Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
H-M-S loses to MMCRU in district baseball tourney
Jacob Cates takes a cut at a pitch against MMCRU. The senior hit a home run in the final at-bat of his high school career.
Lawton Schiphoff scoops up the ball to retire an MMCRU batter in the district tournament game at Marcus.
Ricky Smith is ready to apply the tag on an MMCRU runner during a pickoff attempt at first base.
A brief early lead by Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn in the first round of the Class 1A district baseball tournament offered a glimmer of hope, but MMCRU had other ideas. The Royals took the lead back and methodically pulled away to defeat H-M-S, 9-3, on July 6 at Marcus.
MMCRU got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning. Jacob Cates walked to open the second inning, advanced to second base on an error and scored H-M-S's first run on a double by Blake Meendering. After walks to Hunter Daggett and Aiden Bush loaded the bases, Jack Mastbergen hit a single to drive home Meendering with the go-ahead run.
H-M-S's lead didn't last long, as the Royals scored four runs in the third inning, including three on a home run. MMCRU also scored a run in the fourth inning, two runs in the fifth and one more run in the sixth.
Cates hit a solo home run in the sixth inning for H-M-S's final score.
Overall, the Hawks finished with five hits. Also having hits were Lawton Schiphoff and Bush.
Cates pitched the first 4-2/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and eight runs (four earned), walked four and struck out eight. Mastbergen gave up two hits and one run in relief. The Hawks committed two defensive errors.
H-M-S ends the 2024 season with a record of 3-18 overall. MMCRU (14-8) advanced to play Kingsley-Pierson on July 9 in the second round of the district tournament.
