The Twinsburg baseball team’s unexpected postseason run came to an end Sunday afternoon at the Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament, and unfortunately for the Tigers, it didn’t end the way they had hoped.
Mason turned the tide in the Division I state championship game at Canal Park, winning 8-1. Two days earlier, the Tigers had used a big late play to beat Olentage Berlin, 4-1, in the state semifinals. On Sunday, it was Mason who came through in the closing stages.
Here’s how the game unfolded through live updates.
Mason baseball team wins OHSAA state championship
Twinsburg had runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but there was no miraculous comeback, as Mason won the deciding game, 8 to 1. At the end of the game, the Tigers had runners on second and third base.
Twinsburg’s final chance is to face Mason in the DI state final.
The Comets are down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh inning. Mason is leading 8-1 and its pitchers are on two hits heading into the bottom of the inning.
Twinsburg gave Mason one back in the state final.
Jack Phillips, Josh Stalnaker and Chris Kimmel all walked with one out, and Phillips scored on a wild pitch by Bryce Bannon, leaving the Tigers with the bases loaded. Mason was leading 8-1 going into the seventh inning.
Mason eased into the sixth inning against Twinsburg.
The Comets jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Mark Rutherford closed out the inning with a two-run single, giving him two hits in four at-bats and three RBI.
Twinsburg thwarts first base knock against Mason in DI final
AJ Teneja led off with a hit to right field but was out at second base. The Tigers got two hits off Michael Biro through the fifth inning and were leading 4-0.
Mason to face Twinsburg baseball team in Division I state final
The Comets got five consecutive singles from Brad Hart, Alex Koehling, Jake Henry, Drew Stevens (2 RBI) and Mark Rutherford (1 RBI) to take a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning.
Twinsburg left runners on base in the bottom of the fourth against Mason.
The Tigers walked Jack Phillips, the leadoff batter, but were unable to advance the runner, putting Mason up 1 to 0. Of note, Michael Biro threw to first base 13 times in an attempt to tag Phillips out, only to be caught once.
AJ Teneha saves Twinsburg from defeating Mason in the state final
A great play from AJ Teneha deep to short kept the one point in the lead, and the Comets headed into the bottom of the fourth with a 1-0 lead.
Mason Twinsburg takes 4th place in state final with Comets leading 1-0
Michael Biro struck out four of the final six batters he faced, making it seven straight, and Mason came to bat with a one-run lead.
Mason scored the first run against Twinsburg in the top of the third inning of the state final.
Lucas Tinter has gotten six of his last seven outs by the third inning. Jayden Dye grabbed a deep fly to center field by Indiana University-bound Jake Hanley to highlight Twinsburg’s strength in the top of the third. 1-0 Mason.
Mason maintains lead heading into DI state baseball final against Twinsburg
George Mason University-bound Michael Biro calmly induced a grounder to first base and then struck out two batters to end the inning, taking the game to the third inning with the Comets leading 1-0.
Mason beats Twinsburg in the second inning of the DI state baseball final.
Anthony Srec reached base with a single to right in the top of the second inning and with two outs, Casey Donner singled to right to score, giving the Comets a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the second inning.
Twinsburg-Mason baseball state finals: one scoreless game
Josh Stalnaker went up the chute for a two-out single, but Chris Kimmel hit a deep fly to left for the out at first base. The score was 0-0 going into the second inning.
Twinsburg takes first undefeated lead into state final
Mason, who has committed to Ohio State University, singled early in the game, but two infield hits and a pop out to AJ Teneja left a runner on second base. The Tigers were tied at 0-0 at bat.
Starting pitchers announced for Twinsburg-Mason District I State Baseball Championship Final
Just like in this season’s playoffs, Twinsburg will field Lucas Tinter (6-1), while Mason will field Michael Biro (5-2), who is set to attend George Mason University.
Biro is fresh off a no-hitter against reigning state champion Cincinnati Moeller in the regional finals.
