BASEBALL INDIANS PULL OFF DISTRICT TOURNAMENT MAGIC WITH 3-0 UPSET OF DECORAH; REGULAR SEASON WRAPS UP

The regular season may have been a struggle at times for this year's Waukon Indian baseball team, but those struggles were all but forgotten when the Tribe opened postseason tournament play with a 3-0 upset of Decorah Saturday, July 15 in the opening round of Class 3A District Tournament play. Prior to that beginning of postseason play, the Indians had wrapped up their regular season with a splitting of doubleheader sweeps, taking a pair of Northeast Iowa Conference games from Crestwood at home Monday, July 10, 7-1 and 8-3, but dropping a pair of games at Maquoketa Wednesday, July 12, 5-4 and 9-8, to bring their regular season to a close with a 9-30 overall record, 4-14 in NEIC play.

NEIC Team Standings
Through end of regular season

                        NEIC      O'all
Oelwein                  17-1      32-1
Charles City            11-7      21-12
Decorah                  11-7      21-13
Waverly-Shell Rock      10-8      16-16
New Hampton            9-9      18-14
WAUKON                  4-14      9-30
Crestwood                  1-17      5-25

With their first-round district tournament win, the Indians advance to district championship play against New Hampton, 10-2 first-round winners over Crestwood. That district championship contest will be played Tuesday, July 18 at Decorah at 7:30 p.m., with the winner advancing on to substate tournament play Friday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Decorah against the winner of the District #13 championship match-up between Class 3A top-rated Oelwein and number-three rated West Delaware. The substate winner will earn the right to play in the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament, which begins Wednesday, July 26 in Carroll.

Crestwood doubleheader ...
The Indians wrapped up their Northeast Iowa Conference season in fine fashion, sweeping a home doubleheader from Crestwood of Cresco, 7-1 and 8-3, Monday, July 10. The pair of wins doubled the Tribe's NEIC victories for the season and gave them the edge over the Cadets in this year's NEIC "battle of the basement," as the Tribe entered the contest with a 2-14 conference mark and Crestwood held a 1-15 record in league play.
The doubleheader also featured the final home game of this season for the three Indian seniors on this year's club. Eddie Frick, Jason Manning and Craig Stott were each recognized prior to the game for their contributions as Indian baseball seniors this season.
The Indians used a six-run fourth inning to open up an otherwise close ballgame in the twinbill opener. Prior to that offensive eruption, the Tribe held a 1-0 advantage, junior catcher Andy Snitker scoring on a bases-loaded fielder's choice in senior center fielder Craig Stott's at-bat after he had led the bottom of the second inning off by reaching on an error.
The six-run surge in the bottom of the fourth got its start from a one-out double from junior third baseman Bill Van Gorp followed by a walk from Stott. Junior pitcher Heath Hesse followed with a run-scoring single before sophomore left fielder Chad Bakkum hit into a fielder's choice that scored Stott.
A single by junior second baseman Chris Kamm put two Indians on base once again before a Cadet error in freshman right fielder Kenny Hansmeier's at-bat scored Hesse. The big blow followed when senior shortstop Eddie Frick unloaded on the first pitch in his at-bat, sending it over the outfield fence for a three-run homer and a 7-0 Indian advantage.
Crestwood's only answer to that big inning, and its only offensive production of the ballgame, came in the form of a one-run top of the fifth. Back-to-back singles followed by an Indian error put that Cadet run in the books, making for a 7-1 Indian advantage that would stand as the game's final result after an exchange of three-up, three-down at-bats between the two clubs in the final innings.
Hesse picked up his first pitching win of the season, allowing five Crestwood hits, striking out three batters and walking one in going the full seven innings. Crestwood's Drew Aspenson suffered the loss on the mound, giving up nine Indian hits, walking two batters and striking out none in three and two-thirds innings. Dustin Sobolik came on in relief in the final two and one-third frames, giving up just one hit.

