NILES — Heartland Christian and Warren JFK tangled at Eastwood Field on Saturday afternoon on a gorgeous day for a baseball game.

The Lions (5-4) grabbed an early lead on the defending Division IV state champion Eagles, but JFK took advantage of some sloppy defense and walked away with a 12-4 victory.

“We pitched well enough to beat last year’s state champion,” Heartland coach Mark Franken said. “We misplayed a good half dozen pop-ups. We couldn’t field routine ground balls. We’re young. I hope we learn from it.

“This was a big moment for my guys, playing at Eastwood Field. With all of the mistakes, to make them play seven innings, our pitching was actually really good.”

Neither team had a hit until Heartland senior Nate Garzanich smacked a base hit up the middle in the top of the third. The Lions were up 1-0 after a leadoff walk.

A wild pitch allowed pinch-runner Owen Bender to score from third, and Heartland was ahead 2-0.

“We had a lead,” Franken said. “They lost their horse (JFK’s only senior last season, Cam Hollobaugh), but they’re still very good. So, I’m still pretty optimistic about our team.”

The Eagles (6-2) should be optimistic as well. With everyone but Hollobaugh back, the team is loaded with talent.

Senior Michael Mauro led off the bottom of the third with a single. Junior Aidan Rossi knocked in Mauro to make it 2-1.

“It was a great team win,” Rossi said. “The pitchers did a great job. They kept coming back with fastballs. We made enough plays around them to get the win.

“Our goal is obviously to win another state championship. It’s always hard to repeat. Everyone has a target on your back. Our heads are clear of what we want. We’re working very hard right now to accomplish our goals.”

The Eagles loaded the bases after a pair of walks. Junior Jake Hettrick hit a fly ball that was misplayed in right. Two runs scored, and JFK was up 3-2.

Michael Bartoe came in to relieve fellow freshman Freddy Bolchalk for the Eagles in the top of the third. He tossed a 1-2-3 fourth.

“It was a great win,” Bartoe said. “I just tried to pound the strike zone. Being a freshman, I have a lot of room to improve. You have to be on your game. You can’t make the little mistakes. You have to be a good teammate because you’re not always going to get in.”

Rossi and Shrum pounded a pair of RBI doubles as JFK extended the lead. Seth Walker came in to pitch for the Lions and finished off the fourth with a strikeout, but not before the Eagles had a 7-2 advantage.

Mauro’s RBI double drove in Dominic Ryan. JFK was up 9-2 after 5 innings.

The Lions got back in the scoring column in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs. Will Morgan’s grounder plated Drew Walker, and it was 9-4.

Jake Walker pitched the sixth for Heartland. Sophomore Quinn Meola drove in two more runs for the Eagles before Rossi came in to close out the ballgame.

“It wasn’t the prettiest ballgame,” JFK coach Jim Ciambotti said. “Probably on both sides. But, we got the W. At the end of the day, that’s what counts.

“We pitched a couple of young guys. We played our fourth game in four days today. It was good to get some innings out of those kids. Freddy Bolchalk and Michael Bartoe can both expect to get more innings for us this season.”