ST. GEORGE — They’ve done it the entire tournament. Getting down is what they do, and they like it that way.
“We’ve done it all tournament. You could call us the comeback kids,” Milford coach Tyler McMullin said.
That moniker fits the team well, especially after coming back in the first game of the day to force the "what-if" game with the state title on the line against Enterprise. They even fell behind in game two before engineering yet another comeback.
The Tigers took the lead early, highlighted by a Zach Sherwood RBI single to right and a run-scoring groundout for the 2-0 advantage in the second.
The Wolves didn’t let the deficit last long, scoring four runs in the fourth. The inning began with a pair of walks and a balk that led to a Cameron Cowley sac fly to cut the deficit to 2-1. Another walk and an error left the bases full, leading to a two-run single to center by Mathew Bowler, taking the 3-2 lead. Enterprise added another run when Andrew Bowler lined an RBI double to right for the 4-2 advantage.
Despite trailing yet again, Milford was ready to begin another comeback with a trophy on the line. It started in the fifth inning, when an error and two walks loaded the bases. Bryson Barnes then stepped up and delivered a three-run triple that went all the way to the warning track in right field, giving his team the 5-4 lead. Kyler Wunderlich added an RBI single two batters later for the 6-4 advantage.
The Tigers extended the lead even further in the sixth via a Barnes RBI double and run-scoring single that hopped over the third baseman into left for the 8-4 lead. Wunderlich added the third run of the frame in the next at-bat, hitting a single to center for the 9-4 lead.
All Milford had to do now was close out the game, and they did just that. Despite two base hits, the Tigers forced three pop flies to get three outs and seal the state championship victory.
“It’s awesome, man,” McMullin said on winning the title. “These kids earned it and they worked hard. They set goals and accomplished them.”
Having to come back multiple times in the tournament made the victory even more special. “We knew if we could get past that first game that we had the best chance going into the second game. The kids came out, the bats were hot and we started off with a couple of runs early, even got down again. They know what it takes to win.”
With the state trophy now headed back to Milford, the Tigers earned the chance to call themselves the comeback kids.
“We never give up, we never quit.”
That heart and desire led to a memorable victory, one that the coaches, players and fans that rushed the field won’t soon forget.