Staff photo / Neel Madhavan South Range’s Solena DeJesus embraces teammate Gabby Spooner (14) after scoring the go-ahead run in the Raiders’ 1-0 Division V regional semifinal victory over Champion on Wednesday at Youngstown State.

YOUNGSTOWN — For three straight years, South Range has had Champion’s number.

The Raiders and Golden Flashes have met in the regional rounds of the OHSAA softball tournament each of the past three seasons, and for three straight years, the Raiders have emerged victorious.

“Our girls get fired up to play Champion,” South Range head coach Jeff DeRose said. “They have a history that we’re trying to build. I think we’ve started building it, and I think South Range softball is definitely on the map, like Champion still is, was and has been for many, many years.”

In a classic pitcher’s duel on Wednesday, something had to give. South Range’s Solena DeJesus broke a scoreless deadlock in the top of the ninth inning, capitalizing on a Champion throwing error to score the game’s only run. It lifted the Raiders to a 1-0 victory in nine innings on Wednesday in the Division V northeast regional semifinal at Youngstown State.

“To beat a pitcher like Gabby Gradishar for three years in a row, that’s pretty awesome,” DeRose said. “I don’t think many teams can do that. … Last year it was a hit that won the game, this year it was an error that won the game. I always tell our kids, the team that makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win, and today that’s what happened. They made a big throwing mistake, and we got to walk in a run there, and that was the end of the game.”

After eight scoreless innings, the Raiders finally broke through.

A leadoff base hit from DeJesus in the top of the ninth put the go-ahead run on first base. Then, during Gabby Spooner’s at-bat, DeJesus stole second base.

“I was being very aggressive because I really wanted that hit for my fourth at-bat,” DeJesus said. “I thought it was going to be my final one against one of the better pitchers I’ve ever faced. So I knew I had to come up swinging on that first pitch because I knew she was giving me something to hit.”

Spooner popped out to Gradishar in the infield, but then Gradishar tried to throw to second base with DeJesus off the bag. Her throw was low and the ball rolled into the outfield beyond the glove of Flashes second baseman Taylor Rouan.

DeJesus took off, rounded third and bolted home, where she was met and embraced by Spooner and the Raiders’ next batter on deck, Sophia Brogan.

“Honestly, I was trying to get her to bait the throw,” DeJesus said. “When that happened, I knew I had a free lane home. It was a wonderful feeling because I knew she was throwing it, and I just saw (assistant coach) Donnie Feren waving me home. … The adrenaline was pumping and everybody was so hyped up. It was a great feeling seeing my girls cheering me on as I rounded third.”

In the bottom of the ninth, the Flashes popped up in the infield three straight times to end the game.

It was a similar story for most of the afternoon for Champion, which managed just one hit off Raiders pitcher Ashley Rupert, who finished with seven strikeouts and zero walks.

“I want them to remember how good the season they had was. Even though it doesn’t feel like it right now, they did have a wonderful season,” Champion head coach Cheryl Weaver said. “Just wish we could have done it for the seniors. It’s one of those hard ones two years in a row where it all happens so quickly, but they outhit us.”

The Flashes finish the season at 20-6 after winning their third straight district championship. Champion will graduate three seniors, including Gradishar, Sam Strock and Addie Warzala, who missed the season with an injury.

“I’m just proud of the team,” Weaver said. “I’m at a loss for words right now. But they’re a good group of freshmen, and I see good things coming for them.”

Rupert found her spots in the strike zone and kept the Flashes off balance with her movement pitches.

But not to be outdone in the pitcher’s duel, however, Gradishar put on a pitching clinic in her final game for the Flashes before she heads to Penn State in the fall, throwing 18 strikeouts with no walks.

Unfortunately, Gradishar couldn’t showcase her bat against the Raiders. In her four at-bats, she was hit-by-pitch once and intentionally walked three times.

“(I told them) just stay engaged, don’t make a mistake and protect the ball,” DeRose said. “I always tell them, ‘protect the ball and help your pitcher. Do whatever you can to help your pitcher — she’s working her butt off out there for you, help her out.’ We made one error today at shortstop, and believe it or not, I think that error may have worked in our favor. … It was just the one error at short, and that’s it. If we can get through games with just making one mistake, I think we’re going to be hard to beat.”

With the win, South Range moves to Friday’s regional final for the third consecutive season, where it will face Akron Manchester, which defeated LaBrae 9-0 in the second semifinal on Wednesday.

“We went out to Stow one day, just a few weeks ago, and we lost to Tallmadge in the first game,” DeRose said. “Should have won, could have won, but we didn’t. We made our motto right there, no more losses, and that’s been the case. So now, we just got three (games) to go.”