By Fred Kroner
The Comets trailed 3-1 after one inning and were behind 12-6 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning on Friday (June 4) at home in their Class 2A regional semifinal game against Marshall.
Oakwood recovered, thanks to a seven-run fifth-inning outburst and then posted a walk-off win with one out in the bottom of the seventh to escape with a 14-13 triumph.
Koby Fletcher, Dalton Hobick and Isaiah Ruch all pounded three hits for the Comets. Ruch and Jacob Spears both scored three runs.
Fletcher, Hobick and Young had two RBI apiece. The winning tally, scored by Spears, happened when Brady Howard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in the walk-off run.
Hobick (3-0) was the third of three pitchers used by the Comets and picked up the win. He allowed two hits and one walk in two innings while striking out two batters.
Fourth-seeded Oakwood (14-9) advances to the regional championship game on Monday (June 7) at top-seeded St. Joseph-Ogden (30-2). When the schools met in the regular season, SJ-O carved out a 7-1 win.
The Comets are seeking their first regional crown in baseball since 2017, which was Ryan McFarland’s first year as head coach.
