BASEBALL Liberty outlasts Salem

SALEM -- The Liberty High baseball team scored eight runs in the final three innings to defeat Salem 17-16 in a Division II tournament game that took three hours and 30 minutes to play.
Joe Lopez's single brought home Michael Brown with the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Powering Liberty's offense was Tom Blackiston with five hits, seven stolen bases and three RBIs. Fred Battisti had three hits and two RBIs. Lopez had three RBIs.
Next Thursday, Liberty (7-8) will play Chaney at 4:30 p.m. in Mill Creek Park's Wick Recreation Area.
Ken Buckley led Salem's offense with five hits, three runs scored and five RBIs. Losing pitcher Landon Heath (0-5) contributed three hits while Grant Sevek and Zac Grey each had two hits and scored twice for the Quakers (3-19), who squandered a 6-0 lead.
Brian Schwartz's three hits drove in three runs.
Struthers 17, Wilson 0: STRUTHERS -- Bob Benson hit a home run, triple and double to lead Struthers in a tournament game.
Mike Firmstone also had three hits for Struthers (6-13). Bill Bowes' two hits included a triple. Matt Bradley's two hits included a double. Also with two hits was John Neider.
Pitchers Mike Dubos and Jimmy Kribel scattered five hits for the Wildcats.
Matt McBride led Wilson (2-12) with two hits.
Next Thursday, Struthers will play at Canfield in a sectional final.
Regular season: HANOVERTON -- A five-run fifth inning was all Crestview (17-7, 13-1) needed to win its first Tri-County League championship in nine years, as the Rebels defeated United 5-2.
Senior Seth Antram (4-2) scattered three hits and struck out eight to pick up the win. He gave up a lead-off home run in the first inning, then worked four hitless innings.
He gave up a hit in the fifth and another in the sixth.
Matt Thompson led the Rebels with two hits, which included a two-run home run in the fifth.
Senior Jason Muhleman (3-5) gave up six hits and struck out seven in a losing cause for United (7-14, 7-7).