Ogden at Coon Rapids Bayard – District 12 Final
Coon Rapids Bayard 7
Ogden 2
Coon Rapids Bayard punched their ticket to the Substate 6 final as they defeated Ogden in a rematch Saturday night.
Ogden started off the contest strong with a homerun hit with their first batter up in the top of the first, taking the early 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs continued to get their offense off to a good start, eventually loading up the bases. Preston McAlister got the start on the hill for the Crusaders, and while he threw plenty of ball fours, he closed out the inning with a strikeout swinging to leave all the Ogden base runners stranded. The Crusaders in the bottom of the first matched that solo run by Ogden with one of their own, thanks to back to back walks and an RBI single by Josh Ramirez to score Kolby Culbertson.
Ogden had a tough second inning, leaving their lone baserunner stranded while Preston McAlister started to relax and get into a groove on the hill. The Crusaders also had difficulties offensively, stranding two on second and third and all three outs being strikeouts. Ogden went 1-2-3 in the third inning while Coon Rapids Bayard took over the game in the bottom of the third. Aaron McAlister started it off with a double that later turned into a run scored thanks to Lance Clayburg getting an RBI single. Ramirez continued his strong offensive start with a two RBI home run to score himself and Clayburg. Up 4-1, the Crusaders continued to roll offensively, with Gabe Obert getting a triple up the third base line and later scoring, and Quentin Culbertson scoring off a bases loaded walk. The Crusaders’ strong third inning gave them the 6-1 lead.
Ogden once again got the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, but couldn’t do anything with it as the Crusaders got a forceout at third to end the inning. Ramirez scored again for Coon Rapids Bayard as he slid into home while Gabe Obert was tagged out at second, giving the Crusaders the 7-1 advantage. Ogden responded once again with a runner scored in the top of the fifth. Ogden got a runner on first off a confusing error at first base by Coon Rapids Bayard, but the Crusaders turned that error into a double play via a force out at second and a 6-3 putout at first. The Crusaders didn’t add any runs in the bottom of the fifth as they went 1-2-3 as well.
Both teams struggled to get runners on base as Ogden stranded a runner at first and the Crusades went back-to-back innings going 1-2-3. The Crusaders, for the third time, faced a bases loaded situation in the top of the seventh. Yet, they used that to their advantage, as they started off with a 4-6 putout at second, a grounder to the shortstop for out two, and the forceout at third ended the contest as Coon Rapids Bayard defeated a tough and gritty Ogden team 7-2.
Coon Rapids Bayard improves to 24-8 overall on the season. They will advance to the Substate 6 final where they will face off against Grundy Center at Nevada.
Coon Rapids Bayard Stats
Easton Hays: 1-4
Kolby Culbertson: BB, HBP, RS
Aaron McAlister: 1-3, 2B, BB
Lance Clayburg: 1-4, 2B, RS, RBI
Josh Ramirez: 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 RS
Gabe Obert: 2-3, 3B, RS, RBI
Preston McAlister: 1-2, SB; Pitching: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 RS, 2 ER, 6 K, W
Quentin Culbertson: RBI, BB, 2 SB, RS; Pitching: 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 2K
Easton Hays: SB
Clark Sievers: SB
Tanner Oswald: BB
Parker Hays: RS
