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Washington Evening Journal
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Van Buren County baseball team blisters Mediapolis for district title
KEOSAUQUA — The first two times Van Buren County and Mediapolis went at it on the baseball field this season, the Warriors nipped the Bulldogs by just one run. On Saturday, VBC left no doubt.
Van Buren County put up 10 runs on Mediapolis, ending the game in five innings on a mercy rule walk-off single by Tyler Stoltz to earn the Warriors a Class 2A District 5 title.
“This is the first time as a team collectively that they've really had a whole lot of success,” said Van Buren County head coach Chad Scott. “For them to go out and get a championship just makes my day.”
Van Buren County pitcher Taylor Sprouse kept Mediapolis off balance all game long, but it took until the fourth inning for the Warriors to start putting up runs.
When Van Buren County’s offense got started, however, it never stopped. The Warriors were content with scoring runs one-by-one for a while, but with the bases loaded, Lucas Fett stepped up and delivered the biggest blow of the night.
Fett, who entered the night with just one home run this season, tagged a ball and sent it flying over the left field fence for a grand slam, which ignited the Warriors’ home crowd and turned what was a close game into a 7-0 runaway.
“It was an unmatched feeling,” said Fett.
Mediapolis didn’t score in the top of the fifth, and some shaky Bulldog defense set Van Buren County up with another chance to score in the bottom of the fifth. Score they did, as the Warriors racked up three more runs to end the game two innings early.
Fett finished the night 1-for-3 with a long ball, four RBIs and one memorable souvenir ball.
“I'm going to set it up on my shelf,” Fett said. “And I probably won't stop looking at it for a while.”
Stoltz ended the night 1-for-1 with two RBIs. Dylan Richardson went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Sprouse gave up just three hits over four innings of work. He needed just 63 pitches in his first four frames, and was pulled for Fett two pitches short of substate final ineligibility, meaning he’ll be good to go on Tuesday when the Warriors take on Mid-Prairie for all the marbles.
“ I always know our guys are going to pull through when I'm on the mound,” Sprouse said. “At the end of the day, I just went out there and tried to throw strikes.”
Van Buren County will go toe-to-toe with second-ranked Mid-Prairie on Tuesday night at Ottumwa High School. The winner will be off to Carroll next week for the Class 2A state tournament.
