinned with the task of slowing the Firebirds' potent offense Thursday night is St. Edward senior lefty Kevin Lesjack, who's 8-0 on the season and is averaging about one strikeout per inning.

Junior left-hander Nathan Smith, Lakota West's likely starter Thursday, is 11-0 on the season. Smith started the Firebirds' win over Newark, then pitched the final inning and two-thirds of the regional final win over Gahanna to get the win.

Smith has earned the win in Lakota West's last three tournament victories. He pitched a complete game two-hitter as the Firebirds beat Sidney, 1-0, in their district final.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Lakota West beat Ignatius, 8-2, in last year's semifinals.

Ignatius is in the state semifinals for the fifth time this decade. The Wildcats' last state championship came in 2002.

Moeller is in the Final Four for the first time since it won the title in 2004.