Crestview's Isaac Unkefer slides home ahead of the throw to United catcher Wyatt Swanson to give the Rebels a 5-0 lead Wednesday. (Morning Journal/Ron Firth)

Crestview’s Wyatt signals to the dugout after hitting an RBI double against United on Wednesday. (Morning Journal/Ron Firth)

Crestview third baseman Kyle Booth makes a play during Wednesday’s win over United. (Morning Journal/Ron Firth)

Crestview shortstop Eli Cope tries to haul in a grounder against United on Wednesday. (Morning Journal/Ron Firth)

United’s Cole Balint leads off third base in front of head coach Tim Hydrick in district semifinal play Wednsday. (Morning Journal/Ron Firth)

HANOVERTON — The Crestview baseball team may not have an All-Ohioan, but they are all Rebels.

The 10th-seeded Rebels stunned ninth-seeded United, 7-3, in a Division V district semifinal Wednesday.

“Team players are what wins games,” Crestview sophomore catcher Wyatt Erwin said. “We have a team full of them.”

The Rebels made the plays when they had to, highlighted by consecutive bunts in the fifth inning, as they built a 6-0 lead.

“We’ve been preaching execution to the kids,” Crestview coach Todd Kibby said. “Execute when you can. They’ve bought into it. It takes everyone with a willingness to do whatever the team needs.”

Crestview improves to 17-10 and will play fifth-seeded Poland (17-6) in the district final at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Cene Park in Struthers.

“We scrimmaged them early, so that helps,” said Kibby, who guided the Rebels into the district final for the first time since 2017 — the year they won their only district title.

“I can’t wait to go and play Poland,” Crestview junior pitcher Isaac Unkefer said.

Poland beat 12th-seeded South Range, 5-3, in the other semifinal Wednesday. Poland split the regular-season series against South Range on the way to the Buckeye 8 championship.

Erwin led the Rebels by going 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the fifth inning for a 6-0 lead.

Grant Snyder added two hits and three RBIs. Landon Hildreth and Eli Cope each scored two runs.

Erwin said he didn’t know anything about United coming into the game.

“I just came to play,” he said.

Unkefer pitched six shutout innings before United’s first three hitters in the seventh inning got hits.

Unkefer went 6 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked one.

Unkefer returned after suffering from inflammation in his throwing arm. He pitched four innings Friday in a sectional win over Beachwood.

“We shut him down for three weeks and told him to come back for the tournament,” Kibby said.

Unkefer wanted to stay in when Grant Snyder was called in for relief.

“I always want to compete, but we pulled it out at the end,” Unkefer said.

Snyder got the last two outs as the game ended with the tying run at the plate. Snyder walked two in 2/3rds of an inning and got United’s Quentin Taylor to fly out to second base to end the Eagle threat.

Kibby remembers the moment he knew the Rebels had victory in hand.

“When the last ball was caught,” he said. “The further you get into the tournament, the harder it is to get outs. You take them, when you can get them.”

United finishes the season at 17-7 after winning the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference title outright.

“It just wasn’t our night,” United coach Tim Hydrick said. “Congratulations to Crestview and I with them all the best.”

United managed six hits, three coming in the last inning.

Wyatt Swanson and Cavan Jackson both doubled and singled.

Quentin Taylor pitched the first five inning, giving up six runs, five earned, on six hits. He struck out seven and walked five.

Kadin Schonauer went the final two innings, giving up one earned run on two hits. He struck out three and walked one.

The Rebels scored three runs in the third inning after three of the first five batters walked.

Hildreth scored when a ball got past the catcher and Snyder’s single brought home Cope and Kyle Booth.

The Rebels added three more in the fifth inning. Cope singled and Unkefer walked, putting running on second and third.

Snyder put down a bunt single scoring Cope. Caleb Booth followed with a sacrifice bunt to score Unkefer. Ervin then drilled a drive to the left field fence to bring Caleb Booth home to make it 6-0.

Crestview added an insurance run in the sixth inning. Hildreth walked and Cope was hit by a pitch. Unkefer had an RBI single for a 7-0 lead.

“We executed when we need to and it worked out in the end,” Unkefer said.

Game notes

• Kibby said he did not know who will be starting against Poland.

“It will be by committee at this point, but we’ll see what happens,” he said.

• United has been to the district final two of the previous three seasons with the Eagles still looking for their first district championship.

• Hydrick said he saw Crestview last month when both teams played at Eastwood Field in Niles.

United played Lisbon and then Crestview played Columbiana on the first games on the new turf field.

• United held an improptu senior night after Wednesday’s game.

Hydrick said it was planned for May 4, but that was scrapped after a disappointing loss to Columbiana. After a loss Wednesday, it came down to then or never.

“They ran out of time,” Hydrick said.

C: 0-0-3-0-3-1-0–7-8-1

U: 0-0-0-0-0-0-3–3-6-1