Bly Earns First Career Win

Outstanding pitching, solid defense, and quiet bats were the story on Monday afternoon as the Comets opened up the 2014 season at home with a 1-0 win over Fairfield. First year head coach, Curt Bly, notched his first career win.

Bly sent his ace, Rodney Hutchison, to the mound in this one - and the big right-hander didn't disappoint, tossing a complete-game 1-hit shutout while striking out 8. The Mason offense struggled against Fairfield starter Travis Rowland, who worked 5 solid innings, allowing just one run on one base hit, a bunt single by Chris Martin in the 5th inning. The Comets left the bases loaded in both the 1st and 5th inning today, unable to capitalize on 8 walks allowed by Fairfield pitching.

The lone Comet run scored in the 3rd inning. Connor Bryan and Chris Martin both walked to lead off the inning. One out later, Rodney Hutchison was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tyler Thamann grounded back to the pitcher, who threw home to force out the lead runner - with the Fairfield catcher then throwing to first to attempt the inning-ending double play. As Tyler Thamann hustled to beat out the throw at first, Chris Martin alertly came all of way home from second base, sliding under the return throw and tag at home to score what proved to be the game-winning and lone run of the game.

Mason will play at Fairfield today, April 2nd.

PPD

Mason's away game versus Fairfield was rained out on Wednesday and Thursday and will be made up at a later date. Mason is ranked No. 2 in the latest city polls.

Next up the Comets play an away double-header in Columbus on Saturday versus Grove City and Wooster.

The final game of Saturday's round robin action featured Mason against the host Grove City Greyhounds. After missing the entire 2013 season due to a knee injury, Senior Chris Martin took the mound for his first start of the 2014 campaign.

Grove City struck first in this one, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st. After a 1-out double, a wild pitch and 2 Comet infield errors put the Greyhounds on top after 1 inning of play. The score remained 2-0 heading in to the top of the 6th inning.

In the 6th, the Mason bats finally came alive as the Comets scored 5 runs on 5 base hits to supply Martin and his bullpen all the support they would need. Key RBI singles by Tyler Krabbe and Joey Thomas tied the game at 2-2, and a clutch 2-out, 2 RBI single by T.J. Dunn provided the much-needed breathing room. The Comets came back for more in the 7th, scoring 7 more runs on 5 hits to blow the game open as Mason defeated Grove City by a final score of 12-2.

Chris Martin was sharp in his 6 innings of work, allowing just 2 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 7. Rodney Hutchison and John Robbins combined to pitch a scoreless 7th in relief. Leaders on offense for Mason included:

T.J. Dunn: 2 for 5, double, 4 RBI's
Tyler Krabbe: 3 for 2, double, RBI
Tyler Thamann: 3 for 5, double, RBI
Connor Osborn: 2 for 3, double, 2 RBI's
Joey Thomas: 1 for 1, walk, 2 HBP's, 1 RBI

East will play at Oak Hills on Monday, April 7th, weather permitting.

Last Friday's game versus Oak Hills at Mason was postponed due to rain. Not make up date has been announced.

Comets Sweep Weekend Twin Bill

After a rainy and soggy first week of April, the Comets were able to get back on the field on Saturday, thanks to the hard-working folks up at Grove City High School, who hosted a three-way round robin series between Mason, Wooster, and Grove City.

Mason opened up play against Wooster, coming away with a 17-1 convincing win in a game that ended after 5 innings. Bubby Rice started on the mound for the Comets and was efficient and impressive in his 4 scoreless innings of work, striking out 6 while allowing just one hit and one walk. John Shutrump tossed one inning of relief to close out the game.

At the plate, the Comets struck early and often - scoring 3 runs in the first and 6 runs in the second to blow the game open. Offensive leaders for Mason today included:

Graham Brockway: 3 for 4, double, 4 RBI's
Rodney Hutchison: 2 for 2, 4 RBI's
Connor Bryan: 2 for 3
Nataniel Andemicael: 1 for 1, double, RBI

Mason's away game at Oak Hills on Monday was postponed. Make up date TBA.

______________________________

On Tuesday the Comets got back on the field and secured a 6-1 win over Fairfield. This game was originally schedule April 2nd. No other information was available at the time of this publication.

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Next up Mason (4-0) will meet Lakota West (5-0) for their Reds Futures Showcase tonight at Prasco Park. It will be a battle of the early season undefeateds as neither team has tasted defeat yet. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

The Showcase features 36 games from March 29 to April 27 at the premier baseball parks in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky including nine games at Prasco Park in Mason, games at Crosley Field in Blue Ash and Midland Field in Batavia, as well as 13 games at the collegiate ballparks on the campuses of the University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University and Miami University.

Title sponsor Skyline Chili and presenting sponsor Safeco Insurance will create interactive contests and promotions at each of the 36 games. Tickets for the Reds Futures High School Showcase games are $5 and good for all games on that day. Each ticket includes a voucher good for a free View Level ticket to select 2014 Reds regular season games at Great American Ball Park and also includes a coupon for one free Skyline Chili cheese coney.

The culminating event of the Showcase will be on Sunday, May 4 when players and coaches from the 72 high schools will participate in a "March at the Majors" parade around the field prior to the Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers game at 4:10 p.m. An MVP from each of the 36 games will be recognized on field during pregame ceremonies.

It was a beautiful night for baseball at Prasco Park on Tuesday night as the 4-0 Comets squared off against 5-0 Lakota West in their first GMC meeting of 2014 as part of the Reds Futures Showcase. Both teams sent their ace to the mound in this one - Rodney Hutchison for Mason and Grant Schuermann for Lakota West. And, in a battle of two of the top teams and pitchers in Cincinnati, Lakota West came out on top 3-2.

West scored all 3 of their runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning. After a lead-off infield error and a HBP, the Firebirds were able to string together a couple of base hits, a bases-loaded walk, and a sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead. Rodney Hutchison went the distance on the mound for Mason tonight, allowing only 2 earned runs on 4 hits while striking out 8 and walking 2.

Mason threatened in their half of the 3rd inning, leaving the bases loaded after a couple of walks and a hit batter. While the Comets did manage 5 walks and a HBP off of Schuermann on the night, they struck out 10 times and were held hitless until 2 were out in the 7th when Connor Osborn lined a single to left to break up the no-hitter. Connor Bryan followed with a triple to left-center to score Osborn and force a Lakota West pitching change. Chris Martin lined an RBI single to score Bryan and make it a 3-2 game, but the Comets were unable to complete the dramatic comeback effort - dropping their first regular season game since the 2012 season.

The same two teams square off again Friday afternoon at 5:00 at Mason in what promises to be another hard-fought and important GMC league game.

Mason and Lakota West met for Game 2 of their GMC season series last Friday at Mason. This time the Comets came out on top 4-2 to earn the split with the Firebirds.

Chris Martin was solid on the mound for Mason today, earning the win to move to 2-0 on the season. Martin scattered 5 hits and 1 earned run over his 6 innings of work while striking out 3 and walking 3. Joey Thomas was a workhorse behind the plate, blocking a number of curveball strikes in the dirt and holding the Lakota West baserunners at bay. John Robbins pitched the 7th for the Comets to nail down his 2nd save of the season.

Mason managed only 3 base hits on the day, but generated productive outs and ran the bases aggressively to take full advantage 3 walks and 2 Lakota West errors. Coach Bly has placed a big emphasis on quality at bats, productive outs, and aggressive baserunning. All of those were evident today and, along with great pitching and defense, were enough to defeat a solid Lakota West team this afternoon.

Mason traveled to Oak Hills on Saturday for a GMC matchup. After falling behind 3-0 after 2 innings of play, they were able to grind out an impressive 6-3 win.

With 2 outs and the bases loaded in the 2nd inning, Andy Marzheuser came on in relief for the Comets and literally shut down the Highlanders from there - going the distance to earn his 2nd win of the season. The pitching line for Marzheuser: 5 and 1/3 innings, no earned runs, 3 hits, a walk, and 7 strike outs.

Offensively, the Comets climbed back in the game gradually - scoring once in the 3rd and once in the 4th to pull within one at 3-2 after 4 innings of play. In the 5th inning, Mason took control of the game. Chris Martin reached base on an error and T.J. Dunn doubled to drive him home to tie the game. After Oak Hills elected to intentionally walk Rodney Hutchison, Tyler Thamann made them pay by dropping an absolute bomb to left-center - a 3-run homer to put the Comets up 6-3!

Offensive leaders today for Mason:

Tyler Thamann: 1 for 3, HR, walk, 3 RBI's
T.J. Dunn: 2 for 4, 2 doubles, RBI
Rodney Hutchison: 2 for 3, double, walk, RBI
Michael Beebe: 1 for 3, double, RBI

Next up Mason will visit Lakota East today (weather permitting).

