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JASPER — The longest high school baseball game this season, purely by duration, finally has an outcome.
Class 2A No. 2 Mater Dei defeated 3A No. 9 Jasper 1-0 on Tuesday, May 19, at Alvin C. Ruxer Field to complete a game that started on April 28. Resuming the initial contest in the bottom of the seventh, Dylan Murphy scored from first base on a fly ball to right field which landed in between the second baseman and outfielder.
More: IHSAA girls tennis sectional tracker for Southwestern Indiana
Mater Dei earned a share of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference championship with the victory. The resumed portion of the contest lasted eight minutes. Add this one to the history books of a league which annually produces odd title races on the diamond.
"We said one team can come out flat and one team can come out sharp," Mater Dei coach Adam Wildeman said. "I thought we did a really good job of being ready. The last hit of the game wasn't crushed, but I really liked our approach. You could tell from the get-go that our guys were locked in."
How we got here wasn't without contention and absurdity.
Mater Dei vs. Jasper was scoreless through 6 1/2 innings before the Bosse Field grounds crew pulled the tarp due to approaching weather. Rather than waiting for it to pass (the Evansville Otters had a preseason exhibition the following morning) or allowing Mater Dei to complete the bottom of the seventh inning, the game was paused until Tuesday.
It only took four batters for the Wildcats to score. Max Miller worked a one-out walk before Jasper earned a fielder's choice on the next at-bat. Murphy beat the throw on a potential double play to keep the inning alive. Will Hoffman found the outfield turf on the next pitch with a single in between two defenders.
An odd play to finish an odd game. Very fitting.
"I knew I had to score wherever this goes," Murphy said. "I couldn't stop no matter what. My team really needed me to do that. We've been preparing for this game ever since we got delayed (in April). We had to step on the field and be ready to go."
It concludes one of the better games around Evansville this season. Jack Levin was saddled with the loss but gave up only three hits in 6 2/3 innings. Murphy technically earned the win on the mound without throwing a single pitch Tuesday — he threw a scoreless inning during the initial scheduled meeting.
The portion played in April had two double plays, a separate outfield assist to third base and a unique 5-4-2 double play to keep the game scoreless. The game was required to be completed due to conference rules. It also mattered in the standings.
Mater Dei is the co-SIAC champion with North. Only appropriate after three teams tied for the title the last two years.
"The talent is obvious," Wildeman said. "What I think the people on the outside don't see, that I get the privilege to see, is the work that gets put in every single day. It's a very tough conference. You're playing two really good teams every single week. To put together a really good regular season like that is a huge accomplishment."
Mater Dei (22-3) followed up the abbreviated finish with a 7-6 victory in eight innings over Jasper (17-10) in Game 2. The Wildcats trailed by six after the second inning but dug themselves out of the hole. Nolan Schickel scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on an error. Murphy delivered four scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts for another victory.
Gibson Southern also defeated Washington 10-0 at Oakland City University to clinch the outright Pocket Athletic Conference championship. Brogan McClellan struck out six and allowed three hits in five innings, while Brayden Alldredge and Ryan Spink drove in two runs each.
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Mater Dei and North baseball earn share of SIAC championship
Continue reading...
Class 2A No. 2 Mater Dei defeated 3A No. 9 Jasper 1-0 on Tuesday, May 19, at Alvin C. Ruxer Field to complete a game that started on April 28. Resuming the initial contest in the bottom of the seventh, Dylan Murphy scored from first base on a fly ball to right field which landed in between the second baseman and outfielder.
More: IHSAA girls tennis sectional tracker for Southwestern Indiana
Mater Dei earned a share of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference championship with the victory. The resumed portion of the contest lasted eight minutes. Add this one to the history books of a league which annually produces odd title races on the diamond.
"We said one team can come out flat and one team can come out sharp," Mater Dei coach Adam Wildeman said. "I thought we did a really good job of being ready. The last hit of the game wasn't crushed, but I really liked our approach. You could tell from the get-go that our guys were locked in."
How we got here wasn't without contention and absurdity.
Mater Dei vs. Jasper was scoreless through 6 1/2 innings before the Bosse Field grounds crew pulled the tarp due to approaching weather. Rather than waiting for it to pass (the Evansville Otters had a preseason exhibition the following morning) or allowing Mater Dei to complete the bottom of the seventh inning, the game was paused until Tuesday.
It only took four batters for the Wildcats to score. Max Miller worked a one-out walk before Jasper earned a fielder's choice on the next at-bat. Murphy beat the throw on a potential double play to keep the inning alive. Will Hoffman found the outfield turf on the next pitch with a single in between two defenders.
An odd play to finish an odd game. Very fitting.
"I knew I had to score wherever this goes," Murphy said. "I couldn't stop no matter what. My team really needed me to do that. We've been preparing for this game ever since we got delayed (in April). We had to step on the field and be ready to go."
It concludes one of the better games around Evansville this season. Jack Levin was saddled with the loss but gave up only three hits in 6 2/3 innings. Murphy technically earned the win on the mound without throwing a single pitch Tuesday — he threw a scoreless inning during the initial scheduled meeting.
The portion played in April had two double plays, a separate outfield assist to third base and a unique 5-4-2 double play to keep the game scoreless. The game was required to be completed due to conference rules. It also mattered in the standings.
Mater Dei is the co-SIAC champion with North. Only appropriate after three teams tied for the title the last two years.
"The talent is obvious," Wildeman said. "What I think the people on the outside don't see, that I get the privilege to see, is the work that gets put in every single day. It's a very tough conference. You're playing two really good teams every single week. To put together a really good regular season like that is a huge accomplishment."
Mater Dei (22-3) followed up the abbreviated finish with a 7-6 victory in eight innings over Jasper (17-10) in Game 2. The Wildcats trailed by six after the second inning but dug themselves out of the hole. Nolan Schickel scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on an error. Murphy delivered four scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts for another victory.
Gibson Southern also defeated Washington 10-0 at Oakland City University to clinch the outright Pocket Athletic Conference championship. Brogan McClellan struck out six and allowed three hits in five innings, while Brayden Alldredge and Ryan Spink drove in two runs each.
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Mater Dei and North baseball earn share of SIAC championship
Continue reading...
