Narrow miss: Coach expects Warriors to bounce back from semifinal defeat

There are some losses that are tougher to get over than others.

For the Okarche baseball team, one such defeat happened last Friday as it was ousted from the Class A state tournament 2-1 in the semifinals by Tushka.

Warrior starter Luke Hill was owning Tushka from the mound, not allowing the top-ranked team in the class a hit through six innings.

He entered the seventh with Okarche clinging to a 1-0 lead, just three outs away from its first trip to the state title game since 2011.

That’s when things started to unravel for Okarche. Though it was just momentarily, it was enough.

Kason Hull led off the inning with his team’s first hit of the game. Austin Lewis followed with a walk, only the second one Hill had surrendered.

The two were moved over by Pete Goodson’s sacrifice bunt before Hill intentionally walked Walt Kerr to load the bases and set up a force play at every bag.

The force didn’t happen as Tristan Gipson doubled in two runs to put the Tigers on top.

Hill got out of the inning without any more damage, but Okarche couldn’t answer in the bottom half of the inning and saw its season come to an end.

“It’s extremely tough to find the words,” said coach Ryan Beaman. “That was a game where we felt we had it and it’s extremely unfortunate the way it unfolded. But I told them I was proud of them.”

Hill pitched well enough to win. His seven innings of work produced five strikeouts along with the two hits and three walks.

However, Kerr was equally as good for Tushka.

The right-hander held Okarche to three hits, struck out the Warriors seven times and only allowed the one run, which was unearned.

That came in the bottom of the third inning when Wyatt Pinkerton led off with a walk.

Colin Hendrickson moved him over with a sacrifice bunt.

Hill was unable to move Pinkerton and Tushka opted to intentionally walk Easton Roby.

During Brett Carnott’s at-bat, Pinkerton stole third and Roby took second base.

Pinkerton eventually scored on a passed ball to give Okarche the lead.

Hill made it stick until the seventh.

Tushka only had two baserunners - one walk and one hit by a pitch - through the first six frames.

Jett Mueggenborg had two of Okarche’s hits, including a two-out triple in the sixth.

However, the Warriors couldn’t capitalize.

“We gave max effort and there were obviously some things we would have like to have gone differently,” Beaman said. “We had some opportunities to plate another run or two. Sometimes they happen; sometimes they don’t.”

For Okarche, the season was another step.

The Warriors were one win away from state last spring. They came back in the fall to reach the semifi nals.

Beaman said every experience deep in the playoffs - whether good or bad - can be beneficial and a building block for the team. He used losing twice to Dewar last spring when Okarche needed just one win to reach state.

“A lot of it is experience. Coming out in the fall after the previous spring, we felt our group had something to prove. We had a different look and you could tell they were hungry for it,” Beaman said.

“I think every game you play when you go a little further, you get that experience and you know what it feels like. Every game you go deeper into the playoffs matters.”

Okarche will have the experience coming back. Pinkerton is the lone senior on the roster. There’s one junior and 12 sophomores who contributed to the 23-5 record.

“This one hurts,” Beaman added of the Tushka defeat. “Sometimes it takes a little bit to get over them and this is one of them. But our guys will regroup. Summer is almost here and we’ll be ready to get after it and start building some more.”