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LOGAN — Poise is a word that simply seems to not only be in Gabe Blevins' vocabulary, but also the entire Green Bobcats' baseball program, as well.
Friday's OHSAA Division VII District Championship Game between Green and the Trimble Tomcats' baseball program was, simply put, the best example of that type of effort.
Down 3-2 to Trimble through five innings of work, David Shoupe's group rallied as an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning by Uriah Satterfield tied matters, setting up Blevins' game-winning RBI single that the junior lofted to left field in the bottom of the seventh. The hit helped the Bobcats walk it off for the program's second consecutive district championship in the same type of fashion Friday evening, sending Green to the Division VII, Region 27 Tournament by virtue of winning a thriller at Logan High School in Logan.
"You have to have some luck involved, but you also have to have resiliency, and we definitely had that," Shoupe said. "I'm so proud of the guys. It's exciting for these guys and something that we can hang our hat on. I'm proud of what they've overcome and been through to help get our program to this point."
Timely hitting and baserunning proved to be the story throughout much of Green's Division VII District Championship matchup with Trimble.
Leadoff hitter Riddick Jenkins wasted no time getting things moving.
On the very first pitch that he saw to lead off the bottom half of the opening inning for the Bobcats, Jenkins launched a hard-hit line drive over the head of Trimble's RJ McDowell in left field, sprinting all the way to third base as the ball rolled all the way out to the fence in left.
The second pitch that Green saw resulted in senior center fielder Mason Neal driving in Jenkins with an RBI single, putting the Bobcats ahead in near immediate fashion, 1-0, after an inning of play.
Continuing its hot start in the second frame of action, Uriah Satterfield, who led off the second inning for the Bobcats, drew a walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third base on Kase McIntyre's groundout.
That put nine-hole hitter Conner Blanton up at the plate with the opportunity to produce.
Enjoying an outing at the plate against Racine Southern in the district semifinals where Blanton collected two doubles and three RBI in an 8-0 victory over the Tornadoes, Blanton came through again.
The left fielder, who had already made a terrific running catch to end the previous half-inning, drove in his fourth RBI of the district tournament with a single past Trimble third baseman Bennie Warren to give Green a 2-0 lead through two innings complete.
"It feels awesome having teammates like that who can run the basepaths so well," Blevins said. "You know that if you put the ball in play, they're going to find a way to score if they're in position to do so. Our baserunning is how we won the ball game."
With 19 victories in 2026 to their own credit, however, Trimble showed the ingredients that resulted in the recipe of a good team in the middle innings. Following a leadoff single by Kolby Fouts, Caleb Cahoe drove in Fouts with a two-out RBI single to cut the Green lead in half at 2-1. Fouts then got things moving in the top of the fifth again for Trimble by reaching on a single, and after a walk by McDowell, back-to-back RBI singles by Paul Sharp and Caleb Cahoe allowed Trimble to take a 3-2 advantage.
But with one out and the bases loaded for the Tomcats, Blevins forced Warren into a 5-2 groundout, while Green second baseman Brennan Renison proved to be right in position to make a terrific catch on a line drive as the Bobcats entered the sixth inning down just 3-2.
"When I started the game, I felt confident," Blevins said. "When Trimble had that two-run inning, I got down on myself a little bit. In the sixth inning, I came back differently than I did in the fifth. I knew that I had to change my mindset. I was able to really turn it on and felt comfortable on the mound."
"Gabe did a good job keeping his composure and just trying to stay in the zone," Shoupe said. "Trimble is a good baseball team that we just beat. I'm really proud of Gabe and how he handled his composure on the mound. The further you advance into tournament play, the umpires are better and therefore, the zones are tighter too, so you have to adjust. He made that adjustment well."
Blevins also made the adjustment quickly offensively. In fact, it was he who got Green in position to score the tying run with his leadoff single back up Broadway Street. Blevins then stole second base, and on fellow battery mate Noah McMackin's single, helped the Bobcats place runners at the corners.
This put Satterfield, a key leader for Green in many different facets, back up at the plate.
Satterfield came into Friday's district championship game having overcome numerous adversities himself, including torn ACLs on two separate occasions that cost him two full seasons of varsity play.
And like it was destined fate, Satterfield — who had already had a big game prior to the sixth inning by throwing out Trimble's Caleb Cahoe to end Trimble's additional scoring threat in the third inning after scoring Green's second run of the game the half-inning prior — came through. The senior's one-out RBI single over the head of Warren at third base allowed Green to tie the game at three apiece as the contest headed to its seventh, and ultimately, final frame.
"It was a high fastball, and when I hit it, it was really high on the bat, so when I made contact with it, my thought was, 'That's going to be an easy out,'" Satterfield said. "He'll just catch that at third base. But it just carried over his head. I was hyped after that."
"It couldn't happen for a better kid," Shoupe said. "He's coming off two ACL surgeries, had to sit out two seasons. We're so thankful to have him. He's a great young man. He plans on being a doctor and he'll be a great one."
Following a completely clean top half by Green that featured two strikeouts from Blevins, the bottom half saw the top of the order immediately put intense pressure on Trimble, as the Bobcats have done all season against its opposition.
Jenkins ultimately drew a walk on a full count, and after a passed ball that helped Jenkins move to second base, an attempted sacrifice bunt by Mason Neal was misplayed, allowing both runners to reach at the corners with nobody out.
This gave Blevins, who threw seven innings of nine-strikeout baseball while allowing just three earned runs in the game, the opportunity to grab the winning decision.
And after seeing a first-pitch ball, the junior got what he was looking for.
Jumping all over a ball high in the zone, Blevins lofted the pitch over the head of RJ McDowell to deep left field. A sac fly would've won the game, but Blevins did one better as his RBI single brought Jenkins home for the winning run in Green's 4-3 walkoff triumph.
"I knew I had to have my mindset right," Blevins said. "If (Cahoe) put the ball anywhere in the zone, I was going to make contact with it. That was really the mindset."
"That's where having the leadership that we do comes into play," Shoupe said just before being doused with a Gatorade bath by his team. "These guys are bringing each other together ... Feels great to see that. I'm so excited. Pretty emotional right now. Proud of these guys."
"It's going to be a lifelong memory for me," Satterfield said. "Winning two district championships (one boys basketball and one baseball) before graduating high school is special, but I've had a torn ACL in both of those seasons, so to be able to graduate high school and win a district championship and actually contribute, I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
With the win, Green (21-4) sets itself up for a Division VII, Region 27 Semifinal date with Strasburg-Franklin (21-7) on Wednesday, June 3 at 6 p.m. in Athens. A victory at that stage would set the Bobcats up with the opportunity to play either South Webster (19-10) or Newark Catholic (19-7) in the Division VII, Region 27 Final.
"We're excited," Shoupe said. "The more you experience these types of moments, the easier it is to control the feelings and the nerves. We're proud. Hopefully, we can come out and play well on Wednesday."
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Friday's OHSAA Division VII District Championship Game between Green and the Trimble Tomcats' baseball program was, simply put, the best example of that type of effort.
Down 3-2 to Trimble through five innings of work, David Shoupe's group rallied as an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning by Uriah Satterfield tied matters, setting up Blevins' game-winning RBI single that the junior lofted to left field in the bottom of the seventh. The hit helped the Bobcats walk it off for the program's second consecutive district championship in the same type of fashion Friday evening, sending Green to the Division VII, Region 27 Tournament by virtue of winning a thriller at Logan High School in Logan.
"You have to have some luck involved, but you also have to have resiliency, and we definitely had that," Shoupe said. "I'm so proud of the guys. It's exciting for these guys and something that we can hang our hat on. I'm proud of what they've overcome and been through to help get our program to this point."
Timely hitting and baserunning proved to be the story throughout much of Green's Division VII District Championship matchup with Trimble.
Leadoff hitter Riddick Jenkins wasted no time getting things moving.
On the very first pitch that he saw to lead off the bottom half of the opening inning for the Bobcats, Jenkins launched a hard-hit line drive over the head of Trimble's RJ McDowell in left field, sprinting all the way to third base as the ball rolled all the way out to the fence in left.
The second pitch that Green saw resulted in senior center fielder Mason Neal driving in Jenkins with an RBI single, putting the Bobcats ahead in near immediate fashion, 1-0, after an inning of play.
Continuing its hot start in the second frame of action, Uriah Satterfield, who led off the second inning for the Bobcats, drew a walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third base on Kase McIntyre's groundout.
That put nine-hole hitter Conner Blanton up at the plate with the opportunity to produce.
Enjoying an outing at the plate against Racine Southern in the district semifinals where Blanton collected two doubles and three RBI in an 8-0 victory over the Tornadoes, Blanton came through again.
The left fielder, who had already made a terrific running catch to end the previous half-inning, drove in his fourth RBI of the district tournament with a single past Trimble third baseman Bennie Warren to give Green a 2-0 lead through two innings complete.
"It feels awesome having teammates like that who can run the basepaths so well," Blevins said. "You know that if you put the ball in play, they're going to find a way to score if they're in position to do so. Our baserunning is how we won the ball game."
