Photo by Kim North Barnesville’s Blake Burkhart is hoisted in the air following his walk-off single Thursday night propelled the Shamrocks to a 5-4 walk-off victory over rival Martins Ferry in an Ohio Division V East 1 District Baseball championship game at Buckeye Trail High School in Old Washington.

OLD WASHINGTON – Blake Burkhart was a freshman when Barnesville (21-7) last played in the Ohio Baseball Regional Tournament. That was 2024 when the Shamrocks defeated Sandy Valley at Conotton Valley for the district crown before falling to Minford in the Division III regionals at Ohio Dominican University in suburban Columbus.

While the senior-to-be didn’t see any action that postseason, he was a key contributor in Thursday night’s 5-4 walk-off victory over OVAC rival Martins Ferry (15-12) in the Division V, East 1 District championship game on the artificial surface at the Buckeye Trail High School diamond.

Although he didn’t figure in the pitching decision despite six-plus innings of solid work, Burkhart turned into a hero when his sharp single into left field scored Max Miller from third with the game-deciding run in the bottom of the seventh. Miller had drawn a leadoff walk and went to second on another free pass from Martins Ferry reliever Eli Smith. A wild pitch moved the runners up before Burkhart delivered on an 0-2 pitch.

“He had started me off with two curveballs, so I was sitting on the fastball,” Burkhart explained of his game-winning hit. “I was just trying to do whatever I could to put the ball in play and make something happen.

“This is an awesome feeling to be going to the regional,” Burkhart added. “My freshman year we were there, but I didn’t play. So being a part of this team this year is special.”

Burkhart’s heroics became necessary when the Purple Riders stunned the Shamrocks with three runs in the top of the seventh to draw even at 4. Christian Shutler reached on an infield single and Colby Kropka singled to left-center. That ended Burkhart’s outing on the mound as Bobby Thompson relieved. He got Smith to line out to deep center before walking Hunter Shutler. With two out, a wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet before Silas Simpson sent the next pitch into right-center as Christian Shutler and Kropka both scored. Parker Sobutka came on in relief and his first pitch bounced to the backstop, allowing Hunter Shutler to sprint home with the tying run.

“They are competitors. They are competitors,” Martins Ferry veteran head coach Anthony Reasbeck said of his squad. “Like I said before the game, the ball could bounce either way tonight. Whichever way the ball bounces, that team is going to win.”

When asked if the way the game transpired surprised him, veteran Barnesville head coach D.J. Butler replied, “No. In my 20 years, going back to (Martins Ferry) coaches (John) Bennett and (Josh) Lucas and now Anthony. If there’s a tournament with a title, it always seems to come down to us two,” Butler said. “Ferry played incredibly well. Down that many runs in the seventh and then come back to tie it, they showed a lot of heart.”

As much praise he gave the Purple Riders, Butler was more praiseful for his troops.

“We’ve worked really hard on our mental toughness this year and we’ve been in some close games that I think helped us today,” Butler said. “Those close games are paying dividends for us here at the end of the season.”

The fifth-seeded Purple Riders took a 1-0 lead in their second at-bat when Michael Goff’s suicide-squeeze bunt plated Simpson. They could’ve made it 2-0 in the third, but a fine relay from left fielder Jack Anderson to third baseman Parker Sobutka to catcher Aidan Caldwell nailed Luca Shane to end the inning.

The defensive gem sparked the Shamrocks as they tied the contest with a run in the bottom of the third. Anderson coaxed a one-out walk from freshman Ford Hughes. Miller singled and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Brayden Watters’ fly ball to left was deep enough to get Anderson home.

Burkhart was hit by a pitch leading off the fourth. After stealing second, he scampered to third when the throw went into center. He continued running and scored when the ball was misplayed in the outfield.

“We have to be able to bunt and play ‘small ball,'” Butler admitted. “We have a couple of guys that are capable of maybe getting one (over the fence) or in the gap. We don’t have a lot of big bats so we have to do the little things that are important in games like this.”

Martins Ferry was threatening in the sixth with runners on first and second and two out. Maurice Barnett bunted down the first base line as Barnesville’s Keegan Martin charged the ball. Martin fielded the ball and swiped to tag the speedy Barnett. Not thinking he had recorded the out, Martin overthrew first base as two Martins Ferry runs scored. However, after things had settled down, the first base umpire had ruled Martin indeed had tagged the runner to end the inning, nullifying both runs.

“Everybody out here is busting their butts … everybody,” Reasbeck said. “I’ve got 15-, 16-, 17-year-old kids playing as hard as they can, coaches that coached as hard as they can and for a guy to miss a call like that is a travesty in a district championship game.

“For us to come back and battle like we did to get even, showing resiliency and then to have something like that happen is an absolute travesty because everybody is held accountable in this game. I’m held accountable. They’re held accountable and they’re held accountable,” Reasbeck said while pointing around the diamond. “Everybody is held accountable in this game except the guys that control it.”

Both head coaches praised their pitchers for their performances.

“Blake was tremendous. I took him out there in the seventh because those guys had seen him three times already today,” Butler explained of his pitching switch. “Bobby came in and got a big out on Eli Smith. Then Parker came in and shut the door.”

Burkhart recorded four strikeouts and walked one in his 81-pitch effort, of which 56 were strikes. Sobutka was credited with the win.

“Ford Hughes is a dog. For a freshman to come in and do what he did in that situation, I couldn’t ask anymore from him,” Reasbeck noted. Hughes struck out three and walked three. He threw 83 pitches, with 47 going for strikes.

Jaxten Swallie singled in Dylan Blon, who tripled to deep left, in the sixth to give Barnesville a 3-1 lead and pinch runner Braylon Lucas raced home on Martin’s sacrifice bunt for a 4-1 reading.

Miller had two singles as the Shamrocks managed just six base hits.

Christian Shutler singled and doubled for two of Martins Ferry’s nine safeties. Simpson and Clayton Snyder had two singles each.

“One thing about our senior group, they are the first group to play in, and win, two district title games,” Butler pointed out.

Top-seeded Barnesville will now face No. 2 Harrison Central in a Region 19 semifinal on Tuesday, June 2 at 5 p.m. at Mazeroski Field inside Sally Buffalo Park in Cadiz. The Region 20 championship game will be played at Don and Sue Schaly Field on the campus of Marietta University on Thursday, June 4.