FAIRBORN — Fairborn head coach Tim Duncan said he knows next year his team will have a much different group than what he has now. Numerous freshman will need to fill open roles all over the diamond.

On the other end of the spectrum, his current seniors know this is their final chance to make some noise in the postseason.

The Skyhawks got off to a good start Monday in Division I sectional tournament play with a 10-0 run rule win in five innings over No. 15 Bellbrook.

Fairborn will next travel to play No. 2 Centerville on Wednesday in the sectional final round.

Securing its third MVL Valley Division regular season title in the last four seasons, Fairborn has done plenty well prior to the postseason but has yet to make a deep run. The current group of seniors has 61 career wins but is 1-3 in tournament play. Getting another chance to end the school’s drought of not even making it to a district semifinal since winning the district title in 2012 is assuredly at the top of their minds now that they are one win away again.

Monday saw the 10th-seed Skyhawks swing the bats well from the get-go, failing to breakthrough in the first inning before putting up crooked numbers in three of the final four frames.

Nola Moulder got Fairborn (17-7) on the board with a second inning solo home run that just cleared the left field fence. It was the third straight game she has homered.

The Skyhawks had three other well barreled balls hit to center over the course of the game that all hit down near or on the fence.

Leading 3-0 in the third, the top of the order made life difficult for Bellbrook started Chasidy Stewart. Kyleigh Cook doubled home Lillee Walters before she was sent home off a line drive by Rose McReynolds. Hailey Webb extended the inning on a two-out ball that turned into an error before Moulder drove in two more.

With two outs in the fifth and runners at second and third, Bellbrook nearly looked to have extended its season until Cook roped a line drive into left center field to make it 9-0. McReynolds finished the game off afterward with a hard ground ball that got through the infield by the second base bag to allow Cook to score uncontested.

Webb continued her nice season in the circle by only allowed one well struck ball of the three hits she allowed. Five more strikeouts tossed helped build her total to 191 for the season, far away the most of any player in the MVL this season.

Greeneview unable to rally against Bethel

The Rams had several two out opportunities throughout its Division III tournament game Monday, but could not find the hits it needed in a 4-1 loss at home against Bethel.

Greeneview had eight hits in the game, but went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

Kennedy Dean tripled with two outs in the first, but was one of two runners stranded at third by the Rams.

Alexa Climie brought home Ryan Zink to make it a 2-1 game in the fifth, and a double steal got the go ahead run onto second base before a pop out ended the threat.

Bethel added two runs in the sixth inning on a double and error all with two outs. Greeneview went down in order in the seventh to see its season end.

The Rams finished the year 11-11 overall.

Xenia bested by top seed

Lebanon, the No. 1-seed, made quick work of the Buccaneers on Monday with a 16-0 win in D-I tournament play.

Xenia’s only hits came on consecutive two out hits in the third inning by Dakota Wagner and Macie Wright.

Lebanon scored 10 runs in the second inning and had 24 runners reach base in four innings of batting.

The Xenia season ends with an 0-24 record.

Wagner has a chance to end the season as the MVL batting champion, depending on other players postseason results. She finishes her season with a .545 average, which currently ranks second by six points behind Lillee Walters of Fairborn.

Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on X (formerly Twitter) @Steven_Wright_.