Staff photo / Dan Hiner Cardinal Mooney pitcher Ben Oddis delivers during a Division V regional semifinal on Wednesday against Waynedale at Massillon Washington High School.

MASSILLON — The Cardinal Mooney baseball team was playing catch-up for most of the game. But every time the Cardinals tried making a comeback, Waynedale responded.

The Bears slowly extended their lead and eventually beat Mooney 10-4 in a Division V regional semifinal on Wednesday at Massillon Washington High School.

“Gotta play near perfect to beat that team, and I don’t think we were near perfect today,” Cardinal Mooney head coach Eddie Reese said. “Couple balls fall, it’s a different game. Make a couple plays, it’s a different game. Baseball’s hard, especially when it’s June and you’re in a regional.”

Waynedale’s Jordan Miller reached on an error to start the top of the second inning, and Jayden Schlabach got the Bears on the board with an RBI double into the left-field corner. Brayden Steiner singled to put runners on the corners, and then the Bears (26-3) executed a safety squeeze with Logan Troyer to drive in Schlabach.

Then Shane Coblentz led off the third with a single, and Schlabach drove in Coblentz with a single to left field to put the Bears up 3-0.

However, the Cardinals fought back.

Kaden Reese drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the third. And Ford Stacy got the Cardinals back in it with a two-run, opposite-field home run over the right-center fence.

Josh Yoder singled to lead off the fourth for Waynedale, and Hudson Barkman walked. Coblentz hit an RBI double into the left-field corner, Franks plated Barkman on a sacrifice fly and Cameron Miller singled to score Coblentz to extend the Bears’ lead to 6-2.

The Cardinals (19-7) got a run back in the home half to keep the game within striking distance. Trent Litman drew a one-out walk and advanced on a wild pitch. Ryan Reese made it a 6-3 deficit with an RBI single to center.

The Bears got their first two hitters on in the fifth, and they pulled off a double steal to get into scoring position. Yoder plated a run with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly and two more RBI singles made it a 10-3 game.

Stacy added an RBI single for his third RBI in the seventh, but the hole was too deep for the Cardinals.

Ben Oddis took the loss in the start. He allowed six runs – five earned – on seven hits and a walk. He struck out three in four innings pitched.

Tyler Wilson came in to relieve Oddis. He pitched the final three innings, allowing four runs – three earned – on six hits and striking out one. Wilson stabilized the Cardinals on the mound, though. After a rough inning coming out of the bullpen, he blanked the Bears in the final two frames.

“I was proud that we put up some blank numbers defensively in the last two innings and hit the ball a little bit,” Eddie Reese said. “Give us a couple hits, and you never know, might have the tying run out there. … Couple hits, but that’s hard to do when you’re down 10-3.”

The Cardinals have most of the roster returning next season as only four seniors graduate.

This year’s Mooney team won its first district since 2013, so the regional round was new to both the coaches and the players. Eddie Reese said he hopes his players learn how hard it is to win a regional-round game and the importance of staying focused and weathering the ups and downs that occur deep in the tournament.

He said the experience of playing in the regional semifinal could give the team something to build off of in 2026.

“It’s nice to get a taste of it, what it was like,” Eddie Reese said. “We’re young on paper, but we’re kinda experienced as well. It’s a first for us, and hopefully, it’s the new standard here.”