Strake Jesuit Walks Off Foster on HBP to Claim 20-6A District Title 9-8

First place in District 20-6A was on the line, and it took eight innings — and one final hit by pitch — to settle it. Strake Jesuit defeated Richmond Foster 9-8 in walk-off fashion to claim the district title.

Foster struck first when Luke Watassek drove a pitch the opposite way and over the wall for a three-run home run, giving the Falcons an early 3-0 lead. Foster pushed the advantage to 5-2 by the fifth inning before Strake's Jack Wegleitner answered with a two-run shot to left, keeping the Crusaders within reach at 5-4.

The Falcons appeared to put the game away in the seventh when Roman Faltine launched a no-doubter to left, extending the lead to 8-4. But Strake wasn't finished. The Crusaders scored four runs in the bottom of the inning, three of them coming on a bases-loaded triple by Elijah Gassett, and just like that the game was tied heading to extra innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, Strake loaded the bases and Gassett — already the hero of the seventh — was hit by a curveball to force in the winning run. The walk-off hit by pitch handed Strake Jesuit the District 20-6A championship, 9-8.