See how Indian Hill won district baseball championship behind Ben Liebel's shutout

KINGS MILLS, Ohio - Ben Liebel has already had a dominant pitching performance in a district championship game.

The Indian Hill senior pitched six shutout innings against Chaminade-Julienne in the 2023 Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II tournament. He allowed three hits and struck out 13, but the game ended in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss as C-J scored a walkoff winner.

Liebel took the mound again Thursday against Bellbrook in this year’s district championship at Kings High School.

He shut down the opposing offense again, but this time the Braves took an early lead and Liebel did the rest for a 5-0 win over Bellbrook.

Indian Hill won its first district championship since 1993, according to head coach Cary Daniel. The Braves, now 22-6, will face Badin in next week’s regional semifinals.

“It’s our first time (there) in a long time,” Liebel said. “We’re super excited to get a chance to play this regional. We can’t wait.”

Liebel threw a two-hit shutout against the Golden Eagles (19-10). He struck out four and walked none, picking up his second win of the season and lowering his ERA, which was 2.03 going in.

“Shoutout to my team,” Liebel said. “They supported me with runs. They support me at practice. Today was a product of all the work they put in, all the coaching we’ve been getting, all the hours we put in. They had a lot of faith in me. I’ve got my guys behind me, so I came out feeling great. I was able to get out there and shove knowing my guys would make plays behind me.”

Liebel threw strikes on 64 out of 81 pitches, nearly 80 percent. He had only thrown 20 innings going in due to injury, but recorded his second shutout.

“Ben has always been very reliable,” Daniel said. “He hasn’t had many opportunities to go out there and start, but this is what he does. Today, he was himself. Reliable, throws strikes and mixes it up. He’s a competitor.”

The Braves scratched out five runs with contributions from most players in the lineup.

The Braves have seven players with at least 20 RBI, led by Dylan Hartman with 30. Hartman also bats .400. Indian Hill averages more than nine runs per game and had a team batting average of .345 entering the contest.

Indian Hill averages more than six steals per game and had several at key moments against Bellbrook. Senior Nick Rinala had 35 going in, and was batting .423 with 43 runs scored.

“We got nine guys in our lineup that give competitive at-bats,” Daniel said. “They’ve been doing it all year. They get in there, compete, with two strikes try to put the ball in play and make the other team make a play . . . They get after it on the base paths. We put a lot of pressure on the pitchers. Most guys on our team can run, and we can take bases because we understand the game. These guys have bought in and they want to learn.”

What’s next for the Braves

Indian Hill will face Badin, the sixth-ranked team in the state in Division II, May 30 at Mason’s baseball field.

“Badin is tough,’ Daniel said. “They play at a different level. They swing the bat really well, they pitch really well. They hit the ball one through nine, so we’ve got to play defense.”

Stars of the game

Ben Liebel, Indian Hill: The senior pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking four and walking none. He also hit an RBI double in the third inning.

Jonathan Copfer, Indian Hill: He singled and scored in the third as part of the Braves’ three-run inning. In the fifth inning, he singled, stole second, then stole third, racing home for the team’s fifth run when the throw to third went into the outfield.

Dylan Hartman, Indian Hill: He drove in the first run of the game with a single in the first inning.

Trent Hartman, Indian Hill: He put down a squeeze bunt to score Devlan Daniel and give the Braves a 2-0 lead in the third inning.

Ashton Graham, Indian Hill: He hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning to give the Braves a 3-0 lead.

Evan Hindman, Indian Hill: He made some key defensive plays at shortstop, including the relay on a double play in the fourth inning.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: See how Indian Hill won district baseball championship