It took over three hours and 10 innings, but the South Hardin baseball team did just enough to win in Tuesday’s 5-4 extra-inning triumph over North Butler, as aired on 99 The Wave.
The Tigers took a 3-0 lead after the first on a wild pitch, and RBI singles by Garrett Anderson and Casey Williamson. North Butler trailed 3-1 entering the seventh inning. With bases loaded and down to their final out in the seventh, the Bearcats scored twice on fly ball by Nolan Reser that was miss fielded by the Tigers to tie the game at 3-3. The Bearcats took their first lead at 4-3 in the 8th on a Tigers throwing error. The Tigers tied at 4-4 in the 8th on a steal of home on a passed ball. The Tigers won it in the 10th on a bases loaded four pitch walk-off walk by Dax Thompson.
Tigers Head Coach Nathan Weig says patience at the plate paid off.
“That’s one thing we talk about, is staying positive through all these. There’s going to be ups and downs in every game,” says Weig. “Casey Williamson came in and pitched, without looking stats, I think the last four innings, for us. He did a phenomenal job. He hadn’t been on the mound in a week or two. That was a big spot. Guys staying patient at the plate and being ready for an opportunity.”
North Butler Head Coach Chase Stohr on how his team competed.
“Really happy with our boys. We haven’t played with all the weather and the postponements. This is our first game in like a week and a half and that’s always tough to kind of step in and kind of refocus yourself. Our boys competed all night,” says Stohr. “I think we had 11 strikeouts on the night, which sounds like a lot but in a 10 inning game the worst was a lot of them were with runners on second and third or bases loaded. We had our chances throughout the game. We were finally able to bust a couple across the plate at the end of the game there, tie it and send it into extras.”
North Butler used five different pitchers and South Hardin used three different pitchers in the extended game. Casey Williamson earned the win for the Tigers, working four relief innings with three strikeouts and didn’t allow an earned run.
In a game played earlier in the day due a postponement from Monday, South Hardin fell 6-4 to Gladbrook-Reinbeck despite scoring twice in the seventh inning to get within reach.
North Butler (4-9) will be at Osage Wednesday. South Hardin (14-8) will host East Marshall Thursday.
