Hurricanes Grab 3rd at May Madness NIT
Front row: Hogan Rockhold, Colton Jones, Jackson Blythe, Austin Hafner Back row: Casey Hill, Nikolas Dykstra, Rian Yates, Connor Reed, Cole Kraber, Lucas Bunnell (submitted photo)
The 12U Oskaloosa Hurricanes got their inaugural baseball season off to a great start with a 3rd place finish at the May Madness NIT tournament in Des Moines this past weekend. Good pitching, solid defense, and strong hitting propelled the ‘Canes to four wins in five games against a field of sixteen teams from across Iowa and Minnesota.
The Hurricanes never trailed in their first pool game on the way to a 7 – 4 victory over the Urbandale Miners with Cole Kraber and Rian Yates collecting two hits each. Jackson Blythe, Connor Reed, Nikolas Dykstra, Lucas Bunnell, and Colton Jones also contributed base hits. Hogan Rockhold, Kraber, and Yates pitched well in the winning effort.
The Grinnell Tigers put up a good fight early but they couldn’t limit the offense of the ‘Canes as Oskaloosa exploded for nine runs late for a 10 – 2 win in the second pool game. Blythe led the offensive attack with three hits to go along with two hits each for Casey Hill, Reed, and Yates. Kraber added a double, and Jones a single. Reed, Jones, and Bunnell all pitched during the contest with Austin Hafner finishing up from the mound for Osky.
Bracket play started early Sunday morning and the Hurricanes were ready for the Pleasantville Spitfire. A tight game throughout had the ‘Canes trailing 3 – 2 entering the top half of the last inning. But the heart of the team was on display with four runs in the last frame to send them into the semifinals with a hard-fought 6 – 3 victory. Reed was very effective allowing only two hits in pitching the complete game. Yates and Blythe each posted two hits, with Reed, Bunnell, and Dysktra also putting up a hit apiece.
The Hurricanes’ train was slowed a little in a tough 3 – 1 semifinal loss to the Clive Sabercats. The bats were silent in defeat with only three hits; one each by Blythe, Dykstra, and Bunnell. The Hurricanes also took themselves out of scoring opportunities on three different occasions with base-running mistakes. Yates took the loss giving up seven hits in five innings.
The consolation game for 3rd place gave the Hurricanes another chance to show their mettle. Instead of dwelling on the disappointment of the semifinal game, the ‘Canes pounced quickly with five runs in the first inning against the Ankeny Dirt Dogs rolling to a 12 – 3 run-rule victory. Rockhold, Kraber, and Hafner combined for the victory. Hill and Yates each doubled with Kraber, Reed, Dykstra, Hafner, and Bunnell adding base hits.
“We weren’t sure what to expect in our first tournament,” commented Coach Doug Yates. “But we saw a team that has come a long way since the first fall practice last September. If we continue to work hard, and clean up a few mistakes, this team has the chance to make a lot of noise in the 12U AA division this season.”
The Hurricanes are back in action this weekend at the Cornshucker Challenge in Cedar Rapids.