Game two was also a good battle for the Tribe until a three-run sixth inning widened the gap a bit to an 8-3 Indian win. The Indians broke open a 3-3 tie with two runs in the fourth inning before tacking on the final three insurance runs in the sixth.
Crestwood struck first in the contest with a single, a fielder's choice and a run-scoring double, but the Tribe answered with three runs in the bottom of the second to snatch the lead from the Cadets. A lead-off single from junior designated hitter Jared Jones was followed by back-to-back, one-out errors that put junior first baseman Josh Johnson and senior center fielder Craig Stott on base, Jones scoring on Johnson's misplayed ball to knot the score.
A ground out from junior shortstop Heath Hesse brought Johnson home from third before a single from sophomore shortstop Chad Bakkum scored Stott, giving the Indians a 3-1 edge before the inning was ended.
That two-run advantage for the Indians was short-lived, however, as Crestwood posted two runs on a pair of singles and an Indian error in the top of the third, tying the score once again at 3-3. The Indians also had an answer for that once again, but one that was delayed until the bottom of the fourth inning.
A dropped third strike was the start of that Indian scoreboard reply, as Johnson reached on the catcher miscue. The Tribe followed that error with three singles from Stott, sophomore left fielder Chad Bakkum and junior second baseman Chris Kamm, Bakkum knocking in Johnson and Kamm driving in Stott to boost the Tribe to a 5-3 advantage.
Neither team found home in the fifth inning, and the Indians made sure that carried over into the top of the sixth for their guests, but also made sure it did not carry over for themselves in the bottom of the sixth. Stott was the sparkplug this time, drawing a lead-off walk and stealing second before a single from Hesse drove him in.
A Cadet error and a base on balls then put both Bakkum and Kamm on base to load the bags with Indians before freshman right fielder Kenny Hansmeier boomed a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hesse. A single by Frick re-loaded the bases before a ground out by junior designated hitter Jared Jones brought Bakkum in to complete the Indian scoring at an 8-3 advantage.
A three-up, three-down defensive stand by the Tribe in the top of the seventh finalized that 8-3 result as an Indian win.
Frick claimed the win on the mound for the Indians, allowing seven hits, walking one batter and striking out another. Crestwood's Wade Grinhaug was taken for 11 hits by the Indians, walking two batters and striking out another in the loss.

Maquoketa doubleheader...
The baseball Indians had both games of a non-conference doubleheader at Maquoketa snatched away from them in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday, July 12. A called balk with a runner on third forced a 5-4 defeat on the Tribe in game one, while a two-run homer saddled the Indians with a 9-8 game-two loss.
Indian offense was scattered in the doubleheader opener, but it was still enough to equal Maquoketa through six-and-a-half innings of play. The Tribe managed a run in each of the final four innings of the ballgame, using the first of those runs to cut into a 2-0 lead Maquoketa had built in the bottom on three singles, a hit batsman and an Indian defensive error.
The Tribe's one-run answer in the fourth came when freshman right fielder Kenny Hansmeier was hit by a pitch and then driven in by a two-out double from junior catcher Andy Snitker. Another Indian run in the top of the fifth knotted the score at 2-2, junior third baseman Bill Van Gorp drawing a lead-off walk, being sacrificed to second by senior center fielder Craig Stott, and scoring on a Maquoketa throwing error.
Maquoketa jumped in front once again with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, getting help from a pair of Indian errors and a base on balls. The Tribe once again had the answer, however, countering with a run each in the sixth and seventh frames.
Senior shortstop Eddie Frick singled to lead off the Indian half of the sixth, stole second, was sacrificed to third, and scored on a Maquoketa error to make for a 4-3 Indian deficit. The Indians then knotted the score at 4-4 with a one-out single from junior first baseman Chris Kamm followed by a run-scoring double from Hansmeier.
The Indian comeback forced Maquoketa to its final at-bats in the bottom of the seventh, an opportunity that got off to a good start with a lead-off single. That baserunner was then sacrificed to second and took third on a fielder's choice ground ball. The final blow for the Tribe came when Indian sophomore pitcher Seth Kelly was called for a balk with those two outs in the books, allowing the runner on third to score and win the game for Maquoketa, 5-4.
Kelly had held Maquoketa to six hits in the contest, walking five batters and striking out just one in going the distance in the loss. Maquoketa's Drew Winegar recorded the win on the mound, giving up six Indian hits, walking one batter, hitting another and striking out three.