Oak Hills

(mu from 4/4)

PPD

Mason games at Lakota East and home vs. Oak Hills (makeup) were washed or snowed out on Monday and Tuesday. Reschedule dates TBA.

Mason will host Lakota East on Wednesday, April 16th.

On an unseasonably cool yet beautiful sunny day on Wednesday at Mason High School, the Comets met GMC rival Lakota East for the first game of their season series. Despite committing 5 errors in the field, Mason benefited from a fabulous pitching performance by Rodney Hutchison and some timely hitting in the 6th inning to come out on top of the Thunderhawks by a final score of 3-2.

Hutchison showed his toughness early in this one as Lakota East took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st as a result of 2 Mason infield errors. With no outs and the bases loaded, Hutchison struck out two batters in a row and coaxed the next batter to ground out back to the pitcher to stifle what could have been a huge 1st inning for the Thunderhawks. From that point on, Hutchison was very much in command of the game - tossing a complete game 4-hitter to move his record to 2-1 on the season. He struck out 5, walked 2, and hit one batter on the day. His catcher, Joey Thomas, was once again solid behind the dish.

The Comets totaled 9 base hits on the day off of Lakota East starter Kyle Lepper who, himself, pitched a complete game. But, Mason was unable to dent the plate until the bottom of the 6th. Trailing 1-0, Chris Martin led off the 6th with a base hit and promptly stole 2nd. T.J. Dunn singled and Rodney Hutchison singled to drive in the tying run. A SAC bunt by Tyler Thamann put 2 runners in scoring position and Tyler Krabbe followed with the big knock of the day for Mason - a 2 RBI single to left to put the Comets up for good, 3-1.

With 2 outs in the 7th, a Mason infield error and a Lakota East double allowed the Thunderhawks to score a run and make things interesting. But a pop out to shortstop ended the game. Other offensive leaders for Mason:

Jacob Ball: 2 for 3
Joey Thomas: 2 for 3

The Comets were ready to roll at the plate today, scoring 5 runs on 5 hits in the 1st inning as they went on to overwhelm Hamilton at home in 6 innings by a final score of 10-0. Chris Martin was absolutely brilliant on the mound today, pitching a complete game 2-hit shutout to remain perfect on the season at 3-0. On the day, Martin recorded 7 strikeouts while walking on only 2.

The Mason offense was focused, balanced, and disciplined as 9 different Comets contributed to an 11-hit, 5-walk attack that resulted in the team scoring in 5 of the 6 innings played. Kirby Slater came off the bench in the 6th to hit a pinch-hit walk-off RBI single to seal the win for Mason. Other leaders on offense included:

T.J. Dunn: 3 for 3, double, walk, RBI
Jacob Ball: 1 for 2, double, walk, RBI
Connor Osborn: 1 for 2, double, RBI
Rodney Hutchison: 1 for 3, 2 RBI's

The Comets faced off against Kings in the annual Diamond Classic Youth Night Game on Saturday. After 4 scoreless innings, there were quite a few twists and turns in this one as Mason battled back to win 8-3 before a capacity crowd at Prasco Park.

Andy Marzheuser pitched another gem for Mason tonight, sailing through his first 5 innings of work, allowing no runs and only 1 hit. He took the mound in the bottom of the 6th leading 2-0 after a 5th inning 2-run home run by Chris Martin. But, the Knights were able to turn a walk, a single, a SAC bunt, and a hard ground ball off of Marzheuser's glove (scored as an error) in to 2 unearned runs - tying the game a 2-2 and forcing a pitching change for Mason. On the night, Marzheuser pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing no earned runs on just 2 hits while striking out 6 and walking 3. John Robbins came on in relief and, one base hit later, the Comets found themselves down 3-2. Robbins battled through to prevent any further damage in the 6th inning.

After the first batter was retired in the top of the 7th, the Comets had their back against the wall. But, they came out swinging - exploding for 6 runs to blow the game open! Connor Bryan singled, and walks to Chris Martin and T.J. Dunn loaded the bases. Rodney Hutchison and Tyler Krabbe both came through with clutch 2-run singles to put Mason back on top. Robbins retired Kings in order in the bottom of the 7th to pick up his first career win to go with his 2 saves so far this season. Offensive leaders for Mason:

Chris Martin: 2 for 2, home run, 2 walks, 2 RBI's
Tyler Krabbe: 2 for 4, double, 2 RBI's
Rodney Hutchison: 1 for 4, 2 RBI's
John Robbins: 2 for 3, walk

Next up Mason will visit Hamilton on Monday, April 21st.

Mason traveled to Hamilton to face an always-tough Big Blue squad and, one again, found a way to win with limited offense as they came away with a 3-2 victory.

The Comets played errorless baseball in the field, and catcher Joey Thomas turned in another solid performance behind the dish - to go with his two-hit performance at the plate. Rodney Hutchison scattered 9 hits over his 6 innings of work to earn the win, running his season record to 3-1. He finished with 6 strike outs and no walks on the day. Hamilton had a chance to do real damage in the 3rd inning, as their first four batters hit singles to take a 2-1 lead and load the bases with no outs. But, Hutchison pitched his way out of it, getting a ground ball to force a runner at home, an infield popup, and a fly ball to right to end the inning.

Mason hitters tallied only 5 hits on the day against Hamilton pitching, but were patient at the plate as they walked 8 times. A Joey Thomas double in the 3rd and a SAC fly by Connor Bryan put the Comets up 1-0. A Tyler Thamann walk followed by Tyler Krabbe's double tied the game at 2-2 in the 4th. The Comets scored the go ahead run in the top of the 7th. After lead off singles by Connor Bryan and Chris Martin (a bunt single), T.J. Dunn moved both runners in to scoring position with a SAC bunt. Rodney Hutchison walked to load the bases, and Tyler Thamann drove in what would prove to be the winning run with a fielder's choice ground ball. Thamann also walked 3 times on the day, showing solid discipline.

John Robbins pitched the 7th in relief for Mason and, after retiring the 1st two batters in order, allowed 2 hits to make things interesting. But, an infield popout to 2nd ended the game and Robbins logged his 3rd save of the season.

@ East

(makeup 4/14)

The Comets traveled to Lakota East today for Game 2 of their GMC series with the Thunderhawks on Tuesday and were trounced by a score of 10-1. Weak hitting, spotty defense, and a well-pitched game by Lakota East starter Andy Almquist all contributed to a rough day for Mason.

Almquist went the distance for Lakota East, allowing only 4 base hits and 1 earned run while striking out 9 and walking 4. Chris Martin (3-1) suffered the loss for Mason. He pitched 4 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits while striking out 4 and walking 3.

Mason committed 3 errors on the day, which led to an unearned run in the 1st, 4 in the 4th, and 2 more in the 6th. Offensive leaders for Mason:

T.J. Dunn: 2 for 4, RBI
Michael Beebe: 1 for 3, triple

Next up Mason will visit Sycamore today (Wednesday).

The Comets got back in the win column this afternoon, defeating GMC foe Sycamore on the road by a final score of 12-1 in five innings.

Mason has their back to the wall this week, playing 5 GMC games on consecutive days. They needed a quality start today from Bubby Rice, and the senior righthander responded with a complete game win, allowing only 6 hits, no earned runs, and 3 walks while striking out 4. Rice improved his record to 2-0 on the season.

The Comets scored in 4 of the 5 innings played today, including 2 in the 1st and 4 in the 2nd to take a comfortable 6-0 lead. Today's leaders on offense:

Connor Bryan: 2 for 3, double, walk, RBI, 3 runs scored
T.J. Dunn: 2 for 3, double, RBI, 2 runs scored
Rodney Hutchison: 1 for 4, home run, 2 RBI's

In a makeup game rescheduled from April 4th, Mason fell at home to Oak Hills by a score of 11-4. A few Mason errors, a couple of wild pitches, a passed ball, and some timely hitting by Oak Hills allowed the Highlanders to take an 8-0 lead after 3 innings of play today. The Comets fought back but were unable to erase the early deficit.

After completely shutting down the Highlanders a couple of weeks ago at Oak Hills, Mason starter Andy Marzheuser (2-1) lasted just 3 innings today, allowing 5 earned runs on 7 hits while walking 4 and striking out 4. Vince Vannelle made his first career appearance on the mound for Mason in relief, pitching the last 4 innings. He held Oak Hills scoreless through his first 3 innings of work before being touched up for 3 runs in the 7th.

