West Branch’s shortstop, Boston Mulinix scores the Winning run for the Division II state title win over Baden. (PressPros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
After making a potentially back-breaking error in the sixth inning, Boston Mulinix raced home with the winning run in a wild three-run seventh-inning rally to give West Branch its first state title, sending his retiring father/coach Rick Mulinix out a winner.
VPP, in Versailles, Ohio, proudly sponsors Buckeye baseball on Press Pros Magazine.com.
Akron, OH – After a 51-year wait between trips to the state tournament, the coaches, players and fans of Beloit West Branch must have felt like the baseball gods owed them one.
Their wish was granted during an inexplicable, mind-blowing three-run rally in the seventh inning that sent the Warriors to a 3-2 win over Hamilton Badin in the Division II state title game at Canal Park.
Veteran central Ohio columnist Steve Blackledge writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros.
West Branch was held to one hit through six innings by starter Beau Chaney, but Rams coach Brione Treadway called for reliever Tyler Verdin to start the seventh. Chaney had thrown only 81 pitches but walked three and hit three other batters.
That’s when the crazy turn of events ensued.
Leadoff batter Charlie Biskup hit a seemingly routine ground ball to Badin All-Ohio second baseman Austin Buckle that seemed to kick sideways while eluding him and trickling into right field.
“The hit might have spun off Charlie’s bat a little bit and hopped up on him in a weird way,” West Branch coach Rick Mulinix said. “I don’t really know what to say about it. Were we lucky? I don’t know about that. That’s baseball. We’ve had plenty of bad hops go against us, too. It sure did give us new life, though.”
Badin’s first score of the day and one too shy for the win over West Branch for the Division II State Title 3-2.
Jaxson Robb, a .171 hitter, walked on four pitches. Maddox Coleman pinch ran for him. Gavin Bell then sacrificed them to third and second with an excellent bunt.
Boston Mulinix, the coach’s son, hit a slow roller on the infield and seeing that Verdin was late covering first, beat the throw.
“I got a good jump and when I saw the first baseman go after it I thought I had a chance to make it,” he said. “I felt like I needed to atone.”
Mulinix had booted a ball at shortstop in the sixth that allowed Badin to get an insurance run to make it 2-0.
“When I came into the dugout, Dad told me ‘You’re going to come to the plate with two guys on and you’re going to get a hit’ and it turns out he was right.’ Man, that error could have killed us.”
Mulinix stole second to remove the threat of a double play. Aaron Tucker grounded out to tie the game and Mulinix advanced to third.
Huffer Chiropractic has offices in Dublin and Jackson Center to help your athlete become elite.
Verdin threw a pitch in the dirt that eluded catcher Jeremiah Carmella and Mulinix scampered home with the go-ahead run.
“During a timeout, Dad told me to watch for the wild pitch or a passed ball,” Mulinix said. “The pitcher had kind of a funky arm angle with a lot of movement. It turned out Dad was right again.”
West Branch’s shortstop, Boston Mulinix put out Badin’s Austin Vangen’s (6) and Cooper Ollis (7) for a double play.
Sixth-ranked Badin (27-7) didn’t go down without a fight.
With two outs, Kade Bowling smoked a double off the right field fence, some 337 feet away to give the Rams hope.
Winning pitcher Anthony Perry, however, induced Buckle to an easy popout to end the game and give 12th-ranked West Branch (28-6) its first state title. The Warriors last appeared in the state tournament in 1953.
Perry (9-0) scattered five hits while walking five. He escaped bases loaded jams in the second and fifth innings.
It marked the third state title for West Branch, joining the football team (1995) and the girls basketball team (2004). Ironically, the Warriors’ girls also beat Hamilton Badin to win the championship.
The win was especially sweet for Rick Mulinix, who announced earlier in the season that this would be his last.
West Branch Fan leads the baseball crowd in Warrior chants.
“I tried to quit last year, but they talked me into coming back for one more year and I’m sure I did,” he said. “What a heck of a way to go out, huh?”
The elder Mulinix said his hopes never waned even though it appeared Badin had the championship trophy within reach.
West Branch pulled it out despite being held to three hits.
“I told the guys heading to the seventh to just put it in play and try to make something happen,” he said. “How about our kids’ resiliency? I think they just wanted it more. This was our year.”
For Badin, it was a bitter pill to swallow. While the program reached the final four for the 15th time – fourth-best in Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament history – it marked the 10th straight year the Rams came away without a title. Badin won gold trophies in 1991 and 1996 and has been runner-up seven times.
The ‘Spot’ is the presenting sponsors of the 2024 OHSAA baseball tournament on Press Pros Magazine.com.