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Van Buren County stuns No. 2 Mid-Prairie for ticket to state tournament
Warriors score three runs in the top of the seventh to get past Golden Hawks
OTTUMWA — No one believed that Van Buren County was one of the top teams in the state throughout a stellar regular season.
But on Tuesday night in the Class 2A substate 5 final against No. 2 Mid-Prairie, the Warriors proved all the haters wrong.
After a seventh inning rally, the two seeded Warrior’s topped the top seeded Golden Hawks 6-4 to punch their ticket to the 2023 state tournament.
“There’s just no quit in these kids,” Van Buren County head coach Chad Scott said. “Just can’t say enough about these guys. This is special.”
With their back’s against the wall and a one run deficit, 4-3, in what could have been their final at-bat of the season, the Warriors delivered when it mattered most.
“I just can’t believe it,” sophomore Izaak Loeffler said. “You work your whole life for this moment. Every single one of us. Just to actually have it set in is the most amazing feeling.”
After a one-out walk by Taylor Sprouse, Anthony Duncan was hit by a pitched to put runners at first and second.
Then sophomore Izaak Loeffler stepped up to the plate with what would be the biggest at-bat of his life thus far.
After a wild pitch, Sprouse and Duncan advanced one base.
Two pitches later and Loeffler changed the Warriors fate. On a 2-1 count, Loeffler brought the Van Buren County faithful to their feet as he sent Alex Bean’s fastball through the right side of the infield on a two RBI double, which proved to be the game winner.
“I knew we had one out, but runners in scoring position,” Loeffler said. “I have been leading off most of the season, so I haven’t had runners in scoring position too much. In those moments you can’t really think about hitting the ball you just have to tell yourself you’re going to do it and I did that. I knew if I hit it to the right side they would score and it happened.”
The play didn’t stop there though as the Golden Hawks throw home hit the backstop and Loeffler advanced to third with the Warriors now leading 5-4.
Dominic Meierotto followed with a groundout in the next at-bat, but it was enough to bring Loeffler home and give the Warriors a 6-4 advantage.
In the bottom of the seventh Mid-Prairie looked to survive, but the Warrior’s defense prevailed with Jackson Manning on the hill to close.
After a fly out to begin the inning, Mid-Prairie’s Karson Grout got on after being hit by a pitch, but Manning pitched into a groundout and fly ball to end it as the celebration began.
“It just wasn’t our night,” Mid-Prairie head coach Kyle Mullet said. “That’s what hard about this tournament, it’s one and done. You have one bad day and then it can happen. You get upset you have a bad night. Tonight we couldn’t catch a break to save our life.”
“We just talked about us,” Mullet said of his message to the team. “It’s more about what I’m trying to do with these players. It’s not necessary about the game. We’re concerned about growing these young men throughout their career.”
Things were tight from start to finish in the bout.
It was the Golden Hawks who struck first, but the Warriors showed what they were capable of right off the bat.
After a Manning double in the top of the first inning, VBC had runners at second and third with no outs.
But the Golden Hawk’s Collin Miller notched a pair of strikeouts and Lucas Fett was thrown out at third by Golden Hawk catcher Brock Harland to keep the game scoreless.
Meanwhile, Mid-Prairie got on the board in the bottom of the first when Cain Brown’s lead off double eventually turned into him stealing home on a pick off attempt at first.
Van Buren County took its first lead in the third.
Manning delivered once again at the plate, this time driving in Wyatt Mertens and Tyler Stoltz with a two RBI double. Fett then stole home to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead.
The game stayed at 3-1 all the way until the bottom of the fifth.
Mid-Prairie put together its best inning of the night.
The Golden Hawks scored a trio of runs as Brady Weber hit an RBI single to score Camron Pickard and Dylan Henry drilled an RBI double to score Alex Bean. On the throw to third, the ball went out of play, which brought Weber home and put Henry on third.
After the fifth, Mid-Prairie led 4-3. It proved to be the Golden Hawks final lead of the night before the events of the seventh.
“We don’t need to change a thing,” Scott said of playing at state. “We just keep doing what we’re doing. We get an opportunity to play and we’ll keep making the most of it.”
With the win, Van Buren County will take on West Lyon (24-2) in the first round of state tournament action at Merchants Park in Carroll. The Warriors are now 26-3.
Mid-Prairie ends its season at 27-7.
