COLUMBUS — Stitched on the back of the Jonathan Alder baseball team’s hats is the shape of the state of Ohio in red with a white ‘Alder’ in the middle of it.

It’s small, but all so meaningful. You might even call it a harbinger.

The Jonathan Alder baseball team won the Division II state championship Sunday night with a thrilling 3-2 victory over state stalwart Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit.

It’s the second baseball state championship for the Pioneers, who also won one in 1998. It’s the school’s first undefeated season.

“When we got our hats, we thought it was symbolic,” said Zach Maynard, the winning pitcher in the championship game. “Coach (Craig) Kyle told us when we got them that we would own the state.

“All of the players bought into it. We’ve bought into everything he’s said. We just needed to execute and play our game, and believe.”

The Pioneers and their fans did believe as many wore T-shirts with “Believe” or “We believe” printed on them. As the Alder players ended their celebration on the Huntington Park field Sunday, they closed by shouting in unison “We believed.”

“The state on the back of the hat is something I stole from coach (Dave) Klontz from Heath,” Kyle said. “It means you can be one of the best teams in the state and there’s no better team in the state than us.”

After giving up a home run to Walsh Jesuit’s John Fasola in the bottom of the first inning, Maynard mowed down the Warriors (29-2) the rest of the way. The Alder senior left-hander finished the game with nine strikeouts and only three walks, scattering four hits in the complete-game victory.

“Zach has been battling arm issues all year long,” Kyle said. “He’s come back time and time again. Tonight, he beat the third-ranked team and did it by giving up just four hits. He keeps coming back and competing. All 18 guys compete and I love all 18 of them.”

Alder tied the score at 1 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Graham Johnston tripled off of the rightfield wall and later came home to score on a suicide squeeze by Nate Squires on an 0-1 count.

“Nate getting the squeeze down was the probably the biggest play of the game for us,” Kyle said. “The squeeze is the greatest play in baseball. It irritates the other team and I love to do that. We’ve been very successful at it all year.”

In fact, the Pioneers were 4-for-4 in sacrifice situations. Nate Squires had two of them.

Alder forged ahead 2-1 in the fifth inning. Vince Graber singled to right to start the frame. Wes Fauver then was inserted as a pinch runner. Fauver scored when Sean Fleming stroked a single past Warriors’ diving shortstop Fasola into left centerfield.

The Pioneers (34-0) added one more in the sixth when Tyler Miller reached base on a bizarre play. He popped up a ball behind the plate that the wind caught and carried back into play. Warrior pitcher Greg Greve, standing just inches in front of the plate, allowed the ball to drop, which it did in fair territory.

As it turned out, the play led to the winning run. Vince Graber came in to pinch run for Miller and advanced to second on a passed ball. He scored when Nate Squires stroked a single to centerfield.

Walsh Jesuit’s comeback bid fell just short in the seventh. The Warriors had two on when Cassidy Brown drove in a run with a single to rightcenter.

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