WATERLOO WITH THE COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

ATWATER OH-  What a wild one in Atwater. Waterloo pulled off a jaw-dropper on Friday, storming back in the bottom of the seventh to walk off McDonald, 15-14. Down by one with runners on, Brooke May stepped in and laced a double that brought home the tying and winning runs, capping off a nine-run inning and a comeback for the ages.

Both squads came out swinging—McDonald racked up 16 hits, Waterloo answered with 12 of their own, and it was a slugfest from start to finish.

McDonald struck first, loading up the bases and cashing in with walks and a big two-run single. They hung a five-spot in the opening frame, then added more in the second and third to take what looked like a comfortable 8-2 lead.

But Waterloo chipped away, and in that final frame, everything clicked. A couple key hits, a costly error, and some clutch swings flipped the script completely. By the time May’s double rolled to the fence, the Vikings were storming the field.

Jolean Hampton picked up the win in relief, going 3.2 innings with eight strikeouts. Kristlyn Kehrer started and took the brunt of McDonald’s early damage but came back with her bat, blasting a two-run shot in the first and driving in three on the day. Hampton was also a force at the plate, going 4-for-5, while May chipped in a pair of hits—including the game-winner.

McDonald got big days from multiple hitters. Helco and Gherardi both had three hits, and Hvisdak drove in three. Titus reached base four times and swiped a couple bags as McDonald racked up seven steals and eight walks.

In the end, though, it was Waterloo who got the last laugh, walking it off in a game that had a little bit of everything—firepower, drama, and a finish you had to see to believe.