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Wolves walked off in nail-biter
Winfield-Mount Union falls in 9-inning thriller against HTC
WEST POINT — Winfield-Mount Union and Holy Trinity Catholic certainly weren’t favorites to come out of the Class 1A Region 6 bracket, but the two teams sure put on quite the show in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
In a thrilling, back-and-forth extra inning battle, the Wolves were nipped on the final at bat of the night, as Holy Trinity walked off WMU 10-9 to advance to the regional semis.
After going down 1-0 early, a five-run WMU fifth gave the Wolves a 5-1 advantage. A two-run single by Makiah Lower highlighted the frame, which seemed to put the Wolves in control.
Lower was strong in the circle throughout the first four innings, but the Crusaders began to get key hits in the fourth. Holy Trinity scored two in the fourth frame and four in the sixth to jump on top of the Wolves 7-5.
WMU had its backs squarely against the wall in the top of the seventh inning, but the heart of the order was due up. Josie Nelson got things going with a lead off triple, and then scored on a wild pitch to cut the HTC lead to 7-6. With two outs, the Wolves had a runner on second with eighth-grader Aubrey Valencia at the plate.
Valencia came through with the Wolves’ season on the line. She sent a double to right field to tie the game and send the visiting WMU crowd into a frenzy.
“Late in the season, she has really come on,” said WMU head coach Terry Reynolds. “She's been consistent at the plate.”
The Crusaders nearly won the game in the bottom of the seventh. Holy Trinity had loaded the bases with two outs, and a fly ball to right field threatened to end things, but WMU outfielder Ella Kann made a running catch to end the threat and send the game into extras.
The Wolves scored two runs in the top of the ninth. Kellee Milks had the big hit of the day, doubling in Lower, and Valencia struck again with an RBI single to make it 9-7 WMU.
HTC had cut the lead back to 9-8 with one run in the bottom of the ninth, and the Crusaders had the bases loaded and one out when freshman Kat DiPrima sent a ground ball to the right side. The ball hit a Crusader runner, which gave the Wolves their second out.
After a discussion, umpires ruled that the HTC runners from second and third were allowed to move up one base with the out, and the Crusaders tied the game, much to the dismay of the WMU fan base.
After things had settled down, the Crusaders threw the final punch. Freshman Ellie Hellman sent a blooper into left field to score the winning run.
“It's a tough one. It's a really tough loss,” Reynolds said. “These girls put a lot of heart and effort into this game.”
Lower went 4-for-5 with two RBIs at the plate. She took a tough loss in the circle, giving up four runs (10 earned) on five hits and five walks, while striking out nine batters.
Nelson finished the game 4-for-5 with a triple and an RBI. Milks was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Valencia was 1-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Katie Miller had an RBI, and Jessi Renken collected a pair of hits.
The Wolves finished the season 6-20, and will lose just two seniors to graduation; Renken and Lower.
Holy Trinity moved on to play Twin Cedars in the semifinals, but the Crusaders were defeated 12-0.
