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Fairview's Landon Ridgway starts his slide as St. Henry catcher Drew Langenkamp waits for the ball during the bottom of the seventh inning of the 2026 ACME Baseball Congress tournament championship game. Ridgway beat the tag to score the winning run on Calvin Kepler's bases-loaded double to give the Apaches a 4-3 win over the Redskins.
KALIDA - Baseball is a game of opportunities.
For 6 ½ innings, St. Henry took full advantage, led Fairview and looked poised to repeat as ACME Baseball Congress tournament champions. However the Apaches also got an opportunity in the seventh, and with one swing completely changed the game.
A three-run double from Calvin Kepler in the bottom of the seventh inning was all Fairview needed to celebrate, as his team knocked off St. Henry 4-3 at Holy Name Ballpark in Kalida in a thriller to secure the program's first ACME championship.
"Look at spring ball, (varsity baseball coach Mike) Gast had a heck of a year taking us to state and we turn around and graduate 11 seniors. So to say we're here at the state tournament for ACME is crazy," said St. Henry coach Tyler Bruns. "It was an awesome job of our senior leadership and our underclassman for stepping up. We had guys play here that haven't had that opportunity in the spring, so it gives me great anticipation for next spring."
St. Henry's Drew Buschur jumps away after forcing out Fairview's Shady Fritch at third base during Monday night's ACME state final.
The Redskins opened the scoring in the second with timely hits. Singles from Austin Kunk and Drew Langenkamp gave Nick Lefeld all he needed to put the Redskins on the board. His liner to right, while caught, was just deep enough for Kunk to get home with a slide and St. Henry led 1-0.
Kunk was busy in the field early as well over the first pair of frames. Two double play balls came his way, including a line drive he caught right near second base, and it kept starter Tate Boeckman's pitch count a little lower heading into the middle innings.
St. Henry's Tate Boeckman pitches during Monday's ACME state tournament final at Holy Name Ballpark in Kalida.
Fairview struck in the third, as a dropped third strike put Landon Ridgway on first to open a rally. The junior worked his way to third, where Logan Olinger brought him in on a grounder to second and the game was all even.
It did not take long for St. Henry to respond, and the Redskins used big chances over the fourth and fifth innings to build up a 3-1 lead. First it was Langenkamp who put his team ahead in the fourth.
After Kunk led off with a single, Langenkamp drilled a ball off the wall in left so hard it sounded like a wood bat, and it was more than enough to bring in Kunk. The fifth inning saw Boeckman reach on a fielder's choice, while a booted liner off the bat of Cooper LaGuire went as an error but added St. Henry's third run.
Boeckman used big ground balls in the sixth to keep it a 3-1 game, but his offense left the sacks full in the seventh to keep the door open for Fairview.
Bruns trusted Boeckman in the seventh, but two walks and a fielder's choice loaded the bases with just one away. The lefty arm, who was well over 100 pitches on the humid night, fired in a first pitch strike to Kepler and nerves were settled.
Facing a 1-1 count, Kepler looked calmer than any other sophomore might have been. It was for good reason, as the next pitch was his to own and the righty whacked the ball to left field. A backpedaling Harrison Schwieterman could only watch it bang off the wall, and the throw home was just too late. It was just the fourth hit for Fairview all game.
It was a somber end to a solid effort from Boeckman on the mound. The lefty went all 6 ⅓ innings, and struck out five while he gave up four runs with three earned. Kunk and Langenkamp led the offense with two hits each.
"We played a heck of a game," said Bruns. "I could not ask more from Tate. He's been battling shoulder problems for weeks and expected just four or five innings. But he gave everything he had."
Jonah Shininger, who drove in the winning run for Fairview in Sunday's semifinal win over tournament host Kalida, got the win for Fairview and threw all seven frames for the Apaches. He was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player for his efforts.
St. Henry's Will Nietfeld fields a ball at second base during Monday's championshop game.
Despite the tough ending, St. Henry saw three players crack the ACME All-Tournament Team. Boeckman, Kunk and Landon Schwartz, who walked off Archbold in the semifinals, were named to the team.
The rest of the team included Archbold's Isaiahs Garcia and Kalida's Zach Unverferth. Fairview saw Anthony Singer, Hunter Miller and Logan Olinger join Tournament MVP Shininger on the team.
