AKRON, Ohio — A season dedicated to their late, longtime and beloved coach culminated in the Twinsburg Tigers baseball team making it to the state final for the first time in program history.
On Sunday, the season ended with a loss to Mason in the state final—not the outcome they had hoped for, but ending with plenty to be proud of.
Mason hit the gas early, stealing bases and getting on the board first, scoring a run in the second inning.
The Tigers got through the next two unscathed but were unable to get the bats going. In the fifth inning, Mason went on a tear. The Comets loaded up the bases and then capitalized—scoring three more runs in the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, Mason utilized some timely and well-executed bunts, putting runners on and notching more hits that led to four more runs for the Comets.
The Tigers were able to load the bases and bring a run home on a wild Mason pitch, getting on the board for the first time in the bottom of the sixth.
As they took the field in the bottom of the seventh, Twinsburg fans stood on their feet for one last inning, giving the Tigers full support.
Unable to make a comeback, the Tigers fell to the Comets 8-1. Players embraced each other on the field, with coach Jim Lipinski consoling his team after the loss.
Still, heads held high, the Tigers received their runner-up medals and a trophy—an accomplishment in itself for the program that had never made it this far before and did so this year amid heartbreak and tragedy.
"There's so many great things that they've done and all in lieu of me as the head coach. That wasn't even expected to happen in December, the adversity they had to handle and deal with and they accepted me from the beginning. So again, I tell them I love them, I appreciate them," said head coach Jim Lipinski.
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