What a finish!

COLDWATER - "At the conclusion of the game, a couple kids grabbed me and asked 'What the hell just happened?' " Minster coach Mike Wiss said after the conclusion of Saturday's Division IV baseball district final against Crestview.

The kids weren't the only ones at Coldwater's Veterans Field with that question.

After having allowed nine runs in the top of the seventh to give Crestview a 13-7 lead, Minster scored seven times in the bottom of the seventh, with the tying and go-ahead runs coming on Jack Heitbrink's single to center to give Minster an improbable 14-13 win to advance to the regional for the second straight season as the Wildcats look to defend their state title.

Minster (22-7) travels to Carlton Davidson Stadium in Springfield on Thursday at 5 p.m. to face backyard rival Fort Loramie in the regional semifinals. The Redskins defeated Tri-County North 11-7 on Friday night to advance. The 2 p.m. semifinal pits defending state runner-up Russia against Fairfield Christian. The Wildcats and Redskins split two regular season meetings.

"Jim Wharton has a class program. Always has," Wiss said of the veteran Crestview coach. "I feel for those guys. I'm happy for us, but I'm in disbelief how that whole thing materialized."

The final two innings of the game featured 21 total runs scored and six pitchers used by both teams. In the entire contest, the teams had a combined 19 walks and six hit batsmen, many coming in the seventh inning after Minster had increased its lead to 7-4 with two runs in the sixth.

Alex Lehmkuhl, who picked up the final two outs of the sixth, came on to complete the save in the seventh but began the inning by hitting Caden Hurless and Dylan Hicks before walking Griffin Painter to load the bases. Wiss recalled starting pitcher Jack Heitbrink, who promptly hit Riley Saylor to bring home a run. Wiss returned to the mound and summoned Mike Ketner, who walked Derek Stout to bring home another run. After getting a strikeout for the first out, Charles Stefanek singled home the tying run and kept the bases loaded. Ketner walked two more batters for two more runs before Wiss brought on Adam Knapke. The Knights beat out two force plays to bring home two more runs before Painter hit an RBI double to make it 13-7. Knapke finally got the final two out to close out an inning where Crestview had scored nine runs - all earned - on just two hits, four walks and three hit batsmen.

"The first five batters reached on walks or (were) hit by pitches," said Wiss. "I was trying to pull a string to make their batters hit a ball. It was crazy. Same thing happened in the bottom of the inning. I don't know what it is by either team. … The walks and hit by pitches are not typical Minster vs. Crestview games at all."

Now it was Painter, who took over in the fourth for starter Kole Small, to close out the Wildcats, but Austin Shinabery started the bottom of the seventh with a double. Knapke followed with an infield single and Ketner drew a walk to load the bases. Jacob Hoying grounded to first, but the throw to second for the force was off the mark as Shinabery scored and the bases remained loaded for Jack Olberding, who was hit by a pitch to bring home another run. Painter walked Isaac Schmiesing for another RBI before Wharton recalled Small to get the final outs. Lehmkuhl greeted Small with a two-run single to get Minster to within a run. Jared Huelsman was then hit by a pitch to load the bases again for Heitbrink. On a 2-2 pitch, Heitbrink lofted a fly to center. Brant Richardson, who was playing deep, dashed in to try for a diving catch, but the ball bounced in front of him, scoring Schmiesing and Lehmkuhl to end the wild contest.

"It's honestly still a blur," said Heitbrink. "This team is amazing. They'll do anything to keep this going."

"When we came in (to the dugout) after the top of the seventh, I didn't say one word," Wiss said. "That's when you rely on your seniors. There are seniors on this team with two state football titles and one state baseball title.

"Today was a different day. Baseball is that way."