Mason tried their best to climb back in to this one, scoring 3 times in the 4th (leaving the bases loaded) and once in the 6th to make the score 8-4. The Comets left 11 men on base today, hitting several hard line drives right at Oak Hills defenders. But, the Highlanders also played errorless in the field. Leaders on offense for Mason included:

Tyler Thamann: 3 for 4, double
Tyler Krabbe: 2 for 3, 2 RBI's
Connor Bryan: 1 for 4, 2 RBI's, 3 QAB's

Mason (11-4, 9-3 GMC) will host Sycamore on Friday, April 25th.

In a game that lasted just an hour and 15 minutes, Mason came out on the short end of a true pitchers dual - losing at home to Sycamore 1-0 last Friday. Each team had only one base hit on the day.

After a one-out double by Sycamore in the 5th, an outfield throwing error allowed the runner to reach 3rd base. He would ultimately the score the game's only run on a 2-out, 2-strike wild pitch.

The Comets wasted a complete game 12 strike-out pitching performance by Rodney Hutchison(3-2), who was pinned with the loss. Sycamore's Greg Simpson struck out 9 Comets and went the distance for the win. The lone hit of the day for Mason was a 5th inning lead off double by Tyler Krabbe.

Weather permitting the Comets will play at Princeton this afternoon and then host LaSalle on Tuesday.

Rice No-No's Vikings

Mason hosted Princeton Tuesday in GMC play, and the Comets came away with an 8-0 win in a game that was called after 5 innings due to heavy thunderstorms in the area. Senior Bubby Rice (3-0) pitched a no-hitter for the Comets! His pitching line on the day: 5 innings, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. Rice got ahead in the count consistently throughout the game, his battery mate (Joey Thomas) was solid behind the plate, and the Comets backed Rice up defensively with flawless play in the field.

Connor Bryan was a table-setter all day as the Comets' leadoff hitter, and Mason came up with some clutch hitting, as all of their runs crossed the plate after 2 were out. Tyler Krabbe's RBI single drove home Connor Bryan with the game's 1st run in the 1st inning. Rodney Hutchison and Andy Marzheuser (both with 2-out singles) helped the Comets plate 3 more runs in the 3rd. In the 4th, a 2-out single by Tyler Krabbe and doubles by Rodney Hutchison and Joey Thomas produced a 4-run inning to make it an 8-0 ballgame. Today's leaders on offense for Mason:

Connor Bryan: 3 for 4, 3 runs scored, 4 QAB's
Tyler Krabbe: 2 for 3, 3 RBI's
Rodney Hutchison: 2 for 3, double, 2 RBI's

Next up Mason visits Princeton on Wednesday, April 30.

Mason scored in all 5 innings played on Thursday, including 3 in the 1st and 6 in the 3rd, as they blanked Princeton by a score of 16-0 in GMC action.

Senior Chris Martin (4-1) and Sophomore Ben Speer teamed up to shut out the Vikings - striking out 9, walking one, and scattering 5 hits.

A total of 9 Comet hitters banged out 12 hits on the day. Connor Bryan followed up his solid work at the plate yesterday with a 3-run home run to left in the 4th inning. Other leaders on offense for Mason:

Andy Marzheuser: 2 for 3, triple, 3 RBI's
Tyler Krabbe: 2 for 2, RBI
Connor Osborn: 2 for 3, 2 RBI's
Chris Martin: 1 for 2, 2 walks, 2 RBI's, 3 runs scored, 2 stolen bases

Next up the Comets host Colerain on Friday, May 2nd.

Mason came out swinging last Friday, scoring 9 runs in the 1st inning on their way to a 13-3 win in 5 innings over Colerain at home. Rodney Hutchison (4-2) when the distance for the Comets today, allowing no earned runs and 5 hits. He struck out 5 while not allowing a walk. Three Mason errors in the 3rd led to 3 unearned runs for Colerain. Offensive leaders for Mason included:

Chris Martin: 2 for 3, home run, double, 2 RBI's, 3 runs scored
Connor Bryan: 2 for 4, double, 3 RBI's, 3 runs scored
Andy Marzheuser: 2 for 3, double, 2 RBI's
Tyler Krabbe: 2 for 2, 2 walks, 2 RBI's
Joey Thomas: 1 for 2, double, walk, 2 RBI's
Rodney Hutchison: 2 for 4, 2 RBI's

The Comets turned in a solid performance in all phases of the game last Saturday as they defeated Centerville 7-0 in non-league action at Mason.

Andy Marzheuser (4-1) tossed 6 innings of 3-hit baseball to record his 4th win of the season. He was in complete control of this game throughout, walking just one while striking out 10. John Robbins retired the Elks in order in the 7th. Leaders on offense today for Mason included:

Connor Bryan: 2 for 2, home run, 2 RBI's, 2 walks, 3 runs scored, stolen base
Chris Martin: 2 for 3, RBI, walk, stolen base
Andy Marzheuser: 2 for 3, double
Tyler Krabbe: 1 for 2, 2 RBI's, walk

Next up Mason visits Colerain on Monday, May 5th. Tuesday they will host Highlands HS of Kentucky. The Comets are 15-4 overall.

The Comets are the #5 seed in the upcoming Sectional. They will host the winner of Turpin/Wilmington on Thursday, May 15th at 5:00 PM.

Chris Martin (5-1) turned in another solid pitching performance as Mason traveled to Colerain on Monday and defeated the Cardinals 7-2 in GMC action. The senior righthander went 6 1/3 innings today, allowing just 3 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 10 and walking 3. John Robbins closed out a scoreless 7th in relief for the Comets.

Mason was aggressive on the bases and pieced together some timely 2-out hitting in both the 1st and 4th innings today, scoring twice in both of those innings along with a 3-run 6th inning. Leaders on offense today for Mason:

Connor Bryan: 3 for 3, 2 RBI's, 2 stolen bases, 3 runs scored
Chris Martin: 2 for 4, RBI
Rodney Hutchison: 2 for 4, RBI
T.J. Dunn: 2 for 4
Tyler Thamann: triple, RBI

Bubby Rice, Ben Speer, and Vince Vannelle combined to pitch a 4-hit shutout as Mason blanked Highlands (KY) 3-0 in non-league action at Mason on Tuesday afternoon.. After Rice started the game and pitched the first 3 innings, Speer (1-0) pitched the next 3 to record his first career win for the Comets. Vannelle locked down the win and his first career save by retiring the Bluebirds in order in the 7th.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 5th when T.J. Dunn hit an RBI double to drive in Connor Bryan, who had reached on an error. The Comets added 2 more unearned runs in the 6th. Mason had just 5 hits on the day, but solid pitching and defense were the difference in this one.

Mason will visit Middletown on Wednesday, May 7th.

Mason traveled to Middletown in GMC action on Wednesday and came away with a 5-2 win on the strength of another excellent pitching performance - this time by Rodney Hutchison, who moved to 5-2 on the season. Hutchison pitched a complete game, allowing no earn runs, 3 walks, and just 2 hits. He struck out 14 Middie batters today. With the score at 3-2 in the 7th, Michael Beebe executed a crucial suicide squeeze bunt which resulted in 2 Mason runs to provide the Comets some breathing room. Other leaders on offense today:

Connor Bryan: triple
Tyler Thamann: triple
Andy Marzheuser: double

With this win, Mason moved to 18-4 on the season and clinched a 2nd place finish in the GMC this season behind Lakota West. They will host Middletown today for their final league game. On Saturday the Comets will host Lebanon for senior day.

Mason completed GMC play last Friday with a 4-2 victory at home against Middletown. With the win, the Comets finished 14-4 in the GMC - just one game behind Lakota West (15-3). Overall, Mason is now 19-4 on the season.

Andy Marzheuser (4-1) was once again solid on the mound today, pitching a complete game 5-hitter. Marzheuser was in command throughout this game, striking out 12 while walking none.

Mason had 6 base hits on the day and were led by Joey Thomas, who went 2 for 3 with a solo home run in the 2nd inning. The Comets picked up 2 unearned runs in the 5th, the result of a Middletown infield error.

The Comets play a non-league contest at home on Monday against Lebanon (Senior Day) before heading in to sectional tournament action at home on Thursday against Tuesday's Wilmington/Turpin winner.

Mason carries exactly 10 seniors on this year's roster, and Coach Bly had them all in the starting lineup last Monday for Senior Day. The guys responded big time as they exploded for 14 runs on 13 hits to overwhelm Lebanon 14-2 in 5 innings.

Comet pitchers limited the Warriors to 2 unearned runs on just 4 base hits. Senior Bubby Rice got the start and the win today to improve to 4-0 on the season. He pitched the first 3 innings, allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks. Rodney Hutchison and John Robbins each pitched a scoreless inning to keep Lebanon at bay.

Connor Osborn had a career day today - belting his first home run (a 2-run homer to left) to go with an RBI single, a perfect SAC bunt, and an inning-ending and run-saving diving catch in left field. He finished the day with 4 RBI's and 3 runs scored. Other offensive leaders for Mason:

Tyler Thamann: 2 for 3, home run, double, 3 RBI's, 3 runs scored
Chris Martin: 2 for 3, triple, double, walk, 3 RBI's
Joey Thomas: 2 for 3
Graham Brockway: 2 for 3, 2 runs scored
Jacob Ball: 1 for 2, double, 2 RBI's

There is no doubt that today's Senior Day will go down as one of the best in the long history of Mason Comets Baseball. Hats off to a great group of seniors who will be truly missed next year!

Thursday nights first round sectional game was postponed and rescheduled for today (Friday) weather permitting. Mason (#5 seed) will host Turpin at 5:00 PM. Turpin (#23 seed) defeated Wilmington 7-1 to advance and meet the Comets.

Alumni note: University of Cincinnati freshman infielder Connor McVey (Mason Class of 2013) was named National Hitter of the Week. Click here for a link to the story. Congratulations Connor!

SECTIONAL

vs. Turpin

@ Mason 5:00

SECTIONAL FINAL

vs. Oak Hills

@ Elder, 5:00

Mason BB Wins Sectional

After spitting the two league games against Oak Hills this season, the Comets faced off against the Highlanders once again. This time the stakes were a bit higher: a sectional championship. And, the Comets were dominant from beginning to end today - securing their 3rd consecutive sectional title by a final score of 10-2.

Rodney Hutchison (7-2) pitched a gem for Mason, scattering just one earned run and five hits over his 6 2/3 innings of work. He finished with just one walk while striking out 4 on the day. Hutchison also helped get the Comets on the board in the first by smacking a 2-run single. John Robbins entered with 2 outs in the 7th to close the game for Mason.

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the 1st, the Comets responded with 4 runs in the 1st and 2 more in the second to take control of the game. Seven different Mason hitters combined for a balanced and potent 9-hit offensive attack today. Other leaders on offense included:

Tyler Thamann: 2 for 3, triple, RBI
Tyler Krabbe: 2 for 3, double, RBI

Mason moves on to the District Championship on Saturday, May 24th vs. Milford. That game is scheduled to be played at Western Hills HS at 2:00 PM. The winner will advance to next weeks Regional Semi-Final on Wednesday, May 29th at the University of Cincinnati.

DISTRICT FINAL

vs. Milford

@ Western Hills 10:30

BASEBALL REPEATS AS DISTRICT CHAMPS!

Sweet Sixteen!

How "sweet it is" once again for the Comet Baseball team. For the second consecutive year, Mason squared off last Saturday against Milford for a District Championship. In a hard-fought pitchers dual, the Comets came out on top by a final score of 2-1 behind an outstanding pitching performance by Chris Martin.

Martin (6-1) tossed a complete game 5-hitter and did not walk a single Milford batter. He finished with 7 strike outs on the day while both teams played errorless defense.

The Comets got on the board in the top of the first. After back to back one-out singles by Chris Martin and T.J. Dunn, Andy Marzheuser knocked an RBI single to give Mason the early lead. The Eagles scored their run in the bottom of the 2nd to even the score at 1-1, and the game remained tied until the top of the 7th.

Tyler Krabbe led off the 7th with a single, and Joey Thomas was hit by a pitch. Connor Osborn got a SAC bunt down to put both runners in scoring position with 2 outs. Krabbe then alertly broke for home on a wild pitch, and was safe on a close play at the plate - putting the Comets on top 2-1. Martin retired the Eagles in order in the bottom of the 7th to secure the District Championship for Mason.

The Comets (24-4) advance to the Regional Semi-Final game this Thursday at 2:00 PM vs. Troy at Marge Schott Stadium on the campus of the University of Cincinnati.

REGIONAL SEMI-FINAL

vs. Troy

@ UC, 5:00

For the second straight year, the Comets earned an opportunity to play in a regional semi-final game at University of Cincinnati's Marge Schott Stadium. This time, they got the win as Rodney Hutchison pitched a complete game shutout to lead Mason to a 5-0 win over Troy. Hutchison was nearly flawless on the day, scattering just 4 hits while striking out 8 and allowing no walks. The Comets played errorless defense behind him as well.

Mason scratched out a total of 10 hits on the day, and scored all 5 of their runs in the 3rd inning as a combination of Comet hits and 3 Trojan errors led to the big inning. Leaders on offense for Mason included:

Rodney Hutchison: 3 for 3, walk, RBI
T.J. Dunn: 2 for 4, double, RBI
Andy Marzheuser: 2 for 4, double, RBI

REGIONAL FINAL

vs. Moeller

@ UC 5:00

In a game that will likely be long-remembered among the Cincinnati area baseball community, Mason came up a little short in their quest for a Regional Championship this past Saturday, falling to Moeller in 9 innings by a final score of 4-3. The large crowd at U.C.'s Marge Schott Stadium saw an absolute thriller as the Comets, down 3-1 with 2 outs and nobody on in the bottom of the 7th, came back to tie Moeller 3-3 and send the game to extra innings.

Chris Martin started the game on the mound for Mason, and held the Crusaders scoreless until the top of the 4th. Moeller scored 2 in the 4th on 4 base hits and a Comet error to take a 2-0 lead, and Andy Marzheuser came on in relief to secure the final out in the 4th inning and pitch the 5th and 6th as well. A solo home run to deep left by Tyler Krabbe in the Comet half of the 4th made it a 2-1 ballgame.

Moeller picked up a run in the top of the 6th to go up 3-1. After his brilliant performance the prior night, Rodney Hutchison took the ball once again for Mason and courageously finished the game.

After the first 2 Mason batters were retired in the 7th, Chris Martin singled and T.J. Dunn doubled off the wall in left. After a two-base infield error by Moeller, the game was suddenly tied 3-3 with the winning run on second. Logan Williams entered the game to pinch run at 2nd base, and a single to left by Rodney Hutchison nearly won the game for Mason. But, Williams was cut down at the plate after a solid throw from Moeller's left fielder and a violent collision with Moeller's catcher, sending the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 9th, Moeller's first two batters reached base via an infield error and a walk. One out later, an intentional walk loaded the bases. The next batter was hit by a pitch to score what would prove to be the winning run. Hutchison battled to get out of the inning with no further damage, and the Comets were unable to score in their half of the 9th.

Mason's outstanding season came to end as the Comets posted a record of 25-5 and earned the program's second consecutive District Championship. They secured the program's first Regional Runner-Up trophy since 2010. Several Comets received all-GMC awards. First team: Chris Martin, Rodney Hutchison, T.J. Dunn, and Connor Bryan. Second team: Joey Thomas and Tyler Krabbe.

Congratulations to all the players and coaches on another outstanding season!

Stewart Tosses NO-NO in Mason Rout

Mason Softball squashed Princeton 20-0 in their season opener on Monday. Tory Stewart recorded a no hitter while striking out 10 Vikings. Liz Hillen contributed to the offense with a home run.

Next game is the home opener against Colerain on Wednesday, April 2nd.

The Mason softball team improved to 2-0 Wednesday behind the second no-hitter of the season for Tory Stewart. A rainy day tried to wash Stewart's six strikeout effort away but to no avail. The rain, heavy at times, made it difficult for both pitchers to get a good grip on the ball. Credit senior catcher Liz Hillen with a gutty defensive effort keeping many pitches in front of her.

The Comets immediately took advantage of the game conditions by scoring ten runs in the first inning. Two more runs scored in the fourth inning on back to back singles by Stewart and Hailey Ellis plating Jess Casciotti and Jordan Sullivan respectively.

Mason is ranked No. 1 in the latest city polls. The Comets next head to Columbus this weekend for a three game set at Pickerington Central.

Mason Softball was able to get in a double-header this past weekend in Columbus. Unfortunately, the results were not as favoarable as the weather. The Lady Comets dropped a 7-4 decision to Granville and 5-4 game to St. Francis. An evening game against Pickerington was cancelled. No other information was available.

Next up Mason will host Middletown on Monday, April 7th, weather permitting.

Mason dropped a tough one to GMC foe Hamilton on Tuesday. Hamilton scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning tie the game at 7-7. Mason threatened in the top of the seventh but couldn't push across a run. In extra innings Big Blue drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Junior Emily Leeson pitched all nine innings.

Despite a 15 hit attack, the Lady Comets could not best the home team. Casey Miller was on fire at the plate with a four hit game. Jordan Sullivan, Gabby LaSala, and Erin Rockstroh each chipped in three hits a piece.

Mason looks to get back in the win column after a three game skid against Sycamore on Wednesday.

No report

The girls softball team handed Lakota West their first conference loss of the season on Thursday, April 17th by a score of 3-1. No other information was available.

No report

The Lady Comets defeated Bloom Carroll 1-0 on Saturday. No other information was available on the game.

