West Branch’s baseball team defeated Geneva 9-1 last Wednesday to win the Div. II district title. Members of the team are (front, from left) coach Chris Tucker, head coach Rick Mulinix, Grady Close, Maddox Coleman, Jeremiah Thomas, Gavin Bell, Jaxon Robb, Trevor Minich, Boston Mulinix; (back, from left) athletic director Mike Helm, coach Ryan Wolf, Carson Wike, Hunter Shields, Charlie Biskup, Beau Alazaus, Aaron Tucker, Anthony Perry, Nick Scofinsky, coach Shawn Alazaus and Mike Craven. West Branch plays Ursuline at 2 p.m. today in the regional semifinal at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton. (Photo by Matt Morrison)
BELOIT– The West Branch baseball team was still busy this week honing its skills for its Div. II regional semifinal against Ursuline set for 2 p.m. today at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton.
West Branch bested Warren JFK, who is in the Div. IV regional tournament, 4-1 on Tuesday to set the stage.
“We are allowed to play 27 regular season games and that was our 27th,” West Branch coach Rick Mulinix said. “Winning wasn’t the ultimate goal. The priority was getting game reps for Thursday.”
In that game, Hunter Shields led West Branch with two runs scored and three singles, including one in the fourth inning that scored one run to give the Warriors a 4-0 advantage. Beau Alazaus two RBIs and two hits.
Jaxon Robb started for West Branch allowing zero earned runs on two hits and one walk through two innings. Aaron Tucker tossed 1 1/3 innings allowing no earned runs on one hit, one walk and had three strikeouts. Gavin Bell earned the win allowing one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts through 3 2/3 innings of work.
Mulinix originally wanted to try and set up a game with South Range, but South Range already picked up a game against Ursuline.
“I am really good friends with the South Range coach (Jim Hanek),” Mulinix said. “I called him and asked to set something up and he let me know that he already filled up a spot with Ursuline. JFK was on the schedule originally, but it was canceled due to rain. The next logical pick was them.”
South Range and Ursuline end it a 6-6 tie on Tuesday.
West Branch is 24-6, while Ursuline holds a 16-12-1 record.
West Branch had a difficult schedule in the Eastern Buckeye Conference where it finished in a second place tie with Carrollton, but also had a competitive non-league schedule as well that included tough games.
“Our schedule was extremely hard this year,” Mulinix said. “We played seven teams that are in regionals right now.”
West Branch is expecting a different Ursuline team from the one that it play in the first game of the regular season. The Warriors won that game 3-0 with Boston Mulinix having all three of the team’s hits.
“Neither one of us was the same team three months ago. We have both improved from that point,” Rick Mulinix said. “I expect a highly competitive game and at this point in the tournament it will probably come down to what team gets a timely hit or what team plays better defensively without a costly mistake.”
West Branch could possibly face Ursuline’s top pitcher CJ Frasco.
Frasco, a Mount Union baseball commit, allowed one earned run on seven hits with four walks and six strikeouts in Ursuline’s 6-1 upset win over No. 4 seed Canfield in the Div. II district championship at Bob Cene Park.
West Branch will start EBC player of the year Alazaus.
