STATE TOURNEY WRAP-UP

Hawks Fall to Newman in Class 1-A Opener

Newman (Mason City) proved to be too much to handle for East Greene, as the Hawks were eliminated in the opening round of the Class 1A State Tournament 12-1 in 5 innings on Friday, July 24. The game was the opener for the week-long tournament, which ended with championship games in four classes on Saturday, Aug. 1.

EG jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of two Newman errors and a walk from the Knight's little used sophomore pitcher Hunter King. Tyler Cooklin, the first batter up, got things moving when King walked him. Tom Beger's infield bunt was then mishandled by King in the throw to first, allowing Beger to reach first and advancing Cooklin to third.

BradLee Clark then reached first on error by Newman shortstop Kyle McCann, which moved Beger to second and allowed Cooklin to head home, putting the Hawks ahead 1-0. Jesse Luther and Josh Neese both struck out, but the Hawks were still threatening when Wes Onken singled. Clark advanced to second and Beger was headed for home but was nabbed at the plate on a throw from rightfielder Joe Nettleton to catcher Jordan Adams.

Newman then settled down, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first and holding the Hawks in check the rest of the game, as King moved his record to 3-0. Newman scored three runs in the second, four in the third, and four more in the fourth. EG was already up against it with the 10-run rule, and the Hawk's inability to score any more runs in the top half of the fifth ended the game with Newman moving on to the semifinal round to face Alta.

Cooklin took the loss, dropping his record to 7-3. He gave up six runs on four hits, while walking four, hitting one batter and striking out two. He was relieved by Onken after facing one batter in the third. Over two innings of relief, Onken gave up six runs on four hits, walked three, threw one wild pitch, and struck out one. Designated hitter Tory Beger, an 8th grader, got the Hawks' second hit

King gave up one run on two hits, walked two, hit one batter, and struck out six. Mike Bohl pitched the final inning for Newman, retiring the side in order.

EYE ON GJ SAYS: The score may have been a little lopsided but Newman was truly a force to be reckoned with. The Knights moved on to the semifinal round where they dispatched Alta, 4-0. A much anticipated match-up between Newman and Kee (Lansing), the No. 2 seed, did not happen as Kee was upset by Lenox in the semifinal round, 11-3, after Kee had drubbed Tri-County (Thornburgh) 17-1 in 4 innings in the first round. Newman continued its season-long juggernaut with an 11-1 win over Lenox in 5 innings, bringing its third state baseball championship back to Mason City.