JAMES’ WALK-OFF LEAVES BRANCH STUNNED

CARROLLTON, OH- The West Branch Warriors found themselves on the losing end of a dramatic 4-3 game against the Carrollton Warriors on Wednesday. It all came down to a climactic moment in the bottom of the seventh inning when Landon James cracked a three-run homer to left field, flipping a 3-1 deficit into a thrilling 4-3 victory for Carrollton.

West Branch initially got things rolling in the second inning. Gavin Bell’s fielder’s choice, a walk by Boston Mulinix, and a groundout by Aaron Tucker each brought a run home, giving them an early lead.

The game’s pace changed in the seventh. Carrollton’s Hunter Allison kicked off the comeback with an RBI single. Then James stepped up and delivered the big blow with his game-winning home run.

In terms of pitching, Allison came through with a clutch performance for Carrollton, tossing a hitless, scoreless inning to earn the win. For West Branch, Anthony Perry put in a solid shift, holding Carrollton scoreless over five innings, giving up five hits and striking out four. Carrollton’s starter Hayden Jenkins had a tougher outing, surrendering three runs across six innings but racking up 11 strikeouts.

At the plate, Perry and Jeremiah Thomas each nabbed a hit for West Branch, while Tucker, Bell, and Mulinix each notched an RBI. On the Carrollton side, James was the hero with three RBIs, while Allison and Isaac Husted each picked up a couple of hits.

Next up, West Branch will hit the road to face Streetsboro on Friday, looking to bounce back from this heartbreaker.