SHELBY — The Whippets and Warriors are ready for Round 3.
Richland County and Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference rivals Shelby and Ontario will renew hostilities for a third time this season in the nightcap of a Division II Fremont district doubleheader at 5 p.m. Thursday at Fremont Ross High School.
The third-seeded Whippets (17-6) swept the eighth-seeded Warriors (13-12) earlier this month in MOAC play. Shelby won the first meeting 9-1 on May 9 and completed the sweep with a 9-2 victory the following day.
The Whippets advanced with a 5-1 win over No. 9 Madison in last week’s sectional championship game. The Warriors upset second-seeded Sandusky Perkins 6-5 in nine innings.
Shelby and Ontario are two of the eight area schools to advance to this week’s district tournaments.
The action kicks off Monday afternoon when top-seeded and state-ranked Fredericktown hosts No. 14 Liberty Union at 5:30 p.m. Fredericktown punched its ticket to the district with a 6-0 win over No. 19 Madison-Plains. Liberty Union upset No. 10 Cardington 5-1.
Also in Division III, fourth-seeded Crestview takes on No. 1 Edison at 2 p.m. Thursday at Shelby, while No. 3 Wynford takes on No. 2 Oak Harbor in the nightcap. The Cougars beat Kansas Lakota 10-6 in the sectional finals, while Wynford blanked Western Reserve 6-0.
In Division IV, second-seeded Hillsdale plays No. Rittman at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Medina High School. The Falcons blanked Kidron Central Christian 12-0 in five innings behind a one-hitter by Nick Kandel.
In the Division IV Galion district, top-seeded Colonel Crawford takes on No. 5 Mohawk at 4 p.m. at Heise Park. No. 2 Lucas meets third-seeded Seneca East in the nightcap.
The Eagles beat Buckeye Central 10-1 in the sectional championship game. Lucas advanced with a 12-0 win over Lucas.
