Staff photo / Preston Byers Girard head coach Aaron Alejars (left) celebrates with pitcher Dom Tolone (center) and the Girard baseball team moments after the Indians’ district final victory vs. Ursuline on Friday in Akron.

AKRON — Girard escaped a bases-loaded potential disaster in the bottom of the seventh inning to hold on and defeat Ursuline 4-1 on Thursday in Akron, capturing its first baseball district championship since 1986.

Indians pitcher Dom Tolone flew out Ursuline’s Anthony Triveri to left field for the final out, leaving the tying runs stranded on base and setting off a celebration nearly 40 years in the making.

Moments after taking pictures with the Division IV, Northeast 3 district championship trophy as a team, Girard head coach Aaron Alejars hugged his wife and son, Joey, a sophomore on the team, visibly emotional at the weight of the moment.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the G,” Aaron Alejars said, invoking the team’s slogan. “I preach that to the guys. That’s it. There’s nothing else. Like I said, I’m happy. It’s special to be able to enjoy it with a son, but I look at him as a player first. But some emotions hit there. But I’m happy that he gets to experience that.”

Thirty-three years ago, then-Girard senior Aaron Alejars’ high school baseball career ended with an upset loss to Ursuline in the district title game.

It has been a long road back.

Until this season, the Indians had not recorded a winning season since forming the Northeast 8 Conference in 2018. Last year, with a positive record in its sights, Girard struggled down the stretch and finished 12-13. This year, it looked like something similar might happen again.

The Indians were 13-8 entering the final week of the regular season, needing at least one win in the final four games to ensure a winning record. What followed were four consecutive losses, three of which to conference opponents, knocking the Indians out of the running for their first-ever NE8 title.

Nevertheless, Girard entered the postseason with a renewed focus, which it needed to squeak by defending state champion West Branch 5-4 in an eight-inning sectional final win. The Indians similarly edged out Perry by one run in the district semifinal to earn a date with Ursuline, a perennial district finalist.

Thursday, on the campus of the University of Akron, the Indians immediately took advantage of an Ursuline mistake, a common theme of Thursday’s district title clash. After an error, which allowed leadoff batter Will Hynes to reach base, Girard jumped ahead on a Jaden Royal bunt, which scored Hynes, who had stolen second and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Ursuline responded in the bottom of the first inning by recording three consecutive hits off Tolone. The third hit, a single by Rowan Urbach scored Triveri and tied the game at one run apiece.

The Irish, in a moment they would later regret even more so, failed to get across either of the remaining runners on base, striking out twice and popping out to leave both stranded.

Similarly, Girard left two on in the top of the second before both teams’ pitchers and defenses took over; following a Joey Alejars walk in the second, 11 total batters were retired in order.

The Indians broke the pattern with a Camron Herrick single to lead off the fourth inning. Evan Tuttle followed with a walk, and two batters later, Joey Alejars singled to load the bases.

Sensing the importance of the moment, Ursuline head coach Paul Kempe replaced starting pitcher Joe Balog with Dom Polkovitch. Fortunately for the Irish, Polkovitch rose to the moment, fielding a Joe Marsco bunt attempt and forcing Herrick out at home before flying out Hynes for the final out.

Ursuline failed to capitalize on the momentum of Polkovitch on the mound or Luke Kollar’s leadoff single. Instead, Kollar was caught stealing, and Tolone struck out AJ Snyder and Marc DelliQuadri to get out of the fourth inning.

The missed opportunities for Ursuline opened the proverbial door for Girard, who jumped on Polkovitch in the top of the fifth inning.

After a leadoff fly out to left field, Royal singled and was eventually brought home after three more singles, the final of which came from Santino Barone. Joey Alejars then singled, driving home two runners to give the Indians a 4-1 lead.

Unlike the first inning, Ursuline’s offense sputtered in response. The Irish’s side was retired in order in the fifth and the sixth.

Entering the bottom of the seventh, it was do or die for the Irish.

After a leadoff flyout, Kosvan drew a walk. DelliQuadri then walked as well. Tolone, growing visibly frustrated by the home plate umpire’s calls, calmed himself down enough to strike out Balog to bring Ursuline down to its final out.

And then he walked another batter, bringing up Triveri, one of Ursuline’s best players, to the plate.

The Irish, who were able to muster a walk-off hit to beat Villa Angela-St. Joseph in the district semifinal, could not do the same Thursday. Triveri flew out to left field for the final out of the game and the most important out in Girard’s baseball program since 1986.

“I was just trying not to give myself a heart attack again,” Tolone said of the seventh inning. “I walked like three on, but I just trust those guys out there. Those are my guys. I love them. So I just knew if they put the ball in play, they were going to make a play on the situation.

“You got to breathe, look over, look to the guy next to you,” Tolone said. “They put faith in you. And that’s kind of where all my confidence comes from. It’s all the guys behind me who believe in me and know what I’m capable of doing.”

Despite struggles here and there Thursday, Aaron Alejars said that he did not even consider pulling Tolone.

“Never. Not until his pitch count was illegal,” Aaron Alejars said. “He’s been in this experience, and he’s learned from it in the past. And he’s our guy, and there’s nobody else. We were going to win or lose or take him the distance. But I had all the confidence. We have all the confidence in him. It’s a big moment. Maybe he got a little pressure and squeezed the ball a little bit there, and walked a couple guys uncharacteristically for how the day had went. But no, we were riding with him. He’s our ride or die.”

Much like Aaron Alejars did more than 30 years ago, Ursuline’s group of seniors, which went to four district championship games and won a pair, left Skeeles Field on Thursday in disappointment.

But Kempe said they should hold their heads up high for their accomplishments and contributions to the Irish baseball program.

“Our five seniors we have, they came in when we took over the program, and the things they’ve done over four years, and they’ve been a part of, words can’t kind of describe how I feel about them,” Kempe said. “But I’m so proud of that group of seniors. Obviously, we wish we could have got another couple days, but these young men are going to go on and do great things in life.

“I just told them, I said, most importantly, all Ursuline baseball alumni are going to be so proud of the way they left this program and the things they’ve done the past four years, and getting us back where we expect to be every year.”

While Ursuline finishes the season with a 16-12 record, Girard (16-12) has the chance to keep adding wins to its historic year.

The Indians will play Mentor Lake Catholic on Tuesday in Canton.

“Enjoy this tonight, but then back to business,” Aaron Alejars said. “Don’t be satisfied. Don’t take anything for granted in life. What an opportunity, we’re going to embrace it and just push forward.”