WHEELERSBURG — Teams who are ranked in statewide polls don't get their billing by accident — because their respect comes from finding ways to win in moments where a game appears to be lost.
If there was ever an example of finding a way to win a game that appeared to be lost, the Minford Falcons' baseball program certainly found a way to do just that on Wednesday evening.
Trailing 3-0 to a Wheelersburg Pirates' baseball squad that had grinded out eight hits and had put a total of 16 batters on base during the contest while holding Minford to just one hit through six innings of play, the Falcons' chances weren't exactly promising heading into the seventh inning.
However, one couldn't tell with the way Minford responded in the top of the frame.
And it ultimately resulted in arguably the best comeback by any team in any game this season inside the Scioto County lines.
In an incredible rally, six of Minford's first eight batters reached base in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Falcons, leading to a crazy sequence that decided the game as Ty Borland's infield single not only scored the tying run in Colt Donahoe, but the winning run as well as Curtis Glenn sprinted home from second base and beat a return throw back to home plate, giving Minford a 4-3 lead and the victory in a remarkable last inning turn of events in a SOC III contest that was held in Wheelersburg on Wednesday evening.
For the normally unsurprised and even-keeled Eli Daniels, the late rally even had the Minford head coach's emotions on a level that was above 10.
"Grit's an understatement," Daniels said. "I don't know what that was, but that was something to see right there. That was special. I'm on Cloud Nine right now. I can't say enough about that one. That was fun right there."
As excited as Daniels was on his side, Wheelersburg head coach Derek Moore was understandably dejected. The Pirates put a runner on base in each of the seven innings contested on Wednesday and put at least two runners on in five out of the seven frames of action, but costly baserunning miscues, which ran Wheelersburg out of runs on three separate occasions, proved to be huge.
Still yet, the Pirates led 3-0 with a chance to close the deal, but couldn't do so behind the Falcons' pure will to win.
"It showed right there why they're first place in (the SOC III), why they're probably going to win the league, and going to make a deep tournament run," Moore said. "We showed our age in the seventh inning unfortunately. When it came down to making plays when we needed to, we weren't playing smart baseball, in my opinion."
Over the first six innings of play, Wheelersburg's Andrew Tabor proved to be a tough egg to crack for Minford's offense.
Tabor, who pitched on what Moore referred to as "a bum ankle" on Wednesday, gave up a single to Minford's Mason Bradley on the second at-bat of the contest.
But that proved to be the only hit the Falcons would get through the first six frames. From there, the only additional Minford batters that reached base were on a leadoff hit by pitch in the second inning and two infield errors to begin the fourth frame of play.
"Andrew pitched great on a bum ankle," Moore said. "You hate it for guys like that, who give it their all. He's a great boy. I've coached him for three years now. He didn't get to play last season because of an injury, so I was super ecstatic to know that he was coming back this season, and he's been great for us. You really feel for kids like that who played hurt, but also wanted the ball. I hate that we couldn't find a way to get more outs for him."
Minford, however, countered by making plays in crucial situations.
In the first inning, Wheelersburg put runners on second and third with one out after a walk by Cameron Conn and a single by Brady Doss with both runners advancing a base on the throw, but Minford starting pitcher Ty Borland induced a pop out and a fly out to keep the Pirates off the board.
Borland then overcame back-to-back walks with two gone, along with a passed ball and a stolen base by Owen Wilburn that allowed Wilburn to advance to third base, by getting a line out to left field to keep the game locked at a 0-0 mark, and battled around back-to-back singles with one out in the third inning by getting a fly out and a pop out to end that frame also.
In the middle innings, Minford's defense proceeded to make one big play after another.
Drew Holland, who led off the fourth frame for Wheelersburg, singled to left field — but Minford freshman catcher Colby Mullins erased the early baserunning threat by throwing out courtesy runner Hayden Henderson at second base.