MANHATTAN — Humboldt High’s Cubs were pushed to the brink Friday, utilizing a key play at the plate to hold off Wichita-Independent 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Kansas Class 3A state baseball tournament.
Relief pitcher Nathan Whitcomb gunned down Wichita-Independent baserunner Dominic Rudy with one out in the top of the seventh inning. Rudy was attempting to score the tying run from second base on a single.
Whitcomb, pitching in relief for starter Grayson Pearish, had given up a single with runners on first and second. He cut off the throw from center field. His relay throw to the plate was well ahead of the runner. Catcher Hunter Murrow applied the tag.
Pearish was strong throughout, keeping Wichita-Independent batters off balance with an assortment of fastballs and breaking pitches. The score was 2-1 when Pearish walked two consecutive batters in the top of the seventh, prompting manager Mike Miller to summon Whitcomb to the mound.
Humboldt broke open a 1-1 deadlock when Murrow delivered a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jacob Carpenter scored the tie-breaker.
The Cubs advance to today’s semifinal and final round contests, taking on Frontenac at 11 a.m. at Manhattan’s Tointon Family Stadium at 10 a.m. Frontenac defeated Silver Lake, 5-2.
The winner will vie for the state championship at 5:30 p.m. The loser will play in the third-place game at 3 p.m.
A full recap of the weekend’s events will be in Tuesday’s Register.
Today’s games will be broadcast on KINZ Radio 95.3. The broadcast airs at 9:45, then 15 minutes prior to the third-place or championship game.
