For many stretches, it appeared like Utica could knock off top-seeded Evansville in a Southeast Section semifinal Home Talent League playoff.
The Jays got some timely hitting and hung on to slide by the A’s 6-5 on Sunday, Aug. 3, at Lake Leota Park.
Evansville’s Devin Frydenlund was a thorn in the side of the A’s, going 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs. The Jays scored two unearned runs to help them rally from three-run deficit.
“Unfortunately, we made just a couple too many mistakes,” Utica manager Christian Stokstad said. “Making an error here or there will bite you in a big game like that. Mistakes will kill you in the playoffs. They had good pitchers. It’s a tough one.”
Trailing 5-3 in the top of the eighth, the A’s didn’t go quietly. Evansville relief pitcher Jameson Lavery walked Tyler Soule and hit Max Gehrke. Ethan Yahn ripped a pinch-hit two-run single down the right field line to tie the game at 5.
Utica’s Ethan Yahn swings at a pitch.
Photo by Mark Nesbitt
“Ethan got off to a tough start, but the last couple of weeks he’s probably been our hottest hitter,” Stokstad said. “He has a great attitude and it was a good opportunity to get him out there and proved to be right.”
Evansville scored the game-winning run on Trevor Syse’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth. The Jays avenged a loss to the A’s from the first week of the regular season.
Utica finishes the season 9-6. It marks the second straight year the A’s were in the playoffs. Utica is still looking to win its first playoff game since 2014 when the Association made a run to the HTL Final Four championship series.
Utica’s Carson Knapp went 2-for-3. Ben Hildebrandt finished 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI. Soule scored two runs. The A’s had two of the top 10 hitters in the Southeast Section regular season. Owen Ernest ranked fifth in hitting with an average of .431 and Soule was eighth (.426).
Utica’s Tyler Soule swings at a pitch.
Photo by Mark Nesbitt
“We have a good group of young guys and tons of pitching,” Stokstad said. “The competition within the team makes you better. You are a team, but you are always competing against your teammates for a spot on the field.”
Early on, it appeared like Utica would get a chance to play for a Southeast Section championship. The A’s jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Soule singled up the middle with two outs in the top of the first. Hildebrandt then roped an RBI single to left to give the A’s a 1-0 lead. Utica’s Saxton Shore knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly and the A’s scored on a wild pitch to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the second.
“We battled and got off to a good start,” Stokstad said. “I was just hoping we could tack on runs every inning.”
With a two-run lead in the top of the fifth, Utica had Shore on third base with one out and didn’t score. Gehrke singled to left. Shore was then picked off at third base and Hildebrandt grounded out.
“We were probably one big hit away from knocking him out,” Stokstad said. “You have to tip your cap to them. They made fewer mistakes.”
Utica starting pitcher Brock Wanninger went 6 ⅓ innings and gave up three earned runs on 11 hits. He struck out three and walked one.
Frydenlund came through with an RBI single in the bottom of the third to cut Utica’s lead to 3-1.
The Jays scored two runs in the top of the fifth to tie it at 5. Frydenlund delivered an RBI single to left. Syse reached on a fielder’s choice. Syse then stole second and the throw got away at second base and the Jays scored the go-ahead run to take a 3-2 lead.
“Brock pitched good enough to win,” Stokstad said. “They fought and battled and ended up on top.”