With 19 victories in 2026 to their own credit, however, Trimble showed the ingredients that resulted in the recipe of a good team in the middle innings. Following a leadoff single by Kolby Fouts, Caleb Cahoe drove in Fouts with a two-out RBI single to cut the Green lead in half at 2-1. Fouts then got things moving in the top of the fifth again for Trimble by reaching on a single, and after a walk by McDowell, back-to-back RBI singles by Paul Sharp and Caleb Cahoe allowed Trimble to take a 3-2 advantage.
But with one out and the bases loaded for the Tomcats, Blevins forced Warren into a 5-2 groundout, while Green second baseman Brennan Renison proved to be right in position to make a terrific catch on a line drive as the Bobcats entered the sixth inning down just 3-2.
"When I started the game, I felt confident," Blevins said. "When Trimble had that two-run inning, I got down on myself a little bit. In the sixth inning, I came back differently than I did in the fifth. I knew that I had to change my mindset. I was able to really turn it on and felt comfortable on the mound."
"Gabe did a good job keeping his composure and just trying to stay in the zone," Shoupe said. "Trimble is a good baseball team that we just beat. I'm really proud of Gabe and how he handled his composure on the mound. The further you advance into tournament play, the umpires are better and therefore, the zones are tighter too, so you have to adjust. He made that adjustment well."
Blevins also made the adjustment quickly offensively. In fact, it was he who got Green in position to score the tying run with his leadoff single back up Broadway Street. Blevins then stole second base, and on fellow battery mate Noah McMackin's single, helped the Bobcats place runners at the corners.
This put Satterfield, a key leader for Green in many different facets, back up at the plate.
Satterfield came into Friday's district championship game having overcome numerous adversities himself, including torn ACLs on two separate occasions that cost him two full seasons of varsity play.
And like it was destined fate, Satterfield — who had already had a big game prior to the sixth inning by throwing out Trimble's Caleb Cahoe to end Trimble's additional scoring threat in the third inning after scoring Green's second run of the game the half-inning prior — came through. The senior's one-out RBI single over the head of Warren at third base allowed Green to tie the game at three apiece as the contest headed to its seventh, and ultimately, final frame.
"It was a high fastball, and when I hit it, it was really high on the bat, so when I made contact with it, my thought was, 'That's going to be an easy out,'" Satterfield said. "He'll just catch that at third base. But it just carried over his head. I was hyped after that."
"It couldn't happen for a better kid," Shoupe said. "He's coming off two ACL surgeries, had to sit out two seasons. We're so thankful to have him. He's a great young man. He plans on being a doctor and he'll be a great one."
Following a completely clean top half by Green that featured two strikeouts from Blevins, the bottom half saw the top of the order immediately put intense pressure on Trimble, as the Bobcats have done all season against its opposition.
Jenkins ultimately drew a walk on a full count, and after a passed ball that helped Jenkins move to second base, an attempted sacrifice bunt by Mason Neal was misplayed, allowing both runners to reach at the corners with nobody out.
This gave Blevins, who threw seven innings of nine-strikeout baseball while allowing just three earned runs in the game, the opportunity to grab the winning decision.
And after seeing a first-pitch ball, the junior got what he was looking for.
Jumping all over a ball high in the zone, Blevins lofted the pitch over the head of RJ McDowell to deep left field. A sac fly would've won the game, but Blevins did one better as his RBI single brought Jenkins home for the winning run in Green's 4-3 walkoff triumph.
"I knew I had to have my mindset right," Blevins said. "If (Cahoe) put the ball anywhere in the zone, I was going to make contact with it. That was really the mindset."
"That's where having the leadership that we do comes into play," Shoupe said just before being doused with a Gatorade bath by his team. "These guys are bringing each other together ... Feels great to see that. I'm so excited. Pretty emotional right now. Proud of these guys."
"It's going to be a lifelong memory for me," Satterfield said. "Winning two district championships (one boys basketball and one baseball) before graduating high school is special, but I've had a torn ACL in both of those seasons, so to be able to graduate high school and win a district championship and actually contribute, I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
With the win, Green (21-4) sets itself up for a Division VII, Region 27 Semifinal date with Strasburg-Franklin (21-7) on Wednesday, June 3 at 6 p.m. in Athens. A victory at that stage would set the Bobcats up with the opportunity to play either South Webster (19-10) or Newark Catholic (19-7) in the Division VII, Region 27 Final.
"We're excited," Shoupe said. "The more you experience these types of moments, the easier it is to control the feelings and the nerves. We're proud. Hopefully, we can come out and play well on Wednesday."
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