Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Plainsmen defeat Tigers; advance to second-round
Game ends with 16-run seventh inning
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
BELLE PLAINE — Coming in to pitch in the biggest moment of the game, was something Belle Plaine senior Ty Alcott was ready for.
The Plainsmen defeated Iowa Valley 13-9 in a Class 1A District 8 first-round game Monday night.
“I’ve played a lot of baseball in my days, and I’ve been in similar moments,” said Alcott. “The previous (base) ball allowed me to perform cool under pressure.”
That it did.
After a one-out, RBI double from Iowa Valley’s Dane Smith in the bottom of the sixth, the lead was cut to 4-2.
Alcott stepped in and struck out consecutive batters to end the Tigers’ late scoring push. Starting pitcher Wade Sankot also got out of a few jams in the previous innings.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Alcott said. “Those are the moments you dream of. That’s what we live for.”
From the plate, Alcott added three hits and an RBI in a win the Plainsmen had control in from start to finish.
Miscues hurt the Tigers throughout this one.
After a sacrifice fly from Will Sankot in the first, the Plainsmen added another run in the third off a wild pitch. The Tigers scored one in the bottom of the inning.
The Plainsmen added two more runs in the fifth off errors, and the score was 4-2 heading to the seventh.
Then came the chaotic 16-run inning, nine for the Plainsmen.
A blend of hitting and errors prolonged the inning for both sides.
RBI hits for the Plainsmen came from Hayden Neuhaus, Derek Kressley and Alcott. Kressley brought in two on the hit of the game, sliding safely into third for a triple.
“We started to see our bats do some stuff (in the seventh),” Belle Plaine coach Matthew Mengler said.
Facing a 13-2 deficit, the Tigers did not go away without a fight, scoring seven in the bottom of the inning.
Zavier Pedersen, Cole Long and Layne Peska all had RBIs. They cut the deficit to four, before the game ended on a strikeout.
“We slipped a little in the seventh, but they kept battling,” said Mengler. “Very proud of them.”
The win marked the fifth-straight season the Plainsmen have won their first-round game.
Iowa Valley closes the season 11-9.
It was the third meeting in 13 days between the two teams, with the Tigers taking the two matchups in the regular season, 17-14 and 17-2.
“We didn’t play our best those last two games, but we came in today with a different mindset,” Alcott said. “Everyone wanted it.”
Because the game was postponed from Saturday, the Plainsmen play again tonight, facing Don Bosco in their second-round matchup at East Buchanan High School in Winthrop.
“These are my favorite games to coach in,” Mengler said on the postseason. “The kids are so locked in. It’s do or die.”
