(From Dubois County) The Dubois County Bombers punched their ticket to the OVL Playoff Championship Series last night with a dramatic 6-5 victory over a stubborn squad of Hoppers from Hopkinsville.
     With the game tied at five-all in the bottom of the ninth, Dubois County loaded the bases with one down. Thomas Rea, an infielder from Earlham College, stroked a single to left field over the drawn-in Hopper infield, driving in the winning run, and advancing the Bombers to the final round of playoffs for the first time since joining the Ohio Valley League in 2013.
     As had been the case the previous night, the Bombers were unable to capitalize on multiple early opportunities. Five runners were left aboard in the first three innings. Meanwhile, Zach Aring was mowing down the Hoppers with little trouble early on. The game was scoreless through four innings. The Bomber put runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, while the Hoppers had only advanced one runner as far as second base against Aring in that span.
     A leadoff walk to Nick Barrientos was followed by a Daniel Johnson double to left center as Dubois County knocked out Hopper starter Zach Denney early in the fifth inning. Jacob Snodgrass followed with a 2-RBI single. He came in to score later in the inning when Mark Giesler's hustle down the line beat out a relay throw as the Hoppers opted to try for the defensive double play instead of attempting to cut down the lead runner at home in a one-out bases loaded situation. Snodgrass' run made it a 3-0 Bombers advantage.
     Hopkinsville answered with a solo home run in the sixth off the bat of Ernie de la Trinidad of the University of Arizona. It was the first home run hit off of Bomber pitching all year at League Stadium.
     The Bombers would push the lead to 5-1 in the home sixth. Barrientos singled. Snodgrass doubled him in for his third RBI of the game. League batting champion Drake McNamara singled off of Christian Myers who started the sixth as the third Hopper pitcher of the game.
     Kyle Hubbuch matched de la Trinidad's homer with a solo shot of his own in the seventh, paring the margin to 5-2. That score held until the ninth inning.
     As the regular season wound down, Zach Freeman had developed into a central figure out of the Bomber bullpen, pitching in various roles and situations, frequently appearing and succeeding when most needed. On this night, he came out of the bullpen in the ninth to try to save the game. 
     Hopkinsville had other plans. Hubbuch walked. With one out, John Davis singled him to second. Matt Crowder added a pinch-hit single, scoring Hubbuch. With two down, Matt Cogen doubled to drive in two runs and knot the game at five-all. Devin Williams came in from the Bomber bullpen to end the inning by getting Trent Turner to pop out to Snodgrass at short.
     The task before the Bombers was simple. Win it in the bottom of the ninth or take their chances with the vagaries of extra innings. The game and the season were both on the line.
     Gobert led off with a walk. When McNamara was hit by a pitch, Hoppers coach Trey Porras pulled Myers in favor of Will Bishop. Noah Sadler sacrificed the runners into scoring position. With first base open, Porras opted to walk Giesler intentionally, setting the stage for Rea's smash hit single. The Bombers players mobbed the Earlham Quaker shortstop before he could get more than a few feet from first base.
     Snodgrass keyed the Bomber offense, going three-for-four with a double, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Gobert reached base all five times up, singling twice, and walking three times.
     Although he only pitched to one batter, Williams gets credit for the win. Myers takes the loss.
     The game ended the Hoppers season with a total record of 15-28. They may have played their best baseball at the end of the season, winning the first round of the playoffs in exciting come-from-behind fashion against Owensboro and pushing the regular season champion Bombers to the very last inning of a best-of-three series.
     The Bombers will open the Championship Series on Tuesday against the regular season second-place Madisonville Miners as the seedings have held up thus far in the OVL post-season. Dubois County will return home to host game two of the series on Wednesday. If necessary, game 3 will also be played at League Stadium on Thursday night.