HART – A 3-2 pitcher’s duel between Hart and Evart fell in favor of the Wildcats Tuesday, June 4, as the Pirates were eliminated in the regional semifinals on their home field.
“We’ve talked about getting a district title since I’ve been a coach,” Hart Head Coach David Riley said. “The boys believed they could go get that (on Saturday, May 31) and they did, which fueled us right into today.”
Hits were hard to come by for both teams, and even when a batter found the base paths, each defense was able to escape the inning without allowing a run. That continued from the first inning, all the way to the bottom of the fifth.
Hart’s catalyst for keeping Evart at bay was a combination of left handed seniors on the mound in Ty Schlukebir and Avery Guikema. Schlukebir started the game, throwing three innings and only allowing two hits, no runs and striking out eight. Riley opted to split pitching duties in order to salvage both arms for a possible regional finals appearance.
“The pitch count factored in,” Riley said. “We knew between the two of them, with 75 pitches each they could pitch on Saturday (in the regional finals) if we pulled off a win like we intended to. You have to think like that for the post season. More so, we consider our two lefties as 1A and 1B, so we wanted to get both on the mound.”
The Pirates tried to get things going multiple times on offense. Halen Boos led off the game with a line drive single, but watched his teammates get sat down in order on strikeouts. Kevon Gray earned a walk to start the third inning, but the following three batters mirrored the sequence that ended the first inning.
Schlukebir’s greatest moment came in the bottom of the third inning. After recording an opening strikeout, Evart got two on base on back-to-back singles. Schlukebir struck another batter out, but walked one immediately after, loading the bases. In a pinch, Schlukebir worked the next batter he faced into a full count before delivering a knockout blow that allowed the Pirates to escape without allowing a run.
It wasn’t until the fifth inning that the stalemate was busted, with Evart driving across three runs to take the lead. The Wildcats jumped all over Guikema on the mound, tallying three consecutive singles to start the inning. Guikema also hit a batter with a pitch, allowing the Wildcats to get a runner in scoring position, which was paid off on the next at-bat.
With their backs against the wall, Hart did everything they could to give themselves a chance.
Schlukebir started the top of the sixth inning with a single, and advanced to second after Guikema was hit by a pitch. With runners in scoring position, Brendan Hiddema found a line drive single to give Hart its first point of the game. Hollis Rockwell IV got in on the fun too, hitting a ground ball that scored Guikema. The Pirates ended the inning with a 3-2 deficit.
Guikema did the work necessary in the top of the inning to shut down Evart’s offense. After a lead off walk, Guikema struck out two batters and threw another into a pop fly that was caught by Schlukebir in center field.
With just one chance to tie the game, Hart’s bats struggled in the top of the seventh. Mason Guikema – a call-up from the JV team – got trigger happy on some high pitches to give Evart a strikeout. Boos and Coker were sat down in order behind him, leaving the Wildcats as the victors.
“We really knew we were going to have our chance to put some runs on the board,” Riley said. “It was nice to see them fight there. I’m heartbroken for our seniors that it ended the way it did, but I’m proud of the team for putting that game to the seventh inning and fighting to the last swing.”
Avery Guikema finished the day on the mound with three innings pitched, two earned runs on three hits and six strikeouts. Boos, Schlukebir, Avery Guikema, Hiddema and Rockwell recorded the team’s only hits with Rockwell and Hiddema each notching a run batted in.
The Pirates end their season at 12-18-1 and will graduate Coker, Avery Guikema, Brandon Moul, Hiddema, JJ Bizon, Gray and Schlukebir.
“Our seniors have grown so much, in so many ways,” Riley said. “On the field and outside of baseball, I’m proud of them. The spring season is tough on a senior, but their commitment to their team makes me proud.”
