by Akron, OH: In a game that was tight throughout, the Waynedale Golden Bears exploded for a five-run seventh inning to lead them past Columbus Academy 9-4, giving the Golden Bears their fourth title in five years. Waynedale got a big performance from senior Brayden Snyder, who pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts while also going 1-3 with an RBI double. For the Vikings, senior catcher Cooper Leibas went 2-3 with 4 RBI.
Columbus Academy wasted no time in getting on the board, as Dominic Dunkle drew a lead-off walk and later came around to score on a single by Leibas, putting the Vikings up 1-0 after one inning of play. Both pitchers kept the opposing offenses in check until the fourth inning.
Jordan Miller led off the top of the fourth with a single to right for the Golden Bears. After a sacrifice bunt moved him to second, and a RBI single by Brock Reifsnyder brought him around to score, tying the game at 1-1. Waynedale would get another run in the fifth on a RBI double by Hudson Barkman, giving the Golden Bears a 2-1 lead.
Columbus Academy responded right away, scoring three of their own in the bottom half of the fifth. Ethan Parish got things started by drawing a lead-off walk and, after a sacrifice bunt and a single from Anthony Penney, came around to score and tie the game. The Vikings were not finished yet as a triple down the rightfield line from Leibas scored two more, giving Columbus Academy a 4-2 lead after five.
In the top of the sixth, Collin McGlothlin got things started with a single to left, and a sacrifice bunt and a groundout moved him to third. Brayden Snyder laced a double to deep left that scored McGlothlin. Following a pitching change, Logan Troyer hit a single of his own to left, plating Snyder and tying the game at 4-4.
Decisive Inning
Facing their last at-bat in the top of the seventh, the Golden Bears flexed the state championship experience and the offense exploded, scoring five runs. Barkman and McGlothlin both drove in runs while a series of errors and wild pitches allowed three more runs to score, making it 9-4 Waynedale heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Dominic Dunkle hit a one-out single to right centerfield to get things going for the Vikings in their last at-bat. Dunkle would come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Leibas, making it 9-5 with two outs in the seventh. Luckily for the Bears the threat ended there as Brayden Snyder got a big strikeout to give Waynedale a 9-5 win over the Vikings, their fourth title in the last five seasons.
Postgame Thoughts
Credit has to go to the Columbus Academy Vikings on their outstanding postseason run. The Vikings started postseason play with a losing record and made a run all the way to the state title game, hanging tight with the #1 team in Division V all the way until the end.
For the Waynedale Golden Bears times are amazing, as the team brings home its fourth title in the last five seasons, an incredible feat regardless of the sport or division. While this year’s team had a lot of seniors, it would not surprise me to see the Golden Bears back in Akron next June.
Top Performers
Waynedale Golden Bears
Brayden Snyder: 7 IP 7 K 5 ER 4 BB 1-3 2B RBI 2 R BB
Logan Troyer: 4-5 2B RBI
Hudson Barkman: 2-3 2B 2 RBI R
Columbus Academy Vikings
Dominic Dunkle: 5.2 IP 2K 4 ER 3 BB 1-2 RBI 2 R 3 BB
Cooper Leibas: 2-3 3B 4 RBI
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | R | H | E | |
| Waynedale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 0 |
| Columbus Academy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
Box Score: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=661279