Next up Mason hosts Princeton on Monday, April 21st.

No report

Mason defeated Princeton 16-0 on Monday, April 21st. Next up they visit Colerain this afternoon (Wednesday).

No report

Mason defeated Colerain 20-0 on Wednesday, April 23rd. Next up they will host Hamilton on Friday April 25th.

The Mason Comets used the long ball and played great defense to beat Hamilton Friday evening 10-0. Juniors Gabby LaSala and Hailey Ellis both homered to help push the Lady Comets win streak to eight. Not only did Mason score ten runs, but they flashed some impressive glove work. In the first inning Mason turned a 4-6-3 double play (Taylor Stewart to LaSala to Casey Miller). In the third inning, Thirdbaseman Erin Rockstroh made a heads up play fielding a bunt, whirling around and throwing a strike to LaSala covering third to get the lead runner. Later in the third, Rightfielder Jordan Sullivan gunned down a Hamilton base runner at home plate.

Tory Stewart notched her GMC leading tenth victory on the season by striking out eight. The win and a Lakota West 17-2 (10-2 GMC) loss has forced a three way tie for first place in the GMC. Mason 11-4 (10-2 GMC) next takes on Middletown 4-14 (2-10 GMC) Monday.

No report

Mason routed Middletown on Monday by a score of 15-0. With the win Mason stays in a tie with Fairfield in the GMC. Both schools have identical 11-2 league records and will face each other this Friday at Mason.

The Lady Comets Softball team extended their consecutive shutout streak to 6 with a 2-0 win against McAuley on Tuesday. Mason (13-4, 11-2) has notched 9 shutouts this season.

Tory Stewart scattered three hits across seven innings while fanning fifteen. Senior Jess Casciotti did an excellent job creating havoc for the visitors by collecting four hits, two steals, and delivering the game winning RBI.

Next up they visit Sycamore on Wednesday, April 30.

NO REPORT

The Mason shutout streak (seven straight) just kept on rolling on Wednesday when the Comets defeated Sycamore 5-0.

This afternoon Mason will host Fairfield in a GMC battle for the top spot in the league. Both teams have identical 12-2 conference records. Fairfield won the first meeting between the two schools back on April 11th by a score of 5-4. Mason is 14-4 overall.

Mason climbed into the drivers seat of the GMC last Friday afternoon. The winner of Friday's game would earn more than a GMC victory. At stake was a chance to stand alone at the top of the conference late in the season. The Lady Comets stepped up to the challenge and beat Fairfield 2-0. The win avenged a 5-4 decision from earlier in the season. Ironically, that loss was the last loss for Mason. Mason has now reeled off twelve straight victories.

Tory Stewart pitched a gem allowing only one hit while striking out seven. Stewart also drove in Jordan Sullivan in the first inning for what would be the winning run. Senior firstbaseman Casey Miller had two hits including a towering home run to right field in the sixth inning.

The Mason Lady Comets beat Ryle High School 12-3 Saturday morning. Senior second baseman Taylor Stewart was in the zone with the stick. Stewart is known for her defensive prowess, however Saturday she lit up the scoreboard with a four hit, two run, five RBI, one steal effort. The big blow was a grand slam in the fourth to break open the game for Mason. Twin sister Tory Stewart also homered. Junior Jordan Sullivan had a three hit, three run, two steal game.

Freshman Taylor Lewis went the distance in the circle for the victory. Lewis settled into a nice groove after the third inning allowing only two hits to finish out the game.

Mason 16-4 (13-2 GMC) gets back to business Monday evening by taking on conference foe Lakota East 19-3 (12-3 GMC).

Mason is the #1 seed in the upcoming Sectional. They host a first round game on Wed. May 14th against the winner of Anderson and Winton Woods.

Mason earned an important GMC win over Lakota East on Monday by a score of 6-1. The victory keeps the Lady Comets first in the standings with two league games remaining.

Next up Mason will host Oak Hills on Wednesday, May 7th. They will complete their GMC schedule at Lakota West (2nd place) on Friday.

GMC Tri-Champ!s

Girls softball fell to Lakota West on Friday by a score of 2-1. The 2014 GMC season ends with three teams sharing the GMC title (Mason, West, Fairfield). The trio of champions all finished with identical 15-3 league records.

The loss snapped a 15 game win streak by the Lady Comets. The hotly contested conference game was a nail biter throughout. Junior Hailey Ellis had two hits including a double. Senior Hannah Mizener tripled in the fourth to score Ellis for the lone Comet run.

For the Lady Comets (19-4) it is their first GMC Championship since the 2010 season.

Mason (#1 seed) will begin post season play against Winton Woods on Wednesday, May 14th at Mason, 5:00 PM. Winton Woods (#20 seed) defeated Anderson 12-4 to face the Comets.

SECTIONAL

vs. Winton Woods

@ Mason 5:00

Mason walloped Winton Woods in the first round of the Sectional Tournament on Wednesday by a score of 16-0.

The Lady Comets (20-4)advance to play the winner of the Seton game on Monday, May 19 at Sycamore, 5:00 PM for the Sectional Championship. The winner will advance to the District Semi-Final contest on Saturday, May 24th, 11:00 AM at Fairfield. Mason is the No. 1 seed in the tourney.

SECTIONAL

vs. Seton

@ Sycamore HS, 5:00

Mason Softball Advances!

The Lady Comets are Sectional Champions for the 10th straight season! Mason defeated Seton High School Monday evening 10-0. Senior pitcher Tory Stewart led a very efficient attack striking out ten while only allowing two hits over five innings. Offensively the Lady Comets pounded out ten hits for the victory. Stewart also paced the offense with three hits. Senior Casey Miller and sophomore Erin Rockstroh each chipped in with two hits a piece.

 Mason 20-5 (GMC 15-3) next takes on GMC foe Lakota West 22-7 (GMC 15-3) for a District Championship this Saturday at Fairfield, game time 11:00 am. The teams split the regular season series.   Mason is the No. 1 seed in the tourney. 

DISTRICT FINAL

vs. West

@ Fairfield, 12:00

Lady Comets Earn Another District Title!

Sweet Sixteen For Softball!

For the third consecutive year the Mason Softball team has won a Southwest District Championship. The Lady Comets used a three-run first to end Lakota West's season and advance onward in the post season. Final score Mason 3 Firebirds 2. Senior pitcher Tory Stewart kept a potent West offense in check by allowing only two hits.

Junior shortstop Gabby LaSala started the first inning rally by driving home Jess Casciotti. Later in the inning catcher Liz Hillen drove home Jordan Sullivan and LaSala for what proved to be the winning runs.

The Mason outfield turned in a couple of spectacular catches in the contest to stymie West scoring attempts. Junior centerfielder Haley Ellis laid out for a diving catch in the second inning and late in the game, senior leftfielder Hannah Mizener made a beautiful over the shoulder running catch.

Mason (21-5) will face a familiar foe in GMC rival Fairfield (23-5) in the upcoming regional semi-finals Thursday at Northmont High School at 5:00 PM. Both teams were regular season GMC Co-Champs and split a pair of games in the regular season.

Regional Semi-Final

vs. Fairfield

@ Northmont, 5:00

LADY COMETS BACK TO THE REGIONAL FINAL!

Mason Advances to Great 8!

It will be deja vu on Saturday at the Regional Softball Final at Northmont. The same two teams that battled last year for a spot in the State Final Four will once again face each other in a winner takes all matchup. The final will be a rematch of the 2013 game in which the Mason Comets defeated Lebanon in a dramatic 1-0 affair.

Mason shutout GMC rival Fairfield 5-0 on Thursday afternoon at Northmont. After leading 1-0 thru 4 innings, the Comets added 4 more in the 5th innning, putting the contest out of reach for the Indians.

Mason's first run of the game was the most dramatic. Hailey Ellis' hit to left field sent Jordan Sullivan scampering home, where Fairfield tried to snuff the score with a throw to the plate. The umpire called Sullivan out and then safe and then determined the run would stand because of obstruction by the catcher.

The Comets' bats awoke en masse in the bottom of the fifth, starting with Gabby LaSala's blast to left field, and Fairfield couldn't overcome the damage despite a late push. Sydney Wyatt's single in the top of the seventh preceded Maddie Koger's shot to left, but both Indians runners were stranded soon after.

The Comets' reward is a date with Lebanon, the top-ranked Division I team in the state coaches' poll. The Warriors defeated Northmont 4-1 to advance to the final. Ninth-ranked Mason (22-5) and the Warriors (31-0) play at noon Saturday in a regional championship at Northmont. The winner moves on to the state semifinals in Akron.

Mason, which shared the GMC title with Fairfield and Lakota West, enters the regional final on a four-game winning streak and has been victorious in 19 of its last 20 outings.

