By Dylan Hefflinger

ARCHBOLD- Division II top-ranked Defiance received another stellar performance from senior Anthony Kidston to advance to the district championship game at Archbold with a 2-0 win over Toledo Central Catholic.

Kidston, a Louisville recruit, was one out away from his third no-hitter on the season but a two-out single by Nick LaPorta broke up the no-no bid.

The 6-1 Kidston, who is ranked as the fourth best player in the 2012 class, finished allowing just one hit and two walks, while striking out 12. The win moved Kidston to 8-0 on the season while his ERA sits at a minuscule 0.52. Kidston now has 105 strikeouts in 54 innings on the season.

With Defiance in front 2-0 entering the final inning, a one-out walk to Jim Johnston brought the tying run to the plate. Chad Kuebler followed by hitting a ball to short right field that junior Joe Keween couldn't track down. Uncertain if Keween would come up with the catch, Johnston held close to the first-base bag.

When the ball fell in, Keween fielded it cleanly and fired a rifle to second to force out Johnston for the second out to keep the no-hitter alive. LaPorta followed with the only hit of the game for Central Catholic, a shot to left-center field sending Kuebler toward third. Center fielder Shea Murray's throw beat Kuebler to third base, but the CC runner was ruled to get under the tag, as LaPorta took second on the throw. With two runners in scoring position, Kidston got Tyler Wagner to ground out to first baseman Rob Zeigler to end the game.

Defiance took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when sophomore Dom Gentile brought in junior Dom Romero with a sacrifice fly in the second. 

Unsigned senior Joe Gentile reached in the fifth inning on a two-out single, swiped second and scored on an RBI single from Kentucky recruit Rob Zeigler to put the Bulldogs on top 2-0.

Joe Gentile, batting .389 on the season, led the Bulldogs at the plate with two singles.

Defiance (28-1) next takes on Sandusky Perkins (18-9) on May 19th at Archbold's Memorial Park for the district crown. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. The winner moves on to play No. 11 Jonathan Alder in the regional semifinals at Tiffin University on May 24th.