Division I District Semifinal: Seven-Run Seventh Powers Strongsville Past McKinley

Canton, OH: Trailing by two runs as they entered their final at-bat, the Mustangs used a combination of timely hitting and well-taken pitches to put seven runs on the board, sealing an 8-3 road victory over Canton McKinley. Faris Thabata took the mound in the fifth inning and picked up the win for Strongsville.

Both starting pitchers, Jon Glinsky (Strongsville) & Aaron Fawver (McKinley), allowed a hit in the first two innings but were able to escape unscathed. In the top of the third inning, Jacob Becker got things started for Strongsville with a one-out double. Murphy Kelley then hit a single up the middle to score Becker, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.

Strongsville had another chance to get on the board in the fourth, but a fly-out to left field ended the threat, leaving two runners stranded. In the home half of the frame, Tanner Ailes reached on an error to give McKinley their second base runner of the contest. A Gavin Mullins single scored Ailes, and, with two outs, a single from Detryk Daniels brought home Mike Martin and Mullins to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.

As the rain picked up, the bats cooled off a bit through the next two innings. With their backs against the wall in their final at-bat, the Mustangs got hot when it mattered most. Evan Hartman drew a lead-off walk, and the wheels began to fall off for McKinley. In all, 12 batters came to the plate for the Mustangs. Seven different hitters (Hartman, Glinsky, Becker, Kelley, Farkas, Gyurko, and Payne) scored runs in what turned out to be the decisive inning of the game. 

Riding the high of the big offensive performance the inning before, Faris Thabata cruised through the final frame, retiring the side in just 11 pitches, putting the exclamation point on Strongsville’s 8-3 comeback victory.

Up Next

With the win, the Mustangs advance to Friday’s District Championship game, where they will square off with the Medina Bees at 5 pm. The two sides have played twice already this season, with the Bees winning both matchups.

Top Performers

Strongsville Mustangs

Jon Glinsky: 2-4 2B RBI

Jacob Becker: 2-4 2B 2 R

Evan Gyurko: 1-4 2 RBI SB

McKinley Bulldogs

Gavin Mullins: 1-3 RBI R

Detryk Daniels: 1-3 2 RBI