REGIONAL FINAL

vs. Lebanon

@ Northmont, 12:00

In a rematch of the 2013 Regional Final contest this past Saturday at Northmont, this time the Mason girls softball team falls to #1 ranked Lebanon (32-0) 3-2 in the final.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Lady Comets who saw the tables turn on them in the final inning. The Warriors were stunned when Mason took a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Hailey Ellis singled and Liz Hillen walked, Casey Miller successfully sacrificed, and consecutive bunts by Hannah Mizener and Erin Rockstroh counted the runs. The Warriors were able to push across a tying then winning run to advance to the State Final Four.

Mason Softball finishes another outstanding season as GMC tri-champions, Sectional and District champs and Regional runner-up with a 22-6 overall record.

Congratulations to all the players and coaches!

Mason defeated Fairfield on Wednesday by a score of 5-0. See results below:

Singles:

Tsai def. Robertson 6-1, 6-0
Lebedev def. Montague 6-1, 6-1
Kang def. Reist 6-0, 6-0

Doubles:

Boulos-Reid def. Keith-Robertson 6-0, 6-0
Heim-Yu def. Janson-Rizk 6-0, 6-0.

The Tennis team suffered their first loss of the season to Sycamore on Thursday by a score of 3-2. See results below:

Singles:

Indrakanti (S) def. Tsai 6-2, 7-6;
Lebedev (M) def. Narendran 6-7, 7-6, 1-0;
Taylor (S) def. Kang 6-4, 6-1.

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid (M) def. Ahmad-Stern 7-6, 6-4;
Wittenbaum-Venkitarama (S) def. Heim-Yu 6-4, 6-1

Next up Mason visits Columbus Academy on Friday, April 11th.

Friday, 4/11
Mason 5, Columbus Academy 0

Singles:
Tsai def. Wareti 6-4, 6-0;
Lebedev def. Alexander 6-7, 6-3, 1-0;
Kang def. Lawrence 6-1, 6-4.

Doubles: Boulos-Reid def. Jung-Kundur 6-4, 7-6;
Heim-Yu def. Patel-Firouzian 6-1, 6-0.

Upper Arlington 4, Mason 1

Singles:

Shewalter (U) def. Tsai 6-4, 6-2;
Melvin (U) def. Lebedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-3;
Kang (M) def. A.Yang 6-2, 7-5.

Doubles:

Hunter-Zelezny (U) def. Boulos-Reid 6-4, 5-7, 6-1;
Holsopple-Lahrmann (U) def. Heim-Yu 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Record GMC 2 - 1; Overall 3 - 2

PPD to 4/23

Mason tennis matches versus CHCA (Monday) and Princeton (Tuesday) were washed or snowed out. The Princeton contest was resheduled for 4/23.

Next up Mason will host Lakota East on Wednesday, April 16th.

Mason defeated Lakota East 5-0 on Wednesday afternoon. See results below:

Singles:

Tsai def. Menniger 6-0, 6-0;
Lebedev def. Barren 6-0, 6-1;
Kang def. Hoke 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid def. Smolyansky-Clark 6-3, 6-1;
Heim-Yu def. Sutter-Lovell 6-2, 6-2

Mason shut out Colerain 5-0 last Thursday, April 17th. See results below:

Singles:

Tsai def. Friedhoff 6 - 0; 6 - 0
Lebedev def. Laskey 6-1, 6-0;
Kang def. Wessels 6-0, 6-1

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid def. Hensler-Koenig 6-0, 6-1;
Heim-Yu def. Gehner-Koenig 6-0, 6-0.

Next up Mason will host Middletown on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Mason defeated Middletown on Tuesday 5-0. See results below:

Singles:
Tsai def. Williams 6-0, 6-0;
Mackenzie def. Ramsey 6-0, 6-0;
| Default Court | Middletown.

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid def. Green-Kemplin 6-0, 6-0;
Heim-Dulin def. Wieneke-Wiley 6-0, 6-0

The Comets host Princeton today (Wednesday) and will participate in the annual Coaches Classic Thursday and Saturday.

Princeton

(makeup from 4/15)

Mason defeated Princeton 5-0 on Wednesday, April 23rd. See results below:

Singles:
Tsai def. Arroyo 6-0, 6-1;
Lebedev def. Creed 6-0, 6-0;
Kang def. Cunningham 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid def. Williams-Harden 6-0, 6-0;
Heim-Mackenzie def. Shaver-Foster 6-0, 6-0.

Record: GMC 6 - 1; Overall 7 - 2

On Thursday the annual Coaches Classic Tournament got underway and will conclude on Saturday. Below is a breakdown of the event:

5 brackets
37 teams
259 players
Mason entered into 3 brackets with 21 Varsity players

Flight A at Mason
1st Singles - 3rd seed - Luke Tsai
2nd Singles - 2nd seed - Alex Lebedev
3rd Singles - 2nd seed - Young-Jin Kan

1st Doubles - 1st seed - Nadim Boulos & Sean Reid
2nd Doubles - 2nd seed - Craig Heim & Charlie Yu

Coaches Classic

@ Mason

Thursday results from Coaches Classic:

Coaches Classic
Flight A
First singlesQuarterfinals
Hirsch (CCD) d. Carter (Wyoming) 6-0, 6-0
Bercz (Turpin) d. Nosek (Kings) 6-2, 6-3
Tsai (Mason) d. Warstler (Indian Hill) 6-1, 6-3
Indrakanti (Sycamore) d. Stavsky (Seven Hills) 6-0, 6-1

Semifinals
Hirsch d. Bercz 6-0, 6-2
Tsai d. Indrakanti 6-3, 3-1, def.

Second singlesQuarterfinals
Wildman (CCD) d. Montgomery (Wyoming) 6-0, 6-1
Schubert (Turpin) d. Nosek (Kings) 6-1, 6-0
Narendran (Sycamore) d. Schuerer (Seven Hills) 6-0, 6-1
Lebedev (Mason) d. Mandybur (Indian Hill) 6-0, 6-1

Semifinals
Wildman d. Schubert 6-0, 6-0
Narendran d. Lebedev 6-2, 1-6, (10-7)

Third singlesQuarterfinals
Wolf (CCD) d. Murray (Wyoming) 6-0, 6-0
Liou (Sycamore) d. MacNeil (Kings) 6-0, 6-0
Novakovic (Turpin) d. Dheenan (Seven Hills) 6-1, 6-3
Kang (Mason) d. Bhandari (Indian Hill) 6-3, 6-2

First doublesQuarterfinals
Boulos-Reid (Mason) d. Abraham-Ellis (Seven Hills) 6-3, 6-0
Bourbon-Plattenburg (Wyoming) d. Cohen-Musti (Indian Hill) 7-6, (8), 6-2
Yu-Mitra (CCD) d. Freudenberg-Taylor (Kings) 6-1, 6-2
Ahmad-Stern (Sycamore) d. McBeath-Bardua (Turpin) 6-1, 6-0

Second doublesQuarterfinals
Venkitarama-Wittenbaum (Sycamore) d. Cowan-Lima (Indian Hill) 6-2, 6-3
Bennell-Muscatello (Turpin) d. Whitehurst-Benton (Kings) 7-6 (7), 6-0
Chavez-Dheenan (Seven Hills) d. Cohen-Tholke (CCD) 5-7, 7-6 (6), (10-5)
Heim-Yu (Mason) d. Smucker-Emanuelson (Wyoming) 6-1, 6-0

The tournament resumes at Mason on Saturday at 8:00 am with the finals to be played after 10:00 am.

Coaches Classic

@ Mason

Mason Sweeps the Coaches Classic!

For the first time in the Coaches' Classic history, one school has won 3 different flights. That school was Mason!!! There were 21 varsity Mason players playing over the course of two days at four different locations. The coaches classic consisted of 5 flights at 9 locations, 37 teams, 259 players! Mason's domination of the prestigious tourney speaks to the strength and depth of the Comet tennis program.

