North Star erases deficit for thrilling come-from-behind victory over Northern Bedford
FERRELLTON ― It took a late-inning rally, but North Star will play in its second straight District 5 Class 2A title game after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Northern Bedford in the semifinals on Wednesday.
North Star, the No. 2 seed, trailed 3-2 headed to the bottom of the sixth, after Josiah Bowser launched a solo home run for the Black Panthers in the top of the frame to break a 2-2 tie.
However, the Cougars would not be denied.
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Connor Yoder reached on an error, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Glendon Griffith. The Cougars took the lead for good when Griffith came all the way around and scored on a wild pitch from reliever Eion Snider to send North Star back to the championship game.
"We always talk about fighting to the end. That's the beauty of baseball is you're never out of it," said North Star second-year coach Jake Klukaszewski. "We knew they were going to be a great team coming in. They're really well-coached and really tough. We knew we had six outs to work with and we just had to kind of plug away."
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Battle to the end
North Star (15-4) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Griffith RBI, plating Cayden Turner, who reached on a one-out single.
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Northern Bedford notched things at one in the top of the second on a groundout by Eli Cherry.
Turner worked himself out of a spot of bother in the top of the third. A single by Cullen Lloyd and a bunt single by Noah Kochara had Northern Bedford ready to strike. However, Turner got two of his eight strikeouts and a groundball back to the mound to get out of a jam.
The Cougars were in business in the third when Andy Retassie and Turner hit back-to-back singles to open the frame. Northern Bedford starting pitcher Reece Mussleman coaxed two infield popouts with runners on second and third. However, North Star junior Braden Livingston delivered in the clutch with an RBI single to center to give the Cougars a 2-1 advantage.
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The Black Panthers (12-9) would not go away quietly. Wesley Horsh, the No. 7 hitter in the Northern Bedford lineup, hit a one-out single in the top of the fourth. Turner got Cherry to pop out to short for the second out of the inning. But No. 9 hitter Ben Gable delivered an RBI triple to the right-center-field gap to even the score at two apiece.
Mussleman turned the Cougars aside in order in both the fourth and fifth. Therefore, Klukaszewski had to rely on his team's speed when the Cougars trailed 3-2 in the sixth.
"At times, the bats weren't working great (Wednesday), so we had to kind of manufacture runs on passed balls and being aggressive on the base paths. We just trusted ourselves. I had confidence in us to do that, and I was glad we were able to do that."
Finishing the job
Yoder took over for Turner with two outs in the top of the sixth. Turner went 5⅔ innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits and three walks to go with the aforementioned eight strikeouts.
In the seventh, Yoder, who picked up the win, recorded the first two outs via infield popouts. Rece Dibert hit a 2-out single, but Yoder struck out Snider on a nasty curveball to end the game.
"He pitched great," Klukaszewski said of Yoder. "He's been busting my chops because I keep telling him that he's going to go in and pitch. He's like, 'I never go in to pitch.' I told him, 'You're going to go in today.' He kind of had the mindset that he was going to be on the mound. We're never shy of putting him in high-pressure situations because he's built for that."
North Star managed only six hits off Mussleman and Snider. Griffith delivered two big ones to keep the Cougars' season alive.
"I started hitting good. I hit that first hit – knuckleball – that was a tough hit, but I got it down," Griffith said. "I was just praying to God that I would hit another hit. The second hit, I hit off his curve. I should have waited on that. I have a great team. I love my team and coaches."
North Star, riding an 8-game win streak, will meet top seed McConnellsburg, which defeated defending state champion Everett, in the title game at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday at a site to be determined. Klukaszewski is hoping for a better result this time around after falling to Everett a year ago.
"We've got to finish," he said. "We got to work hard. We got to pitch. We got to do things fundamentally correct, and we have to hit the ball. You put the ball in play, whether it's on the ground or in the air, good things typically happen. We know we're going to see a good pitcher. We're going to have to bring our A-game, just come to work."
Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on Twitter @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: North Star earns spot in straight District 5-2A championship game
