Moment: Homer Walks Off into Final

April 30, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Baseball “Walk-off Week” finishes today with Homer crossing home last spring to set up its first Finals championship on the diamond since 2004.

Jacob Wilson’s smash into left field drove in the game-winning run as the Trojans downed Pewamo-Westphalia 2-1 in nine innings to advance to the Division 3 championship game – which Homer then won 4-0 over Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett.

The hit was Wilson’s only one in four at bats during the June 14 Semifinal. He also threw the first six and two-thirds innings on the mound, giving up just one run and striking out five. Zach Butters came on in the seventh inning to handle the final seven outs for the Trojans – and Butters also scored the winning run in the ninth after walking to open the bottom of the frame.

“I was up to bat and I was looking at my teammates while they were on base, and they were just looking at me smiling, giving me a thumbs up,” Wilson said after the win. “I just had faith in myself that I could get it down.”

Butters threw six and one-third shutout innings the following day to get the championship game win as Homer finished the season 33-3.

Click for coverage of the Semifinal from Second Half and see below for the game winner from the NFHS Network.