All 7 Mason Varsity Green players won a plaque or ribbon. As a team they tied in overall points with Sycamore. But since Luke Tsai won the top court, Mason wins with the tiebreaker rule of the team who won the highest court. Therefore, the Mason team was the Flight A Champion! See results below:

FINALS Flight A - Mason Champions 270 points

1st singles - Luke Tsai CHAMPION defeated Asher Hirsch (CCD)- 6 - 2; 7 - 6 -

2nd singles - backdraw - Alex Lebedev (third place) defeated Bret Shubert (Turpin) 8 - 3

3rd singles - J. J. Wolf (CCD) defeated Young-Jin Kang who was runner up (second place) 6 - 1 6 - 0

1st Doubles - Mustafa Ahman/Noah Stern (Sycamore) defeated Nadim Boulos/Sean Reid who were runnerups (second place) 7 - 5; 5 - 7; 6 - 2

2nd Doubles - Aditya Venkitarama/Alex Wittenbaum (Sycamore) defeated Craig Heim/Charlie Yu who were runnersup (second place) 6 - 2; 6 - 3

Total points

1st - Mason 270 points - won by tiebreaker rule of winning court 1

2nd - Sycamore 270 points

3rd - CCD - 255 points

4th Turpin - 100 points

5th - Indian Hill - 60 points won by tiebreaker rule of winning court 1 backdraw

_________________________________

FINALS Flight B - Mason Champions 310 points

Ct 1 Singles Semi-finals: Mackenzie (M) d. Groene (Elder) 6-1, 6-3

Ct 1 Singles Finals: Hensley (Mildord) d. Mackenzie 6-3, 7-6 who is runner-up (second place)

Ct 2 Singles Finals: Zhan (Mason) CHAMPION d. Huxell (Milford) 7-6, 6-2

Ct 3 Singles Finals: Krayterman (Mason) CHAMPION d. Jih (Sycamore) 6-2, 7-5

Ct 2 Doubles Finals: Mathur-Leathers (Mason) CHAMPIONS d. Levitt-Peck (Sycamore) 6-3, 6-4

__________________________________

FINALS Flight C - Mason Champions

Ct 1 Singles Backdraw: Menninger (Lakota East) d. Dulin (Mason) 2-8 - fourth place

Ct 2 Singles Backdraw: Sathe (Mason) third place d. Massoud (Anderson) 8-3

Ct 3 Singles Finals: Rao (Mason) CHAMPION d. Hoke (Lakota East) 6-2, 6-1

Ct 1 Doubles Backdraw: Palani-Sameera (Mason)CHAMPION d. Clark-Smolyansky (Lakota East) 8-3

Ct 2 Doubles Finals: Li-Song (Mason) CHAMPIONS d. Sheth-Thomas (Indian Hill) 6-3, 6-2

Congratulatioins to all the players and coaches in the Mason Tennis Program!

Next up the Comets play their second round match in the State Team Tennis Tourney against Miamisburg at Mason this afternoon, weather permitting. They will visit Oak Hills on Tuesday, April 29th.

Mason defeated Miamisburg 5-0 on Monday at home. See results below:

Singles:
Tsai def. Wells 6-0, 6-0;
Lebedev def. Rinderle 6-0, 6-0;
Kang def. Reazin 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles:
Boulos-Leathers def. Maliekal-Holtzman 6-0, 6-4;
Heim-Yu def. Ruppert-Young 6-0, 6-0.

Mason varsity green defeated Oak Hills 5-0 on Tuesday to send their record to 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the GMC. See results below:

Singles:
Lebedev def. Ryland 6-0, 6-0;
Dulin def. Pearson 6-1, 6-0;
Leathers def. Branner 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid def. Schoonner-Cirkovic 6-0, 6-3;
Heim-Yu def. Hill-Porter 6-0, 6-1.

Next up they will visit Lakota West on Thursday, May 1st.

Mason defeated Lakota West 4-1 on Thursday. See results below:

Singles:
Tsai (M) def. Cross 6-2, 6-1;
Lebedev (M) def. Isele 6-1, 6-0; Blake (L) def.
Mathur 6-3, 2-6, 1-0.

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid (M) def. Kasindhundi-Clarke 6-0, 6-1;
Heim-Yu (M) def. Griffiths-Dougal 6-0, 6-3.

The Comets are 10-2 overall and 8-1 in the league. They will visit CHCA this afternoon and travel to St. Xavier of KY on Saturday.

KY St. X defeated Mason Green 3 - 2 on Saturday. See results below:

1S Tsai (M) defeated Lancaster (K) 6 - 2; 7 - 5
2S Singerman (K) defeated Lebedev (M) 6 - 2; 6- 4
3S Kang (M) defeated Koshewh (K) 6-0; 6-1

1D Graft/Waldeck (K) defeated Reid/Yu (M) 6-3; 6-2
2D Cox/Quinumes (K) defeated Leathers/Dulin (M) 6-0; 6-0

The Comets will host Cincinnati Country Day on Monday, May 5th and host Indian Hill on Tuesday. On Wednesday the Comets play their 3rd match in the State Team Tennis Tournament against Kings HS at home.

Cincinnati Country Day defeated Mason 3-2 on Monday. See results below:

Singles:
Hirsch (C) def. Tsai 6-2, 6-2;
Wolf (C) def. Lebedev 6-1, 6-1;
Kang (M) def. Cohen 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles:
Wildman-Yu (C) def. Boulos-Reid 7-6, 1-6, 6-3;
Heim-Yu (M) def. Tholke-Mitra 7-5, 6-2.

Mason defeated Indian Hill on Tuesday by a score of 5-0. Results below:

Singles:
Tsai def. Warstler 6-0, 6-4;
Kang def. Mandybur 6-1, 6-0;
Heim def. Bhandari 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Doubles:
Boulos-Yu def. Cohen-Lima 6-3, 7-6;
Leathers-Dulin def. Chaudhry-Singh 6-3, 6-4

On Wednesday the Comets play their 3rd match in the State Team Tennis Tournament against Kings HS at home

The GMC Tournament gets underway at Mason on Thursday with finals on Friday. Below are the Mason seeds for the tourney:

1st singles - second seed - Luke Tsai
2nd singles - first seed - Alex Lebedev
3rd singles - second seed - Young-Jin Kan

1st doubles - first seed - Nadim Boulos/Sean Reid
2nd doubles - second seed - Craig Heim/Charlie Yu

State Team Tournament

vs. Kings

Mason defeated Kings 4-1 on Wednesday in the 3rd round of the State Tennis Tournament. See below:

Singles:
Tsai (M) def. Nosek 6-1, 6-2;
Boulos (M) def. Nosek 6-1, 6-4;
Macneil (K) def. Leathers 6-4, 3-6, 1-0.

Doubles:
Lebedev-Kang (M) def. Taylor-Freudenberg 6-1, 6-3;
Heim-Yu (M) def. Whitehurst-Benton 6-0, 6-2.

They move on to play at St. Xavier at a date and time to be determined. Next up Mason will conclude play in the GMC Tournament on Saturday, May 10th at Mason.

GMC Tournament

@ Mason

GMC Tournament

@ Mason

Mason finished 2nd at the GMC Tournament on Saturday. See below:

Team scores: 1. Sycamore 53, 2. Mason 47, 3. Lakota West 34, 4. Lakota East 31, 4. Colerain 31, 6. Fairfield 28, 7. Princeton 22, 8. Oak Hills 13, 8. Middletown 13, 10. Hamilton 9

First singles final
Tsai (MA) d. Indrakanti (S) 6-3, 6-3
Second singles final
Narendran (S) d. Lebedev (MA) 6-1, 7-5
Third singles final
Taylor (S) d. Kang (MA) 6-4, 6-0
First doubles final
Ahmad-Stern (S) d. Boulous-Mackenzie (MA) 7-5, 6-0
Second doubles final
Wittenbaum-Venkitarama (S) d. Heim-Yu (MA) 6-3, 6-4

Next up Mason will host Seven Hills on Monday, May 12th. See Sectional tourney info hosted at Mason below:

Tuesday, 5/13 - 8:00 am - dark
Finals - Saturday, 5/17 - 8:00 am - finish

Singles:
Seed #1 - Luke Tsai - Mason
Seed #2 - Deepak Indrakanti - Sycamore
Seed #3 - Alex Taylor - Sycamore
Seed #4 - Andrew Gordon - Loveland

Doubles:
Seed #1 - Alex Lebedev/Young-Jin Kang - Mason
Seed # 2 - Nakul Narendran/Mustafa Ahmad - Sycamore
Seed #3 - Nadim Boulos/Sean Reid - Mason
Seed #4 - Alex Wittenbaum/Noah Stern - Sycamore

Mason defeated Seven Hills 3-2 on Monday in their final regular season match. The Comets finish at 13-4 overall. See below:

Singles:

Ar.Dheenan (S) def. Dulin 6-3, 6-3;
Heim (M) def. As.Dheenan 6-3, 6-1;
Mackenzie (M) def. Schuerer 6-0, 6-1.

Doubles:
Boulos-Kang (M) def. Abraham-Ellis 6-3, 6-2;
Chavez-Stavsky (S) def. Leathers-Mathur 6-3, 6-3.

