POLAND 9’S MAKE COMEBACK OF THE AGES TO WIN TITLE
BOARDMAN, OH — Six runs down? No problem for Poland.
The Poland 9U All-Stars pulled off one of the wildest comebacks of the tournament so far, clawing their way back from a 6-0 deficit to edge out Canfield 7-6 on Wednesday night at the Fields of Dreams. It was grit, guts, and a whole lot of believing in each other.
Canfield came out like a freight train in the top of the first. Milo Tokarski got things rolling with a sharp RBI single. Then, two runs scored on an error to make it 3-0, and before Poland could blink, Palmer Ahlquist. laced a shot to the outfield that never stopped rolling — a three-run inside-the-park homer that made it 6-0. Just six batters in, and Poland was buried early.
But the Bulldog squad didn’t panic.
Poland started digging in the second. They scratched across two runs to stop the bleeding, then traded zeroes for the next couple of innings. The turning point came on the mound: Patrick Daugherty entered in relief in the second inning and flat-out shoved. The righty tossed four scoreless innings, keeping Canfield’s bats in check while Poland’s offense regrouped.
Meanwhile, Canfield starter Owen Zunic. was sharp through four-plus innings, giving up just three runs and striking out five. He had Poland chasing until they finally made the adjustment in the fifth.
That’s when everything changed.
Trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Poland loaded the bases with some timely walks and infield singles. Luca Tamburro stepped in and ripped a clutch two-run single to pull the game within one. Then chaos took over — a passed ball scored the tying run, and another miscue brought in the go-ahead run.
Just like that, Poland had turned a six-run hole into a 7-6 lead.
Canfield tried to answer in the sixth, but Patrick Daugherty. wasn’t having it. He shut the door, calmly working through the final outs to secure the win.
Poland’s offense was efficient — only five hits, but they made them count. Leadoff man Daugherty helped himself out with a 2-for-2 day, while Luca delivered the dagger.
For Canfield, Palmer Ahlquist was the standout, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Cam Kibby. also tallied a pair of hits in the losing effort.