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South Tama advances to substate final in style

Mickey Wanatee

CHARLES CITY — A flurry of runs in the top of the eighth inning Monday night pushed South Tama County baseball into a surprise position: one game away from reaching the Class 3A state baseball tournament. The 10-4 win brushed aside host Charles City (9-9) and continued a postseason run for the young Trojans (7-16) did not expect during a shortened campaign.

The beginning of the game hinted at a defensive grind, as starting pitchers Mickey Wanatee for STC and Tait Arndt for Charles City held their opposing teams scoreless through the first three innings. Neither team had real scoring opportunities and there was only one hit from each team. Nothing was on the horizon until the top of the fourth inning, when the Trojans scored a three-run burst to take the lead. After Matt Wiese got his second hit of the game to lead things off, he advanced to third on a Wanatee double. A groundout from Lane Lekin scored Wiese.

Brayden Smith scored pinch-runner Garrett Arp with a double into the outfield before he was brought home on an error. The Trojans had opened the game up and were in prime position to pull off an upset.

In the bottom of the inning, though, the Comets were on hand to keep the game interesting. A double from pitcher Arndt set up the Comets’ first run as pinch-runner Owen Weber scored on a sac fly. Back-to-back doubles scored Atticus Parrott and Tino Tamayo to tie the game up at 3-3 heading into the fifth inning.

Wanatee hasn’t been pitching as much this season starting while on the mend from an earlier injury, and it was part of the reason South Tama coach Seth Koch said after a game against East Marshall earlier in the year this season had been especially challenging on his group of young pitchers. Wanatee threw for seven innings before reaching the pitch count limit, giving up four runs and four hits while striking out 13.

Charles City would take a brief lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring on a Parrott single to go up 4-3. It wouldn’t last, as Wanatee struck in the sixth inning with a solo home run to tie things up again. No runs were scored in the rest of regulation and the game went to extra innings.

In the eighth, South Tama started strong with a single from Logan Arp. Wiese reached first on an error, and Wanatee’s sacrifice bunt put them on second and third. Lekin was intentionally walked and a Smith single brought Arp home for the go-ahead run. But the Trojans weren’t done — Jordan Bly drove in Wiese and Lekin with a single, Brayden and Kyler Smith scored on wild pitches and Logan Schmidt scored on a Gavin Jiminez single. The Trojans were up 10-4 and cruising. Charles City got a man on second base but didn’t threaten to force another inning, and South Tama advanced.

Wiese, Wanatee and Brayden Smith each had two of STC’s 10 hits, and Bly drove in a team-high three runs.

The Trojans, 5-16 when postseason play started, now find themselves heading to Van Horne on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to take on 11-11 Benton Community in the Substate 3 final for a trip to state. The Bobcats defeated No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier 3-2 in nine innings Monday night to advance.

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