Next up: Mason advances to the Sectional semi-finals and finals this Saturday, 8:00 AM at Mason. See brackets below:

In Semis:

Singles:

#1 Seed - Luke Tsai (Mason) will play #3 Seed - Alex Taylor (Sycamore)

Doubles

#1 Seeds - Alex Lebedev/Young-Jin Kang (Mason) will play #4 Seeds - Alex Wittenbaum/Noah Stern (Sycamore)

#3 Seeds - Nadim Boulos/Sean Reid (Mason) will play #2 Seeds - Nakul Narendran/Mustafa Ahmad (Sycamore)

Mason will host St. X in round 4 of the State Team Tennis Tourney on Monday, May 19th at 4:00 PM. The winner of St. X and Mason play the winner of Sycamore and Springboro. The winners of the above matches play in the SouthWest finals. That team winner will go to the OSU for the State Final Four.

Sectional (semis and finals)

@ Mason 8:00 AM

Mason will play St. X for the 4th round (semis) of the State Team Tourney on Monday, 5/18 at Mason

On Thursday, 5/22, Districts are the Linder Family Tennis Center; the district draw is:

Singles 1st Seed Mason - Luke Tsai will play Ian Steiner from Fairmont - 4th Seed Dayton

Doubles 3rd Seeds Mason - Alex Lebedev and Young-Jin Kang will play 2nd Seeds Dayton - Nic Rucells and Eshan Bhatt from Springboro

Doubles 4th Seeds Mason - Nadim Boulos and Sean Reid will play 1st Seeds Troy Michael Keller and Jacob Belcher from Tippecanoe

State Team Tennis (rd 4)

vs. St. Xavier @ Mason

Mason defeated St. Xavier 3-2 on Monday in round 4 of OTCA State Team Tourney. See below:

Singles:
Tsai (M) def. Niehaus 6-1, 6-1;
Lebedev (M) def. Tanveer 6-0, 6-1;
Schulteis (S) def. Kang 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles:
Boulos-Reid (M) def. Momper-Aronoff 4-6, 6-2, 6-3;
Shanahan-Bostick (S) def. Heim-Mackenzie 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Mason plays at Sycamore on Wednesday 5/21 for the OTCA Regional finals! The winner will advance to the State Team Final Four at Ohio State

STATE TEAM TOURNEY

vs. Sycamore

@ Sycamore

Mason fell to Sycamore in the State Team Tourney on Wednesday by 3-1 score. See info below:

Tsai (M) d. Indrakanti 6-2, 6-1; Lebedev (M) vs. Narendran (S) 7-6, 1-3, suspended; Taylor (S) d. Heim 6-0, 6-1. Ahmad-Stern (S) d. Boulos-Reid 6-3, 6-4; Wittenbaum-Venkitarama (S) d. Kang-MacKenzie 6-1, 6-4. Records: S 19-1, M 15-4.

Southwest District Tourney

@ ATP Tennis Center

Mason Super Five Advance to State

After the first round of play in the Southwest District Tournament on Thursday, all 5 Mason boys tennis players have qualified for the OHSAA State Tournament. The final seeding round will be played at the Linder Family Tennis Center on Saturday at 9:00 AM. See first round results below:

Singles First round
Tsai (Mason) d. Steiner (Fairmont) 6-0, 6-1

Quarterfinals

Tsai d. Tatarevic 6-0, 6-2

Doubles First round

Boulos-Reid (Mason) d. Keller-Belcher (Tippecanoe) 6-1, 6-1;

Lebedev-Kang (Mason) d. Rucello-Bhatt (Springboro) 6-0, 6-3;

Quarterfinals

Boulos-Reid d. Bostick-Shanahan 6-4, 6-1;

Lebedev-Kang d. Aronoff-Momper 6-3, 6-0

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Mason history was made at the finals of the Southwest District Tennis Championships on Saturday at the Linder Tennis Center. The Comet Tennis Team advanced 5 players to the Division 1 OHSAA Tennis Championships! The feat marks the first time in program history that Mason has sent 5 players to the state tournament. They included one singles player, Luke Tsai, and two doubles teams, Alex Lebedev/Young-Jin Kang and Nadim Boulos and Sean Reid.

The OHSAA Boys State Tennis Tournament is next Friday and Saturday, May 30 and 31 at the Ohio State University Varsity Tennis Courts beginning at 9:00 AM. For more information and details click here.

__________________________________

Southwest District Final Results...see below:

Semi- Finals

Singles
Luke Tsai defeated Andrew Neihaus from St. X - 6-0; 6-0

Finals

#1 Seed from Mason Sectionals Luke Tsai lost to Zack Berry #1 seed from Springboro 4 - 6; 2 - 6
Luke is the District Runner-up

Luke and Zack hit the ball so hard that they destroyed two balls and Zack blew out the shoe strings in his tennis shoes. Their match was played on court 9 was has stadium seating.

Doubles
In a repeat match from sectionals both Mason and Sycamore teams were in the finals.
#3 Seed from Mason sectional - Alex Lebedev and Young-Jin Kang from Mason defeated #1 Seed from Mason sectional Nakul Narendran and Mustafa Ahmad from Sycamore - 6 - 7 TB 3 - 7; 7 - 5; 7 - 4

This was a high energy match with both sides winning key points, breaking serve, holding serve, breaking racket strings. In fact Alex broke the strings on both of his racquets and had to play the third set with his partner, Young-Jin's racquet. Balls with hit with such fierceness that even one of the tennis balls cracked under the pressure. There was lots of support for both teams.

#4 Seed from Mason sectional was Nadim Boulos and Sean Reid from Mason defeated #2 Seed from Mason sectional Alex Wittenbaum and Noah Stern from Sycamore - 6 - 3; 6 - 0.

Mason dominated this match every point. Nadim and Sean played an exceptional doubles match.

Finals

Alex Lebedev and Young-Jin Kang defeated Nadim Boulos and Sean Reid 6 - 2; 6 - 1

Alex and Young-Jin are District Doubles Champions
Nadim and Sean are Runner-ups

This match was played on Center Court. It doesn't get much more exciting than this for HS tennis players!

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

@ OSU Varsity Tennis Courts, 9:00 AM

A record 5 Mason Players traveled to OSU this past Friday and Saturday to compete in the Division 1 State Tennis Championships.

Day 1 at State

It was an amazing start of the first day of tennis at OSU. With the National Athem playing under a beautiful blue sky and the red, white and blue flag unfurling in the breeze, we all gave thought of how wonderful it is to play on the scarlet and gray tournament-style courts!

First match, was singles Luke Tsai who played Walsh Jesuit's Aaron Sandberg. Luke is a four-time state qualifier. Freshman year, he teamed in doubles with Miguel Cepeda. They came in second! The next year Luke and Miguel were State Doubles Champions. Last year, Luke played singles and was defeated by Jacob Dunbar of Lodi Cloverleaf, who became the sate champion. Aaron Sandberg came in third in singles at State two years ago. Last year, he was the runnerup.

Many coaches felt that the mathup of Tsai and Sandberg was really a semi finals matchup. So, there was a huge crowd and lots of support for both teams. Former classmates of Luke's, including doubles partner, Miguel who is now playing tennis at Boston University and his hitting partner, Jeremy Schneider who plays at Xavier University, were all there.

Fans were not disappointed in the quality of this match. Both players played their A game and hit every shot possible. Kick serves were hard and fast. Returns were angled wide and deep with top spin. Many points were long with drop shots, spins, and lobs. Both players took tumbles as they were running so hard to reach a ball. It was a long three hour match and only two sets were played. The crowd was on the edge of their seat and reacted to every point as they were so engaged in the match.The balls were hit so hard that two of the had to be replaced when the seams burst. In the end, Sandberg won 7 - 5; 7 - 6.

In doubles played, Alex Lebedev and Young-Jin Kang defeated Anthony Kanam and Jake Zelenski from Massillion Jackson 6 - 2 and a close second set 7 - 5. Next they payed Alex Kobelt an C. J. Cash from New Albany. Outstanding points were played by all, but the win went to New Albany 6 - 2; 6 - 4. This New Albany team eventually came in third in the State

Nadim Boulos and Sean Reid played twins Matt Adzema and Nick Adzema from Copley. Boulos and Reid started slow but evolved their quick doubles play. They won 7 - 5 and 6 - 1.

In the next round, they played the same Upper Arlington team of Jack Zelenzny and Eric Hunter. UA defeated Mason in the head-to-head match in a close 3 setter. Today, Boulos and Reid took the win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. This was a big matchup with lots of enthusiastic fans watching and played on court 1. This win propelled Boulos and Reid into the semifinals and Day 2.

Day 2 at State

Boulos and Reid played the first round today again Toledo St. John's Jesuit brothers, Kevin and Ryan Brown. It was a long three setter with Mason winning the first set. Toledo came on strong and took the win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

In the consulation round, Boulos and Reid were defeated by New Albanys' Alex Kobelt and C. J. Cash 6-3; 6-0.

Boulos and Reid won fourth place medals at State!

Congratulations to all the Comet players and coaches on another outstanding season!