VINTON — The ninth-ranked Grundy Center baseball team succumbed to errors and fell one win short of the state tournament, dropping a 7-2 decision to Cascade in Tuesday’s Class 2A Substate 3 championship game at Vinton-Shellsburg High School.

The Spartans (23-4) surrendered four unearned runs for starting pitcher Judd Jirovsky, who went 6 2/3 innings in the loss. He allowed eight hits and one walk while striking out 11, but the Cougars (23-12) served up the upset.

Cascade scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second, getting out to a 6-1 lead that was more than enough to hold off Grundy Center. The Spartans finished with just four hits in their first loss since June 25.

Ryker Thoren singled home Jirovsky with Grundy’s run in the bottom of the first inning, and Pete Lebo plated Thoren with a double in the fifth, but that was all the offense the Spartans could muster.

Cascade’s Tyler Smith pitched five innings for the win, allowing one run on three hits and five total walks while striking out three in relief of starter Cooper Hummel. Hummel lasted only four batters after walking two and giving up Thoren’s run-scoring single. Eli Fritz got the final five outs for the Cougars, striking out three to seal the victory.

Lebo, Thoren, Jirovsky and Hayden Geerdes had the Spartans’ hits.

Cason Rausch was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Smith was 2-for-3 with a run to lead Cascade. Mick Hoffman tripled and scored twice.

The Cougars received the No. 8 seed for the state tournament and will face No. 1 Underwood (24-2) in the 2A quarterfinals Tuesday, July 22, at Merchants Park in Carroll.

Grundy Center closed with a school-record 23 wins.