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Washington Evening Journal
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New London moves on in district tourney
Tigers knock off Wapello, Keota eliminated
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
NEW LONDON — It took a while for New London to get going during Saturday’s Class 1A District 10 opener against Wapello, but the Tigers figured out a way to get the job done.
New London knocked off Wapello 4-1 in the first round of the tournament, scoring a quartet of late runs to do so. In the previous game, Keota was knocked out 11-1 by Notre Dame.
The Tigers trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth but plated three runs in the frame, and added one more in their next at-bat to take a 4-1 lead.
“We’ve been off to some slow starts recently,” said New London head coach Jayden Flowers. “We’re trying to get that figured out.”
The Tigers had to rely on the arm of Memphis Watson, which carried them through most of the game. Watson started the contest on the mound, and threw six of the seven innings, giving up just one earned run on six hits and one walk, while striking out seven batters.
“He throws a lot of strikes,” said Flowers. “He did a fantastic job of battling all night long.”
Flowers got into a little trouble early, but cruised after settling into the game.
Watson said he was at ease the whole game, knowing the offense would eventually pick it up.
“I wasn’t worried at all,” said Watson. “I have all the confidence in the guys. They can all put the ball in play and make things happen.”
Watson did have three of the team’s eight hits on the night, going 3-for-4. Riley Raines was 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Sullivan Barron finished 1-for-2 with an RBI of his own.
Gage Burden walked every single at-bat and scored two of the Tigers’ four runs on the night.
That now sets the Tigers up for a game against Notre Dame on Tuesday night. Keota couldn’t knock off the Nikes in the opener, which took place right before New London’s contest.
Keota had loaded the bases in the first inning against Notre Dame, but couldn’t push a run across. The Nikes scored 11 runs in the first three innings and gave up just one run in the fourth, helping the team end the game after five innings.
Blake Baker and Billie Kindred both saw time on the mound for the Eagles.
New London (14-9) and Notre Dame (16-9) will play at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, at a site still yet to be determined. The two teams have split games against each other this year.
Keota finished the season 7-11.
