In the top of the first inning, the Rebels had a big opportunity: Tyler Tscherter, Keagan Giesking and William Kiburis found themselves on base with two outs. Any hit would have given the Rebels an early lead and shifted momentum in a contest where the Dons were heavily favored to advance to a substate final.

G-R couldn’t pounce on the opportunity, though. A strikeout closed the door on the best chance of the game for the Rebels (9-8), and Don Bosco (16-1) took control with a run in the bottom of the inning. The Dons led the rest of the way in a 3-0 win to end G-R’s season.

G-R coach Scott Kiburis rued those missed opportunities.

“We had some runners in scoring position in three innings, we just didn’t come through with it,” Scott said. “We were really close to dropping a ball into right field in the first inning, then we’re up 2-0. I mean, that’s just baseball the way it is.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Starting pitcher Tyler Tscherter and the Rebels’ defense went up against a savvy baserunning Dons team and faced problems from the start when leadoff hitter Cael Frost took a walk. He proceeded to steal second and third base before a groundout to first allowed him to sprint home and score the game’s first run.

Don Bosco went down in order in the second inning but added runs in the third and fourth innings — the final runs of the game and a frustrating final setback for Tscherter.

The recent graduate and future Kirkwood Community College baseball player said he felt he wasn’t at his best Saturday.

“I was a little off,” Tscherter said. “I had to put the ball over the plate, and when I had to, they made it count and they hit the ball all over the place.”

But the Dons struggled to string hits together against Tscherter and the G-R defense, giving the Rebels a way back into the game if they could find some offense. Tscherter gave up seven hits and struck out six, but walked three and hit a batter.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Two G-R players recorded hits — Tscherter with two and Giesking with two. Twice after the first inning, Tscherter reached second base and was in a scoring position. But Don Bosco starter Lewis Havel struck out nine Rebel batters and fought off every threat the Dons faced.

Tscherter said the team seemed to be a step behind Havel and unable to crack the code.

“Tonight it seemed like we weren’t seeing the ball well,” Tscherter said. “We didn’t hit the ball as well as we have been in the past.”

In the final three innings neither team would be able to cross the plate — and with the game on the line in the top of the seventh inning and one last chance to extend the game, G-R went down in order. Don Bosco advances to face No. 10 HLV on Tuesday in Williamsburg in the Substate 5 finals.

The Rebels fought back from a 1-4 start to finish with a winning record and come within two games of the state tournament. It’s the fourth time in five seasons the Rebels have made it this far.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Scott said that despite the loss of Tscherter, he believes there’s a lot of potential in next year’s Gladbrook-Reinbeck squad.

“We have quite a few freshmen and eighth graders, and a couple sophomores,” Scott said. “You know, we’re not going to scream and shout, we’re going to be professional about it [with the team] and do that, and I think we’re going to have some good baseball teams in the future.”

——

Don Bosco 3, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 0

At Grundy Center

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

G-R 000 000 0 — 0 4 1

DB 101 100 X — 3 7 0

Tyler Tscherter and Nick Tscherter; Lewis Havel and Ty Purdy. W–Havel (3-0). L–T. Tscherter (4-2). 2B–DB: Cael Frost 2, Easton Larson. LOB–G-R 6, DB 8.