Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — The Minford Falcons were ready to take back what was theirs on Friday.
After falling short in last year’s district final, Minford met up with Ironton once again in a Division V district final at Ohio University. And with last year’s 4-0 loss to the Fighting Tigers still in the back of their minds, the Falcons didn’t let redemption slip from their grasp.
From the third inning on, Minford’s bats exploded for a nine-run, 13-hit showing en route to a 9-2 victory over Ironton, claiming the program’s sixth district crown in eight seasons.
“Last year’s game was definitely in the back of our minds. We definitely talked about it, but for the most part, we just wanted to play our game,” Minford coach Eli Daniels said. “When we execute and do what we’re supposed to do, there’s not very many teams around that can beat us. We had zero errors, we made the plays when we needed to make them, and the bats came alive today.”
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
Both offenses were dormant through two full innings, but that all changed for the Falcons (25-3) in the bottom of the third.
With one away, Max Lauder reached on an error before a Mason Bradley single. Bradley advanced to second on the throw, putting two runners in scoring position.
That would bring up Ty Borland, who answered the bell with a two-run double to put the Falcons in front.
Minford wasn’t done yet, though.
With two outs and the bases juiced, Colt Donahoe cashed in with an RBI single before Ironton gunned down another Falcon at the plate to end the inning, sending Minford into the fourth with a 3-0 lead.
Ironton (17-7) immediately had an answer.
Jacob Hughes stood at the plate with one out and two runners in scoring position. There, he singled up the middle to plate both runners and cut Minford’s lead to just 3-2.
After facing resistance from Ironton on the mound, Borland erased all of the Tigers’ momentum with his bat.
The senior fired a single into right field to bring Curtis Glenn home from third, extending the lead back to two runs. Carter Frazie later chipped in with a sacrifice fly that put another on the board, making it a 5-2 lead for the Falcons going into the fifth.
And, after a leadoff single from Tanner Kleinman in the top half, Borland sat down Ironton in order to get his team’s bats back out.
“Ty’s been solid for us at the plate all year. He’s been a threat all year,” Daniels said. “On the mound, he was the Ty we all know today. He was seeing it well from the plate and on the mound, and the kid had a day.”
The Falcons never looked back from that point on.
Minford’s offense went right back to work in the home half of the fifth as Donahoe singled again to plate Mark Napier. Lauder then drove in Donahoe by reaching on a fielder’s choice before Frazie drove home two more with a single, building Minford’s lead to 9-2.
Borland slammed the door on the Fighting Tigers the rest of the way through, allowing just one base runner in the final two innings of play to close out another district title for the Falcons.
“We’ve talked about it all year that you’re going to face adversity in a baseball game. Perfect games are rare for a reason, so we expected adversity,” Daniels said. “We’ve seen our guys fight back from this all year long. We’ve had a couple games this year where our guys had to gut it out and fight through it, and after that inning where Ironton scored, they came back up and said, ‘We’re getting them right back.'”
Statistically, Borland went a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish with a double and three runs driven in. Frazie went 2-for-4 with another three RBIs while Donahoe also went 2-for-4 with another pair of runs brought in. Lauder also helped out, going 1-for-4 with an RBI of his own.
Ironton’s only two runs were driven in by Hughes, who finished 1-for-2 on the afternoon.
Minford will advance to Tuesday’s Division V regional semifinal at Ohio University with a 6 p.m. first pitch. The Falcons will meet with Valley, who beat Lynchburg-Clay by a 9-3 final to advance.
“Just play our game. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low, stay consistent, put good swings on the ball, throw the ball and catch the ball,” Daniels said. “Baseball is a simple game when you do it right, and if we can keep it simple and play our game, we’ll be alright.”
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