Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — May 30, 2026 will live in Wheelersburg lore forever.
Tuscarawas Valley had just scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning on Saturday, taking a 6-4 lead. The Trojans sat three outs away from taking down the defending Division V state champions.
It marked the first time Wheelersburg had trailed in the tournament by more than a run and, admittedly, it had the Pirates on the plank.
But instead of seeing their season end, Wheelersburg did what it does best — fight to the bitter end.
With two runners on base and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Jalynn Drake, who was hitless to that point, delivered in the biggest moment of the season as she smacked a two-run double to right field, forcing a 6-6 tie.
“I went into that at-bat thinking it very well could be my last one, so I had to make it my best swing possible,” Drake said. “I don’t have a favorite pitch, but that one was right there for the taking so I took it and that feeling of tying the game was unreal.”
That set the stage for Makenzie Mullens to try on her superhero cape.
She took a 2-0 offering off the center field fence for a walk-off single — also her only hit of the game — scoring Drake and completing one of the most dramatic comeback victories in school history.
Pirates 7, Trojans 6.
Regional title in hand, ticket to Akron punched.
“I’m always hesitant to rank any games I’ve been a part of, but this one for sure is in the top five,” Wheelersburg coach Teresa Ruby said. “This was such an exceptionally well-played game by both teams, and the emotions were just all over the place. Tusky Valley is a really tough team with a really good pitcher who is going to Ohio State. It was definitely going to come down to who was going to blink, and I’m glad we had home field advantage. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls for how hard they fought.”
Fight indeed the Pirates (21-5) did, and they had to be opportunistic against a Trojan team that didn’t make many mistakes.
Ava Estep, who had four hits on the day, advanced to third base on a passed ball and then scored off a fielding error on the same play to put the Pirates up 1-0 early.
Two innings later, with runners on first and second with one out, Layna Howard took a 2-0 pitch and found a gap through the right side for a two-run double that extended the lead to 3-0.
Emmee Eaton was tossing a no-hitter through five innings, but the Trojans (24-5) broke through in the sixth. Following a double and an intentional walk, Hallee Borrell slapped an RBI single to put TV on the board.
That was followed by an RBI single from Calle Stutz, closing the deficit to 3-2.
After the Trojans escaped a jam in the sixth, they began to apply the pressure. A pair of singles followed by an intentional walk with two outs set up Borrell again at the dish.
She saw a 1-1 offering and took it into right field for a go-ahead two-run single just inside the right foul line, putting the Trojans ahead 4-3 entering the bottom of the seventh.
But, as mentioned, the Pirates weren’t going down without a fight.
Estep singled to leadoff the inning and two batters later, Mylee Jo Gleim sent a ball just past the shortstop and Estep turned on the burners, going from first to home and avoiding the tag to tie the game at 4-4.
“We have so much trust in one another and one through nine was hitting the ball really well,” Drake said. “We believe in one another and know that everyone has each other’s backs no matter what, so we power through and figure out how to come through for one another.”
A scoreless eighth brought on the dramatics of the ninth.
An intentional walk to Ohio State commit Brennan Reichmen sent Borrell to the dish again, and she took the first pitch she saw to deep right field for an RBI double, putting the Trojans ahead.
Two batters later, Delaney Erickson added some insurance with an RBI single to make it a 6-4 ballgame heading to the bottom of the ninth.
But that insurance policy was denied.
Back-to-back singles from Estep and Howard later brought Drake to the dish in the bottom half of the ninth. A passed ball moved both runners 60 feet ahead and, on a 3-1 count, Drake swung and drove in both of them to tie the game.
And we know what happened next.
Mullens swings, Drake scores. Ballgame.
“I was hitless going into that at-bat, so I was just looking for something to swing at and hopefully get a base hit,” Mullens said. “It didn’t matter where the pitch was, I just needed it to be close so I could knock Jalynn in. I got one that looked good and swung. There’s so much history within this program of winning titles at every level and we’re working to add another one into that collection.”
Howard finished 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, Drake was 1-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, and Mullens was the hero with the walk-off RBI single.
Emmee Eaton earned the win in nine innings, allowing eight hits and striking out seven batters.
Wheelersburg advances to a Division V state semifinal at 10 a.m. on Saturday against Miami East, who defeated Arcanum to move on.
That game will be played at Akron’s Firestone Stadium.
“There were so many ups and downs in this game, a lot of emotions, and it’s been a really tough regional for us,” Ruby said. “Claymont really hit the ball off of us and we had to score late to win. Tusky Valley certainly made us fight for it. Sometimes you wonder in those moments if the kids have it in them to dig deep and credit to the girls for showing who they are. They have an expectation of where they want to be and I’m so happy for them.”
SPONSORS
SCHMIDT FAMILY RESTAURANT GROUP
GLOCKNER FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS
