Senior Ethan Stover drove in two runs within the recreation, together with the game-winning run within the seventh inning to stroll it off.
Drew Terhall | The Every day Advocate
By Drew Terhall
DailyAdvocate.com
VERSAILLES — It was a 6-3 recreation after the underside of the third with Versailles trailing. However the fifth seeded Tigers stored on preventing and got here out with an 8-7 walk-off win over Northeastern, the ninth seed, within the Southwest Division III sectional at dwelling. Senior Ethan Stover delivered the game-winning run within the seventh.
Head coach Brad Koopman stated they knew it was going to be a struggle as Northeastern was a regional crew final season. It was not going to be a straightforward event recreation.
“We knew that they had that type of expertise coming again. There was going to be a struggle, it wasn’t going to be a event take down or something like that. We had been going to have discover a manner,” Koopman stated.
The Jets jumped out to a 3-0 lead within the first inning. A few hits and a throwing error gave Northeastern all they wanted to place up three runs on the board.
Versailles responded with two runs within the backside of the primary. Senior Carson Griesdorn had a two-run single within the inning.
Within the third, Northeastern scored three extra runs to take a 6-2 lead. They may have gotten in one other run, however Versailles was in a position to make the defensive play to get a runner out at dwelling when the bases had been loaded.
After the third inning, Versailles stored making the proper defensive play to carry off the Jets. Koopman stated after giving up so many runs, they needed to lock in defensively.
“We took benefit of a few their defensive miscues. You possibly can’t give them anymore than what we already gave, so you bought to play some strong protection,” Koopman stated.
Within the backside of the third, senior Titus Gehret drove in a run to make it a 6-3 recreation. The Tigers stored chipping away on the lead. Within the fourth, junior AJ Griesdorn and Stover every drove in a run to get inside one run of Northeastern.
Senior Joe Ruhenkamp tied the sport up within the fifth with a RBI. Koopman stated identical to they’ve been all season, the crew slowly places up a couple of runs every inning and finds a option to compete in shut video games.
“We’ve been preventing in a few of these shut video games all 12 months. We type of skilled for this. Performed lots of further inning video games, lots of tight video games on the finish of video games and you bought to like the best way they by no means hand over. They maintain preventing and clawing,” Koopman stated.
Versailles took the lead within the sixth on a RBI from junior Joel Gehret. However within the prime of the seventh, the Jets acquired a run on the board, their first for the reason that third inning, to tie the sport up 7-7.
However, Versailles held them off to enter the underside of the seventh tied up. Carson Griesdorn hit a double with one out to get a runner in scoring place. Then with two outs, Stover got here by within the clutch to drive within the game-winning run.
AJ Griesdorn pitched three innings and had a strikeout. Sophomore Ross Francis pitched 4 innings and had 5 strikeouts.
Koopman stated Griesdorn pitched effectively, he simply had some robust breaks with the place the ball landed. He additionally stated Ross did an ideal job of preserving the crew within the recreation on the mound.
Versailles will journey to the 2 seed in Indian Lake on Could 22 with the winner advancing to the District remaining. The sport is ready for a 5 p.m. first pitch.
Contact Every day Advocate sports activities editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]
Originally posted 2023-05-18 13:20:11.