CHAMPAIGN — They were down, but never out.
Despite never getting the lead the entire game, the North Clay baseball team truly never felt itself out of the contest. The Cardinals fell to Granville (Putnam County) in eight innings, 4-3, in the second of two state semifinals at the Class 1A State Final Tournament on Friday at Illinois Field on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. North Clay will play Jacksonville (Routt) in the third-place game at 10 a.m. today.
“Tough game. They came out throwing punches and we ultimately didn’t get the hits that we needed,” Cardinals head coach John Frech said. “I think we gutted that out for as long as we could. We just didn’t get the timely hits.”
Ian Jones took the mound to start the game for North Clay (35-5).
He struggled in the first inning, throwing six straight balls to the first two batters. Jones did work a 3-2 count to the Panthers’ Jonathon Stunkel, but ultimately yielded a walk.
Kade Zimmerlein then grounded into a fielder’s choice. Shortstop Cody Zimdars tossed the ball to Will Ballard at second base for the first out. Ballard’s throw to Carder Walden at first didn’t beat the runner in time, though, putting runners on the corners.
Maddox Poole then singled on a ground ball past a diving Trevan Sidwell at third base and into left field for the game’s first run. Zimmerlein advanced to third on the hit.
Peyton Barto then grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing the second run to score.
Jones then got Carter Hochstatter to strike out swinging, ending the inning.
Stunkel struck out Jack Compton and Cayden Craig to start the bottom of the first. He then got Jones to ground out to short.
Jones retired the side in order in the top of the second. He got Wyatt Zellers to pop out to Walden in foul territory, Eli King to ground out to third and Jacob Furar to strike out swinging.
The Cardinals got one run back in the bottom of the second.
Walden started the inning with a ground out.
Zimdars then hit a blooper over the pitcher’s head. With the shortstop playing back, he hustled to scoop the ball and make a tough play at first. Zimdars was hustling out of the box and slid head-first into the first base bag. The first-base umpire ruled that Zimdars was out on the play for the second out of the inning.
Trenton Ingram followed by singling on a line drive to right.
Sidwell then hit a fly ball to center field. The fielder couldn’t make a play on the ball, though, and it bounced out of his reach and rolled past him, allowing the run to score and Sidwell to reach third.
Ballard then struck out swinging, leaving Sidwell stranded at third.
Jones yielded a leadoff walk to Traxton Mattingly in the top of the third.
Stunkel then grounded into a fielder’s choice before Zimmerlein singled to left.
Poole then grounded into a double play, retiring the side.
Stunkel worked a scoreless bottom of the third. Cooper Lewis and Compton both struck out. Craig then grounded out.
Jones then worked a scoreless fourth.
North Clay tied the game in the bottom of the fourth.
Jones started the frame with a walk. Walden then doubled to center field, scoring Jones.
Zimdars grounded out to short, pushing Walden to third.
Walden was then forced out at home after a grounder to short. Sidwell then grounded out back to the pitcher to end the frame.
Jones got King to strike out to start the top of the fifth.
He was then relieved by Zimdars.
Zimdars yielded a single to Mattingly and a double to Stunkel before striking out Zimmerlein to end the threat.
Ballard started the bottom of the fifth with a walk.
Lewis then popped out to Mattingly in foul territory and Compton popped out to Zimmerlein, the third baseman, also in foul territory.
Craig then singled to right, pushing Ballard to third after a bobble in the outfield.
Jones then flew out to left field to retire the side.
Zimdars got Poole to fly out to right field in the top of the sixth. Barto was then hit by a pitch.
Barto stole second base before Carter Hochstatter struck out swinging.
Barto then stole third base, but the catcher’s throw to Sidwell at third popped out of his glove.
Sidwell and Barto collided with each other as Sidwell was trying to make a play on the ball and Barto, who wasn’t near home plate, was eventually caught in a rundown before being awarded the run after the umpires ruled obstruction on the play.
The debatable call led to an irate Frech questioning the decision.
However, the ruling remained the same.
Zimdars then got out of the inning.
The Cardinals had two runners on in the bottom of the sixth.
Walden and Zimdars each flew out to start the frame.
Ingram then doubled to right field.
Sidwell was then hit by a pitch before Ballard grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
Zimdars worked a scoreless seventh.
Down to their last out, North Clay made sure to give their fans something to cheer about in the bottom half of the frame.
Lewis grounded out to start.
Compton then reached on an error by the second baseman after the fielder missed a pop fly.
Craig then grounded out, pushing Compton into scoring position.
Jones then doubled past the third baseman and into left field, scoring Compton from second and tying the game.
Walden was then intentionally walked before Zimdars popped out to first to end the inning.
Putnam County struck first in extra innings.
Stunkel started with a double between the center and left fielders.
Zimmerlein then grounded out, pushing Stunkel to third and Poole hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Stunkel easily.
Barto then singled to center.
Ingram then got Barto trying to swipe second base for the third and final out.
Ingram grounded out to start the home half of the eighth.
Sidwell then drew a walk and Ballard was hit by a pitch. Both runners eventually took third and second, respectively.
Lewis then popped out to first and Compton grounded out to second to end the game.
Ingram finished with two hits for the Cardinals. Craig had one hit. Jones had one hit, one RBI and one run scored. Walden had one hit and one RBI. Compton and Brodie Adair each had one run scored.
Jones allowed three hits, two runs and three walks to five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. Zimdars allowed three hits and two runs with four strikeouts in three innings.