North Marion advances to Class 4A state title game on walk-off hit

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WCJB) -North Marion’s Bobby Gottuso delivered a walk-off RBI hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the Colts to the Class 4A state baseball title game on Friday in Fort Myers. North Marion won its state semifinal over a stubborn Sunset squad, 5-4. North Marion (26-5) will appear in the championship game for the second time in three years.

Cooper Jones homered twice for the Colts, his 13th and 14th of the season, giving North Marion a 4-2 lead in the top of the second. William Long also contributed an RBI on a first inning single.

Hunter Jones started on the mound for the Colts and was masterful, striking out 13 batters over seven innings, including five in a two-inning span in the fourth and fifth. Jones allowed eight hits.

Sunset enjoyed a historic turnaround. The Knights never led the state semifinal but tied it up twice. They finished 17-9 after going a combined 1-31 in the previous two seasons.

In Saturday’s finals, North Marion will face Bishop Kenny, a 4-1 winner over Jefferson. The Colts beat the Crusaders (19-10) back on March 8, 2-0. Bishop Kenny enters the finals on an eight-game winning streak, while North Marion has now won its last seven. First pitch is at 5 p.m. at Hammond Stadium.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2023 WCJB. All rights reserved.