BETHANY, W.Va. — On a day meant to honor the seniors, it was only fitting that West Liberty Baseball closed the 2025 season in dramatic fashion. The Hilltoppers walked off rival Wheeling, 5-4, in extra innings Sunday afternoon, sending their seniors out in storybook style and finishing the year with an emotional win in a game played at Bethany Park.

After trailing for much of the game, West Liberty (24-27, 14-15) battled back behind clutch hitting, timely pitching, and unwavering resilience. The hero of the day? Senior Adam Och, who delivered the game-winning RBI single to center in the bottom of the 10th, scoring William Glick and setting off a wild celebration at home plate.

Wheeling jumped out to a 2-0 lead, plating runs in the first and third innings, but the Hilltoppers refused to go quietly. West Liberty finally broke through in the seventh when Connor Huzicka singled to right to bring home Hunter White, cutting the deficit in half.

The momentum carried into the eighth, where Huzicka struck again — this time with a 2-run single to center that gave West Liberty a 3-2 lead. Kobe Hill followed with a base hit to left, scoring Och and pushing the Hilltoppers' advantage to 4-2.

But Wheeling wasn't done yet. The Cardinals tied it up in the top of the ninth on a 2-run homer from Christian Boyles, setting the stage for extra innings.

In the tenth, Tanner Pelaez held Wheeling scoreless with a gritty relief effort, stranding two base runners to keep the game knotted. That set the table for the final rally, with Glick reaching and eventually scoring the game-winning run on Och's single.

Huzicka finished the day with 3 RBIs, while Glick scored twice and collected two hits. On the mound, Chase Lautner delivered a strong 5.2-inning relief performance, striking out six and allowing just one earned run. Pelaez earned the win in relief with a gutsy tenth inning.

The walk-off win gave the Hilltoppers a memorable ending to their season — and an unforgettable Senior Day send-off.

The 23 seniors honored were; Noah Mildren, Kobe Hill, Ryan Talbert ,  Ethan Conley , Kameron Jackson, Jacob Sherman, Craig Wilson, Evan Barnes, Jackson Phillips, Tanner Pelaez, William Glick, Connor Huzicka, Jacob Watson, Bryce Winter, Joey Medkeff, Will Morrow, Chase Lautner, Christopher Parker, Thomas Robbins, Drake Dobson, Ryan Clark, and Noah Neely. 

Before the senior day contest the two teams competed the suspended game from Friday with Wheeling winning 7-1.