Mendota’s Bryson Prusator starts his head-first slide into home plate while Hall catcher Brant Vanaman tries to reach back for the tag during the regional championship game on May 22 at the MHS field. Prusator managed to reach the plate before the tag, scoring  on a double off the bat of Paxton Kennedy. (Reporter photo)

MENDOTA – Mendota and Hall have played some pretty dramatic games in a variety of sports over the years. You can add another one to the list.

While the two schools don't play nearly as much being in difference conferences, the baseball teams locked horns to see who would be the regional champion, and what a doozy of a game it turned out to be.

The Trojans erased a Hall lead in the sixth inning only to have the top-seeded Red Devils turn the tides in the bottom of the seventh to pull out a stunning 6-5 victory in the title game of the Mendota Class 2A Regional on May 22 at the MHS field. Mendota, which was the fourth seed in the tournament, ended its season with a 20-10 record, while Hall advanced to the Byron Sectional with a 27-5 mark.

Mendota trailed 4-3 entering the top of the sixth when it struck for two big runs to grab a 5-4 advantage. Cruz Figueroa drew a leadoff walk on four pitches and Bryson Prusator followed with a ringing single up the middle. Hall then elected to intentionally walk Paxton Kennedy to load the bases with nobody out. The strategy worked for one batter when Ben Bokus flew out to short left, but Joe LaShonse hit a slow roller to first baseman Austin DeBates that plated Figueroa with the tying run. And when DeBates couldn't field the ball cleanly, LaShonse was safe and the bases remained loaded.

Bryar Lindenmeyer was called out on strikes for the second out, but Joel Escatel, hitting for the first time in the game, delivered an RBI single over the second baseman's head to knock in Prusator with the go-ahead run. The inning came to a close when Jake Nurnberg rapped into a force out at second.

Prusator, who relieved MHS starter Figueroa in the fifth, gave up a leadoff single to Christian Stefaniak in the bottom of the sixth and he was bunted over to second by Brennan Yuvan to bring up the top of the order. But Prusator induced Ty Rybarczyk to fly out to right and got Brant DeAngelo on a towering pop out to first to end the inning.

The Trojans were desperately looking for some insurance runs in the top of the seventh and they loaded the bases on a hit batsman and two walks, but Hall reliever DeAngelo wiggled out of the jam unscathed.

Prusator returned to the hill looking to be the winning pitcher, but instead he was saddled with the loss. Hall's Cam McDonald led off the bottom of the seventh with a wind-blown solo home run to right-center to tie the game at 5-5. DeAngelo followed with a squib single to right and he quickly got into scoring position with a stolen base. After Chance Resetich popped out to left, Brayden DeBates reached on an infield single and then the Trojans chose to intentionally walk Austin DeBates to load the bases.

Prusator got Stefaniak to ground into a fielder's choice, with DeAngelo cut down at the plate for the second out. James Mautino followed with a grounder to the left of third baseman Adrian Espinoza, who managed to glove the ball, but he couldn't get it over to first base in time and Brayden DeBates raced home with the winning run.

Prusator ended up working 1 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He walked two. Figueroa gave up six hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.

DeAngelo got the win in relief of Rybarczyk, who pitched the first six innings. Rybarczyk gave up seven hits and all five runs, walked one and fanned four.

Mendota touched Rybarczyk for a run in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead. Kennedy led off with a single and Bokus reached on a bunt single. LaShonse sacrificed both runners up, and then Lindenmeyer executed a suicide squeeze bunt to plate Kennedy.

Hall scored three runs on two singles and two doubles in the bottom of the third, but the Trojans responded with two tallies in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 3-3.

Prusator lined a single up the middle to open the inning and Kennedy narrowly missed a home run when he doubled off the fence in right-center to drive in Prusator. Bokus followed with a bloop single to left that sent Kennedy to third. LaShonse then grounded into a double play that scored Kennedy with the tying run.

Brant Vanaman gave the lead back to Hall with a solo homer in the fifth to set the stage for the final two innings.

Mendota collected seven hits in the contest, with Prusator, Kennedy and Bokus getting two apiece.