The Indians looked to be on cruise control early in game two, taking a 6-0 lead over the host Cardinals through two-and-a-half innings. A Maquoketa error, a fielder's choice and a wild pitch put senior shortstop Eddie Frick on base and brought him around the base circuit for a 1-0 Indian lead in the second frame.
Five Indian runs in the top of the third frame catapulted the Tribe to its 6-0 advantage. Senior center fielder Craig Stott started the Indian eruption with a lead-off walk, with junior left fielder Heath Hesse following with a single. Sophomore catcher Chad Bakkum followed Hesse's lead with a single of his own, driving in Stott, before a ground out from junior second baseman Chris Kamm brought Hesse in to score.
An error in freshman pitcher Kenny Hansmeier's at-bat put him on base with Bakkum, just in time for both to get a free trip around the basepaths when Frick blasted a three-run homer over the outfield fence. That round-tripper boosted the Tribe to a 6-0 advantage, but Maquoketa was just getting started.
The bottom of that third frame saw the host Cardinals finally get on the board with two runs on three singles. Another inning later that once-comfortable, 6-0 Indian lead was totally gone, as Maquoketa racked up four more runs on two singles, a two-run triple, a hit batsman and an Indian error, leaving the score knotted at 6-6.
One inning more, and the Tribe found itself behind for the first time in the ballgame, as Maquoketa loaded the bases on a hit batsman, a single and another Indian error before a sacrifice fly to center field gave the Cardinals a 7-6 lead. The Indian opportunities to respond to the Maquoketa comeback were all turned away in order, the Indians being retired directly in innings four and five.
That course of action was changed in the sixth with the Indians adding two runs to their side of the scoreboard to regain the lead. A string of three hits with one out by junior designated hitter Jared Jones, junior first baseman Josh Johnson and senior third baseman Jason Manning accounted for half of those two runs, Jones scoring on Manning's hit. A base on balls to junior pinch hitter Mike Searcy loaded the bases with Indians before a fielder's choice in Hesse's at-bat then brought Johnson home with the go-ahead run for an 8-7 Indian advantage before the inning was brought to a close.
An exchange of three-up, three-down at-bats brought Maquoketa to its final offensive opportunity to overturn the one-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh frame. That opportunity got a bit of help from an Indian error that allowed the lead-off batter to reach safely, but the Cardinals helped themselves even more when junior shortstop Michael Till drilled a one-out pitch over the outfield wall for a game-winning, two-run homer that gave the host Cardinals the 9-8 victory.
Frick suffered the pitching loss in the contest, giving up five Maquoketa hits - including the game-winner, striking out one batter and hitting two others in the final three and one-third innings. Hansmeier had thrown the first three frames for the Tribe, allowing three hits, striking out one batter and walking another. Maquoketa's Nathan Engstom picked up the pitching win, giving up seven Indian hits, walking two batters and striking out four in seven innings.

