Comeback Bid Lands North Clay in Sectional Final

It took four hitless innings to get going, but North Clay’s offense came to life in a big way Thursday afternoon as the Cardinals rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to knock off Oblong 9-5 in semifinal action at the Class 1A North Clay baseball sectional.

In a game heard live on 979xfm.com, the Cardinals (18-10) were being mowed down by Oblong starter Wes Jones, who was perfect through three innings and erased a one-out walk in the bottom of the fourth with a slick 6-4-3 double play from the defense behind him. Meanwhile, the Panthers (17-6) notched a run in the first inning and two more in the third to take what seemed to be a commanding 3-0 edge.

For Jones, though, the wheels came off in the home half of the fifth when North Clay notched a trio of runs to knot up the score. Jerick VanDyke’s leadoff single and Brandon Repking’s subsequent double — both on first-pitch swings — set up runners on second and third. Even though VanDyke was thrown out at the plate on Jordan Bloemer’s squibber to first base, Reese Blank was able to follow with an RBI single down the left field line. Colt VanDyke kept it going with a run-scoring base hit to left to make it 3-2. After a catcher’s interference play loaded the bases, Michael Lovett’s fielder’s choice to shortstop (the force was made at second base) brought home the inning’s third run.

Oblong bounced right back with a run in the top of the sixth on Dawson Maus’s two-out RBI double to score Zander Laino, but that one run wasn’t nearly enough to account for the onslaught North Clay had in store.

The Cardinals sent 11 men to the plate in the sixth and faced three different Oblong pitchers in the frame; all told, North Clay crossed the plate six times to blow it open at 9-4. Ryan Gill came on to star the frame, but walked two straight and was quickly pulled. Kacey Cheek only recorded one out between three hits and another walk, while Maus finally came in and fanned two in a row to end the lengthy inning. RBI hits from J. VanDyke, Repking and Blank were all part of the action, while a two-run error and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch also figured into the rally.

Oblong loaded the bases with one out and drew an RBI walk in the top of the seventh, but Collin Warren struck out the final two hitters of the game to secure victory. Warren snagged the pitching win in his two innings of relief after Repking threw the first five.

North Clay moves on to face Edwards County in a 10 a.m. Saturday matchup; the winner advances to super-sectional play Monday evening.

CLASS 1A NORTH CLAY SECTIONAL
Semifinal