Five softball teams from the Beacon Journal’s five-county coverage area have won regional titles and advanced to the state final four in their respective divisions.

Here are the teams:

Division I—Hudson

Division II—Archbishop Hoban

Division III—Fairless and Hillsdale

Division IV—Dalton

Posted by Beacon Journal sportswriter Nate Ulrich

Here is a list of area baseball and softball teams that won district titles and are still alive in the state playoffs:

BASEBALL

Division I: Lake

Division II: Walsh Jesuit, Highland, Canton South

Division III: Woodridge, Canton Central Catholic

Division IV: Windham

SOFTBALL

Division I: Hudson, North Canton Hoover

Division II: Archbishop Hoban, Field

Division III: Hillsdale, Fairless

Division IV: Dalton 

Posted by Beacon Journal sportswriter Nate Ulrich

SOFTBALL

Kent Division II district semifinal

Revere 4, Walsh Jesuit 0

Varsity Letters Player of the Game: Revere senior pitcher Zada Lines

Lines allowed six hits and struck out 10 in a complete-game shutout. She also hit a two-run single in the bottom of the second inning to give the Minutemen a 4-0 lead that would hold.

Posted by Beacon Journal sportswriter Nate Ulrich

SOFTBALL

Kent Division II district semifinal

Archbishop Hoban 4, Tallmadge 0

Varsity Letters Player of the Game: Hoban senior oufielder Kerri Davis

Davis had two singles and three RBI to lead the Knights’ offense. Davis hit a two-run single to right field in the bottom of the second inning to give the Knights a 2-0 lead. She also drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to give the Knights a 4-0 advantage.

Posted by Beacon Journal sportswriter Nate Ulrich

Lauren McNeil has quickly made a name for herself as the Archbishop Hoban softball team’s ace pitcher.

McNeil recorded her fifth no-hitter and her third perfect game of the season in a 6-0 win over Garfield Heights Trinity on Friday. She improved her record to 10-1.

Here is the scary part: She’s only a freshman.

“Regardless of what class you’re in, when you come in and pitch as well as she has it’s extraordinary,” Hoban coach Mitch Wagner said. “As good as she’s been on the mound, she’s just as good of a kid. She’s been a good fit for our team. It’s been easy for her to come in as a freshman because she’s so well-respected as a person.”

McNeil struck out 13 batters in seven innings as the Knights improved to 17-1, 12-0 in the North Coast League. Hoban has clinched the NCL title for the third consecutive season. It’s also important to note that McNeil struck out 13 and pitched a perfect game against a good team. Trinity is 16-3.

“The thing that makes her so good is that she has a variety of pitches and she can control them so well that she can throw them any time in the count,” Wagner said. “She throws a rise, change, screw and they all work consistently. And she can throw hard, too, so she has all the tools.”

Hoban defeated Coventry 10-0 to win a Kent Division II sectional title on Tuesday. The Knights advance to play Tallmadge in a district semifinal at 3:45 p.m. Monday at Kent State.

You can bet that McNeil will get the start.