District Tournament ...
Past history was against the baseball Indians in their first postseason test at and against Decorah Saturday, July 15 in Class 3A District Tournament play. In their three previous meetings with the Vikings during the regular season, the Indians had managed just five total hits and were unable to score a single run.
The Indians, however, were not playing against past history, they were playing against Decorah and playing in the postseason tournament, a time of year where all the past history, good or bad, has little bearing on the end result, which, in this case was a 3-0 victory for the Orange and Black of the Indians.
What unfolded in front of the postseason crowd at the Decorah High School baseball field was, indeed, a reversal of fortune from what had occurred during the regular season. It was the Indians, behind the masterful pitching performance of junior right-hander Heath Hesse, who shut out the Vikings this time around, holding them to just five hits in the contest and taking the once-potent Viking pitching combination of Zach Jevne and John Jaeger for a total of nine hits.
"It was unbelievable," Waukon baseball coach Paul Norton said. "Heath seemed to have his best stuff of the season, and we didn't seem concerned at all about what had happened in our first three meetings with Decorah. I think getting that first run on the board in the first inning was a huge boost of confidence for the guys. We hadn't been able to score on Decorah all year, and when we got that first run and put together those four hits in the first inning, it served as a real shot in the arm for us."
That first inning did seem to set a tone for the ballgame, as the Tribe turned the Vikings away in order in the top of the frame and then set to work to get itself on the board in the bottom of the inning with four singles. Actually, it only took the first two of those four singles to get the Indians on the board, as Hesse led the game off with a hot shot past the Viking third baseman for a single, took second on a passed ball, was sacrificed to third by sophomore shortstop Chad Bakkum and then singled in by junior second baseman Chris Kamm for a 1-0 Indian advantage.
Two more singles from freshman right fielder Kenny Hansmeier and senior shortstop Eddie Frick loaded the bases with Indians, but back-to-back outs were recorded to leave those bases loaded, the Indians only getting the minimum result from that early production.
The Indian defense weakened a bit from its initial, three-up, three-down effort in the first frame, but never to the extent of letting the Vikings on the scoreboard. Decorah was allowed four singles over the course of the game's final six innings, and also got some help from three Indian errors, but advanced a runner past second just once in the ballgame.
That shutout-threatening situation came in the top of the fourth frame, when Jevne singled and Jaeger drew a walk to lead off the frame for the Vikings. Both were sacrificed up a bag, putting two runners in scoring position with just one out. Hesse, however, seemed unphased, mixing his pitches to bewilder the next two Viking batters and set them down on strikes to end the threat and the Viking half of the inning.
Another Indian run had already been added by that point, as the Tribe manufactured its second tally of the ballgame in the bottom of the third frame. A lead-off error put Kamm on base to spark the production, with Kamm then proceeding to take second on a passed ball and tagging up to scoot to third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Frick. A double to right field by junior designated hitter Mike Searcy then brought Kamm home to improve the Indian advantage to 2-0 through three full frames.
Another bases-loaded situation unfolded for the Indians in the bottom of the fourth, threatening to add even more to the Indian scoreboard result. A hit batsman followed by another Hesse single and a base on balls filled the bags with Indians and forced the replacement of Jevne on the mound with Jaeger, who came in to retire the next two batters and again leave three Indians stranded on the basepaths.
It was a new ballgame with Jaeger on the mound, as he struck out six of the nine Indian batters he faced in the final two and two-thirds innings. But, it was not an entirely new ballgame, as the Indians also managed to manufacture a run in the fifth inning off the hard-throwing Jaeger, who owned one of the two previous shutouts against the Tribe - Jevne having posted the other pair.
Frick started the bottom of the fifth frame off with his second bunt single of the ballgame, burying the ball in front of home plate and using his speed to outrun the throw to first. The fleet-of-foot senior then blazed to second with a successful steal of the bag, from where he then cruised home when a hard hit ball off the bat of junior catcher Andy Snitker was misplayed by the Viking second baseman, allowing Frick enough time to complete his basepath route for a 3-0 Indian lead that would stand as the game's final result.
Hesse secured just his second pitching win of the season against 11 tough losses, limiting the Vikings to just four hits, striking out six Vikings and walking just one. Jevne suffered the pitching loss for Decorah, being taken for seven hits, striking out two Indians, walking one and hitting another in the first three and one-third innings. In relief, Jaeger struck out six Indians and allowed just two hits in the final two and two-thirds innings on the mound.