BASEBALL

The third-seeded Huntington baseball team saw its season come to a heartbreaking end Tuesday afternoon as fifth-seeded St. Ambrose erased a two-run deficit in the ninth to steal an 8-7 win in an elimination game of the NAIA National Championship at Bellevue’s Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex.

The Foresters appeared to be in control heading into the final frame with a 7-5 advantage and just three outs separating them from survival. Instead, a series of unfortunate events unraveled HU’s hopes as the Fighting Bees capitalized on three walks, an error and a controversial call to plate three runs on just one hit in the ninth inning.

The crushing defeat ends Huntington’s season at 39-14.

HU found itself in an early hole after St. Ambrose used an inside-the-park homer in the third inning to grab the game’s first run before a three-run blast later in the frame pushed the Fighting Bees in front 4-0. The Foresters didn’t blink.

Owen Willard sparked the comeback effort in the fourth by blasting a two-run homer over the wall in right, his 19th long ball of the year, to cut the deficit in half. A few batters later, Tanner Reinartz punched a run-scoring single through the left side to trim the lead to 4-3.

The Foresters kept the pressure on in the sixth. Reinartz delivered again with an RBI single to knot things up before pinch hitter Owen Imel came through with a clutch RBI knock to right center to give HU its first lead of the afternoon. Kade Flores followed with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to score another run and stretch Huntington’s advantage to 6-4.

After the Fighting Bees answered with their third homer of the game in the seventh, Reinartz struck again in the eighth with a solo blast to left center that proved to be Huntington’s final run of the season and gave HU a 7-5 cushion entering the ninth.

Reinartz led Huntington offensively by going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a homer while Willard added a two-run shot and scored once. Imel delivered in his lone at bat with a pinch-hit RBI single while Jace Fowler, Deklan Thompson and Braden Kauffman each chipped in a hit.

The Foresters finished with eight hits and drew three walks while striking out seven times. HU also swiped a pair of bags courtesy of Parker Richards and Kauffman.

Zach Pelletier added his name to the record books despite the loss as the junior catcher drew his 43rd walk of the season to tie Langston Ginder for the program record for base on balls in a single season.

Pitching was by committee for Huntington with Grant Simmons giving the Foresters a strong start. The right-hander tossed five innings and surrendered four runs, only one earned, while striking out three. Aidan Micinski followed with two innings of relief before RJ Anglin was tagged with the tough-luck loss after allowing three runs, just one earned, in the ninth. Carter Wilkinson recorded the final two outs.

Defense proved costly for the Foresters as only three of St. Ambrose’s eight runs were earned. Huntington committed two errors that loomed large in a game decided in the final inning. Despite the abrupt ending, the Foresters close the year with a program-high 39 wins and another trip to the NAIA National Championship on their resume.