Twinsburg baseball team lineup for the OHSAA state championship game
| 1 | lf | 16 B. Lemieux | R |
| 2 | Radio Frequency | 3 J. Phillips | R |
| 3 | Yes! | 10 J. Stalnaker | R |
| Four | 1b | 27 K. Kimmel | R |
| Five | c | 7 L. Conway | R |
| 6 | ss | 1 A. Taneja | R |
| 7 | 2b | 32 J. Cox | R |
| 8 | 3b | 35 K. Hoon | R |
| 9 | c.f. | 4 J. Dye | R |
Mason baseball team lineup for the OHSAA state championship game
| 1 | 2b | 3. A. Kering | R |
| 2 | 1b | 34 J. Hanley | R |
| 3 | 3b | 4 D. Stevens | R |
| Four | c | 21 M. Rutherford | R |
| Five | ss | 2 A. Slek | R |
| 6 | lf | 27 H. Crociata | R |
| 7 | Yes! | 24 J. Durst | R |
| 8 | Radio Frequency | 9 C. Donnell | R |
| 9 | c.f. | 1. B. Hart | R |
| Ten | p | 33 M. Biro | R |
The influence of the late Twinsburg coach Jeff Luka has been powerful.
As if the Tigers’ run to the Division 1 state finals wasn’t enough, the story unfolded further: Twinsburg has long maintained it had the backing of the late coach Jeff Lucka, who died in a tragic car accident in December.
His impact may have reached the Division II level when West Branch beat Hamilton Badin, 3-2. They scored three runs in the final inning. Badin didn’t allow a run the entire tournament and kept his no-hitter going into the sixth inning on Sunday.
West Branch is Luka’s alma mater, where he graduated in 1983.
A look back at the Twinsburg baseball team’s win over Olentage Berlin in the OHSAA state semifinals
Twinsburg scored three runs in the sixth inning in what proved to be the deciding factor in its 4-1 win over Olentage Berlin on Friday. Berlin tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the sixth, but the Tigers rallied right back in the inning. With the bases loaded, the Tigers scored one on a walk by Jason Cox, one on a single by Kyler Hoon and three on a sacrifice fly by Jayden Dye.
Hoon also hit a one-run single in the second inning to give Twinsburg an early 1-0 lead.
Twinsburg starting pitcher Josh Stalnaker (8-1) earned the win in his final start of the season. The right-hander struck out seven batters, allowed four hits and walked two in a complete game.
More about Twinsburg baseball:‘We are in this moment’: Twinsburg High School ready for Sunday’s OHSAA baseball state finals
Twinsburg baseball team remembers late coach Jeff Lucka
Throughout their journey to the state tournament, the Twinsburg Tigers’ hearts were always filled with the memory of late head coach Jeff Luca, who passed away in a car accident in December, and one month later, former Twinsburg freshman coach Jim Lipinski returned to the team as head coach.
The Tigers dedicated their season to Luka, winning 23 games. His wife, Jen Luca, said his unlikely tournament success was both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
History of Twinsburg Baseball in the OHSAA State Tournament
Twinsburg reached the baseball state semifinals for just the third time in school history, the other two being in 1990 and 2006. The Tigers lost in the semifinals each time: 3-1 to Indian Valley in Class AA in 1990 and 7-2 to Olentangy in Division I in 2006.
Featured Twinsburg Baseball Players
- Chris Kimmel entered the state tournament with a team-best batting average of .386, nine doubles, three home runs, 29 RBIs and 24 runs scored. His two-run single in the top of the seventh inning led the Tigers to a 7-5 win over Hoban in the district semifinals. He will play first base.
- Josh Stalnaker entered the state tournament batting .360 with eight doubles, two triples, one home run, 32 runs scored and 20 RBIs. As a pitcher, he is 8-1 with 77 strikeouts in 51 innings after Friday’s win. Stalnaker, who will attend Ashland, struck out 12 in a 5-0 win over Wooster in the regional semifinal before going 2-for-3 with two runs scored in a win over Hoover in the regional final. Stalnaker hit a two-run triple in the sixth inning to lead Dover to a 3-0 win.
- AJ Taneja had two RBI singles for Hoover.
- Lucas Tinter comes into today’s state final with a 1.54 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 50 innings. He was the winning pitcher in both the 6-3 win over Hoover in the regional final and the 3-0 win over Dover in the district final. He gave up just five hits and two runs in six innings against Hoover after pitching a three-hit shutout against Dover.
How to watch, live stream and listen to the OHSAA State Baseball Tournament
All of this year’s state championship games NFHS Network You can hear it on the OHSAA Radio Network.
OHSAA Division I state semifinal scores, final schedule
- Twinsburg 4, Olentage Berlin 1
- Mason 1, Perrysburg 0
- Division I State Championships: Twinsburg vs. No. 7 Mason, Sunday, June 9, 1 p.m.
