MEDIAPOLIS — Mediapolis High School baseball coach Rick Whitaker knew he was getting a defensive gem in sophomore second baseman Hayden Gugeler.

Whitaker just wasn’t too sure how productive Gugeler would be at the plate.

Whitaker saw all he needed to Tuesday night.

Gugeler led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a single, was sacrificed to second by Will Luttenegger and scored the game-winning run on a West Burlington error as Class 2A’s seventh-ranked Bulldogs rallied for a 9-8 victory in an SEI Super Conference South Division game at the Mediapolis Athletic Complex.

Gugeler may have been hitting just .250, but he came up with one of the biggest hits of the season for his team just when they needed it most.

“It’s pretty cool,” Gugeler said. “It was big to get on being the lead-off hitter. It helps a lot to come up big.”

Gugeler, who has committed just two errors in 27 chances at second base, came through in the clutch at the plate.

“He’s a great defender,” Whitaker said of Gugeler. “We didn’t know about his bat this year. He sees a lot of fastballs in that nine hole and that’s been good. That’s kind of our team this year. Yes, we’ve got Lance and Kyler and Payton (Doty) and the Lutteneggers (Will and Henry), but almost every night there’s someone different stepping up. Hopefully that continues.”

Trailing 9-8 in the bottom of the fifth, Mediapolis knotted it when Braedon Oliver walked, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out by Gugeler and scored on a single by Will Luttenegger.

West Burlington (5-4 overall, 2-4 South Division) used a seven-run top of the fifth to erase a six-run deficit and take its first lead of the game.

Caleb Bush led off with a walk and Ayden Figuereo laced a double to right field. Both runners scored on a Mediapolis error.

Mediapolis starting pitcher Max Griffin struck out Garrett Bence before walking Prior Bowen.

Will Luttenegger came into relieve Griffin and walked Levi Fletcher-Bates. Bo Begner then roped a triple to right field to plate two more runs.

Sila Lotzow reached on an error which allowed Begner top score and knot the game at 8.

A single by Figuereo gave West Burlington the lead.

“We got behind early and I told them, ‘Guys, we have to bring up the momentum. Put some more pressure on them.’ That kind of paid off in the long run,” West Burlington coach Dustin Guihan said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our guys and competing down the stretch. It was good to see them display the confidence, all of the stuff we’ve been working on, instilling in them. They came out and showcased them tonight. We’re building. That’s something we’re constantly talking about. We’re trying to build continuity. Hopefully this carries on going forward and opens their eyes that they can see the success that they can have and reach for.”

Mediapolis (10-1, 6-1) was forced to use Kyler Crow and Lance Ludens in relief, something Whitaker hadn’t planned on with three more games this week.

Whitaker was left with no other options to try to pull out the win.

“We were not planning on Kyler or Lance, but to West Burlington’s credit, they hit the ball,” Whitaker said. “They took advantage of our errors and walks. They played a pretty clean game. They are a very improved baseball team.”

Mediapolis looked set to make quick work of the Falcons.

Singles by Ludens and Griffin led to three Bulldog runs in the first inning. Gannon Gunn scored on a balk in the second and a single by Oliver and another balk led to three more runs in the third as the Bulldogs opened a 7-1 lead.

Bush came in to relieve starter Brock Thuleen and got Gunn to pop out to avert further damage

Bush kept his team in the game. In 5 1/3 innings, he allowed three runs — two earned — scattered four hits and walked four — one intentionally.

“He’s always been our savior coming on in relief,” Guihan said. “He’s a tough guy. He has a lot of grit. That’s why we have him come on in tough situations. We’re very confident in him coming in and competing in high-pressure situation. He came out their and wasn’t fazed at all. He was made for the moment.”

West Burlington plays Thursday at Lone Tree and Friday at New London.

“We just have to fix some of the small stuff and focus on some of the successes we have had and the type of team that we are,” Guihan said. “Just having them see the confidence that they had tonight is massive for us going forward.”

After playing Wednesday at Keokuk, Mediapolis hosts New London on Thursday and travels to play Van Buren County on Friday.

“We had a lot of errors. That’s not us. We were very lucky to get the win tonight, for sure. Very lucky,” Whitaker said. “We can’t just roll in and beat anybody. We have to stay focused. We have some good hitters. We’re not one of the best hitting teams, so we have to play defense and we have to throw strikes. We rely on our pitching. Our pitching and our defense kind of let us down tonight.”