MINERAL RIDGE — “This is my game,” shouted McDonald senior Drew Cupan after he drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning for the Blue Devils against arch rival Mineral Ridge on Thursday.

The Devils trailed 7-5, in the top of the seventh, before Cupan blasted a 2-run homer over the center field wall to tie it. Then, he put McDonald on top with a RBI single in the extra frame.

“We had a slow start,” Cupan said. “We looked a little shaky in the beginning. We fought back. I love this team. I wanted to help the team get a win today. I took control when it mattered. I got a good pitch on the home run. I was just trying to give my team a chance. I gave it a good ride.”

Cupan did everything but close the game out on the mound. The Devils added 4 more runs on wild pitches and walks and led 12-7 heading to the bottom of the eighth.

Cupan almost finished it, but he was lifted for freshman Carson Klase. Klase got a pair of strikeouts to end it, as McDonald got a huge 12-9 Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier victory.

“It was a crazy game,” McDonald coach Andy Timko said. “It’s two teams that have a rivalry. Anytime that Ridge and McDonald get together, they’re crazy games. They have a good team.”

The Rams were actually cruising with a 6-1 advantage before things started to fall apart in the top of the sixth.

“I don’t think we had a hit until the last inning,” Timko said. “We didn’t have a hit, and we had five runs. It was a slow start. We were sluggish. Then, the game picked up.”

Payton Zupko had been dominant on the mound for Ridge. He had just tossed a 1-2-3 top of the fifth. However, a couple of walks led to 4 runs and a slim 6-5 lead.

“I think we got complacent,” Mineral Ridge coach Anthony Ragozine said. “We had a big lead there in the sixth. Then, we kind of just let off the gas. Things unraveled. It kind of got away from us. There were too many walks today. It was pretty uncharacteristic of ourselves. We’ll learn from it, and come back tomorrow.”

The Rams (7-4, 6-3) and Blue Devils (9-3, 6-3) get right back at it 5 p.m. today in McDonald.

“Hopefully, our guys are ready to play,” Ragozine said. “McDonald is a good team, so they’ll be ready to go. We just have to come back, and avenge the loss today.”

The Rams added a run in the bottom of the sixth when Zach James got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing home Mark Bunch, and making it 7-5.

Ridge had a chance to walk off with a win in the bottom of the seventh, but was denied by some gold-glove defense by sophomore center fielder Wyatt Wolford.

Trey Rigley and Zupko had each singled before Wolford made a great catch in center, and then he gunned down Rigley at third. Rigley tagged up at second and tried to advance on the fly out, but Wolford fired a dart for the double play.

“Unbelievable,” Timko said. “That throw was right on the money. They had a decent runner, too. Wyatt has only been playing in center field the last three or four games.”

Wolford appears to have found a home in center for the Devils. He’s part of a young group for McDonald that includes 4 sophomores and a freshman.

“We’re really young,” Timko said. ” We’re excited about the rest of the season.”

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