DEXTER — The Humboldt Cubs return to the state tournament after winning the Class 2-1A regional tournament Tuesday in Dexter.
The Cubs beat Tri-Valley League foe Bluestem by 10-0 mercy-rule in the regional semifinal followed by an 11-1 mercy-rule victory over the Douglass Bulldogs.
It’s the Cubs’ second consecutive regional title, despite graduating the majority of their lineup last year.
“I’m so proud of our team and happy for our seniors to get to experience another state tournament,” Humboldt coach Mason Miller said. “We didn’t really know what to expect coming into the season replacing so many starters from last year. It’s a testament to this team’s hard work and dedication to achieve this goal.”
IN THE BLUESTEM semifinal, the Cubs slowly built their lead until culminating with a sixth-inning line drive by sophomore Ty Shaughnessy. Junior starter Gavin Gunderman pitched a six-inning shutout, but needed only three strikeouts thanks to a flawless performance from the field.
“Gavin has had a couple of rough outings on the mound the last few weeks, but he was phenomenal in game one. He was back to doing what he does best which is pitching to contact and trusting that his defense would make plays behind him. He was efficient and induced soft contact all game,” Miller said.
Sophomore outfielder Kolton Hanson’s double plated a pair of runners in the opening frame, then the Cubs took a 3-0 lead with a bases-loaded walk. In Humboldt’s new at-bat, a fly-ball by senior outfielder Hayden Kelley forced an error, resulting in another two runs, then a third-inning double by senior second baseman Mason Sterling, and a two-RBI double by Shaughnessy pulled Humboldt within two runs of a mercy-rule.
In the fifth, a bases-loaded walk pulled the Cubs within one-run of an early night, then a Shaughnessy line drive in the sixth plated the last runner needed.
Shaughnessy, who played at third, was Humboldt’s most productive hitter in the opener, hitting in 3 of 5 at-bats as well as three RBIs. Hanson had two RBIs and two hits. Gunderman had two hits and sophomore designated hitter Weston Johnson had two RBIs after drawing two bases-loaded walks.
“We came into the day knowing that if we could give the ball to Ty Shaughnessy in the championship game, that we would have a really good chance of winning,” Coach Miller said.
Shaughnessy had a hot hand in a different way against the Douglass Bulldogs. With 13 strikeouts, Shaughnessy kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard until the sixth inning. By then Humboldt already had a 6-0 lead. Despite pitching a complete-game, Shaughnessy threw only 99 pitches of which 59 were strikes.
“Like he has all year, Ty came up big for us in the championship on the mound,” Miller said. “The mound was wet and he struggled with his plant leg in the first inning. He had to throw 30 pitches, but was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam. He’s the ultimate competitor and seems to pitch his best in the toughest spots, stranding multiple runners in scoring positions throughout the course of the game.”
Gunderman tied senior outfielder Grady Elder in hits, while perfect in the batter’s box in 3 of 3 at-bats with a team-leading two RBIs. He put Humboldt on the scoreboard with his feat of scoring on a passed ball, then extended the Cubs’ lead to 2-0 in the third inning on another passed ball. Junior outfielder Luke Coronado kick-started a four-run fourth inning with an RBI single, then an RBI Gunderman grounder and a Shaughnessy flyball, which plated Kelley and Gunderman thanks to an error in the outfield.
Leading 6-1, the Cubs locked up the regional title with a five-run sixth inning. A Gunderman RBI double plated Coronado, who led off the inning with a double, then Gunderman reached home on an infield error. Three runs from a mercy-rule, the Cubs sealed the victory off a grounder from freshman third baseman Mason Miller, an RBI single by senior outfielder Grady Elder and a Johnson RBI single.
“Gunderman was huge for us at the plate and on the basepaths, scoring our first two runs to give us a little cushion,” Miller said. “Grady, Weston, and Luke had some big at-bats late in the game to put it away.”
The Cubs enter the postseason riding a four game win streak and a 16-11 record. At press time, state officials have not released the brackets.
