LIBERTY TOWNSHIP – The Arcanum baseball team defeated Cincinnati Mariemont 9-3 in tournament action to claim the OHSAA 2026 Division V District Championship.
The Trojans have collected their share of district runner-up trophies over the last 13 years, but not the one they really wanted. That changed on Saturday as Arcanum finally hoisted the coveted district championship trophy for the first time since 2013.
“Yeah, it’s been a while,” veteran coach Randy Baker said. “Playing in these big games, it was a heartbreaker last year in the first round falling to Graham, who went on to the state finals. We thought we had a really good team last year and lost a couple guys this year, but this team has believed all year. We came out here excited today, we played really loose there to start, and you can tell when we’re ready to play. We did that today by putting constant pressure on them.”
Arcanum struck first in the opening inning. Regan Christ led off with a line drive to right field and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Kolton Quigney for a 1-0 lead.
It was no surprise that Christ, undefeated on the mound this year, got the ball to start. Mariemont made him work early, collecting three hits and pushing across a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game.
The Trojans answered right back in the second. Ethan Kearney led off with a base hit, followed by a hit from Cole Kessler. After a strikeout, Kearney and Kessler each advanced on a passed ball. Landon Brewer then singled to left to drive in Kearney, and Christ followed by lacing a double to the gap to score Kessler and Brewer, pushing Arcanum in front 4-1.
Mariemont went to the bullpen, but reliever or not, the Trojans’ bats stayed hot. Derek Longstreth greeted the new pitcher with a shot to right field to score Christ. Longstreth then stole second, and Quigney delivered another RBI with a line drive to center, stretching the lead to 6-1.
Mariemont got one unearned run back in the bottom of the second.
Arcanum returned the favor in the top of the third. With one out, Bishop Cartwright doubled to left field. With two outs and Christ due up, Mariemont chose to intentionally walk him.
Longstreth made them pay, singling to center to score Cartwright and extend the margin to 7-2.
On a bright, sunny day, the heat can wear on a pitcher, but Christ settled in and finally posted a 1-2-3 inning to lighten the load.
Mariemont scored its third run in the bottom of the fifth, but true to form Arcanum answered again. In the top of the sixth, Quigney singled and Kearney doubled him home to make it 8-3.
The Trojans added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Brewer reached on a base hit, and Mariemont again elected to intentionally walk Christ. Longstreth then grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Brewer came around to score. The run came at a cost, as Brewer slid into home with the catcher blocking the plate. As he reached his hand around to touch the base, the catcher’s spikes came down on his hand, but Brewer still managed to score to make it 9-3.
Arcanum made that 9-3 lead stand, with Christ going the distance for a complete game and his 12th win in as many starts this year.
While Christ allowed three hits in the first inning – sometimes as many as he gives up in an entire game – there was no panic in the Arcanum dugout. The Trojans’ mindset was simple: keep scoring and keep the pressure on.
Regan Christ reacts after getting the last out to win district title. (Dale Barger photo)
“We’ve had problems during the year where we’ll score like a five spot in the second inning, like we did here today, and then we’ll throw goose eggs up and we don’t get anything,” Baker explained. “We just kept the pressure on them offensively by getting guys on base. We had runners on every inning, and the guys did a good job of putting balls in play.”
“We made some mistakes, but our guys have each other’s back. Things are going to happen in these games, and you’ve got to stay with it. It takes seven innings, 21 outs to win, so you have to stay focused and I’m very proud of the boys,” Baker added. “These six seniors that we’ve had this year are just tremendous – great leadership, great work ethic. I am so proud of them, and this team, that hard work paid off and got us to this point.”
Arcanum finished with 13 hits, with Longstreth, Brewer, Christ, Kearney, Kessler and Quigney all collecting multiple hits.
With the win, Arcanum improves to 23-4 overall and advances to the Division V Regional Semifinal. The Trojans will face Columbus Academy on Tuesday, June 2 at 2 p.m. at Mason High School, looking to extend their postseason run and add another chapter to a season built on pressure, resilience, and belief.
