Western Reserve Conference foes Willoughby South and Kenston faced off Thursday afternoon in the district final, as the Bombers knocked out the Rebels 4-1. Tied at one apiece in the bottom of the 7th, senior Drew McKenna drove a ball to deep left that cleared the wall and gave the Bombers the victory.
Kenston got on the board first when Shane Roethlisberger drove in a bases-loaded single to left, giving the Bombers a 1-0 lead. That lead would hold all the way until the 7th, when Jeremiah Atwell drove a two-out pitch to right, scoring Cam Bolden. Then came McKenna’s late-game heroics, telling his coach when he left the dugout, “Good game, we’re going home with a win”. McKenna finished the game 2-3, adding a double and bringing home three RBI.
The 2-2 to Drew McKenna… A shot to left, it’s got the distance… It’s gone! Drew McKenna with a walk-off three run home run to send @Bomber_baseKHS to the regional semifinal!
Final from Euclid:@Bomber_baseKHS: 4@WSHSBaseball: 1@NHPreps #NHBaseball pic.twitter.com/4gx1HVrAB6
— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) May 26, 2022
When he came up to the plate, he knew he could end the game. A few pitches later Drew McKenna told his coach ‘see ya in the dugout’ and had the three run walk-off for the @Bomber_baseKHS victory #NHBaseball pic.twitter.com/uh5kVueNPq
— Ben Hercik (@BHercikNH) May 26, 2022
Hits were hard to come by in this one as Kenston starter Parker Munday continued his dominant season only allowing three hits and South starter Giovanni Holmecki allowed four. Having split their season series in the WRC, the win gives Kenston the season series win over their rival and brings South’s Cinderella tournament run to an end. Arguably an underdog in every game they played, the Rebels went 3-1 in the tournament with big wins over Green and Mentor.
The Bombers have had quite a run of their own, upsetting two-seeded Massillon Jackson in the semifinals and winning their first district title since 2004. Up next in the regional semifinals, Kenston will face off against North Royalton Thursday, June 2nd at 2 pm. The Polar Bears advanced to regionals after beating Avon 5-4 in 11 innings.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | R | H | E | |
| South | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Kenston | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Follow me on Twitter @devinlowe123 for more sports coverage!
Recent Comments