2023 1A State Championship Game

Mother Nature fooled us with some early morning cloud cover.  As the Abbott Panthers began in and out, Mother Nature decided out with the cloud cover and in with the warmer temperatures.  Today, 1A Baseball would have a new team to call State Champions.  These teams have met 3 times in recent history.  In 2017, Abbott defeated Fayetteville 11-7 to win the State Championship.  In 2018, Fayetteville beat Abbott 11-7 to win the State Championship.  They played in a tournament this year to a 9-9 tie.

Abbott started Preston Pustejovsky on the mound and Will Kazda catching.  The Lions started Jack Schley on the mound and Logan Fritsch catching.  Abbott took advantage of a walk and a error to score the first run of the game.  A couple of fielder’s choices later and the Panthers would have a 2-0 lead at the midpoint.  The Lions would go down in order in the bottom half of the frame.

Schley looked a little more settled in the top of the second.  He sat the first two Panthers down on strikeouts before hitting Mason Hejl.  Hejl would steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch but that is as far as he would get as leadoff batter, Riley Sustala grounded out to shortstop Travis Gully.  The Lions got their first baserunner of the game when Travis Gully reached on a error.  He wouldn’t get past first.  At the end of 2 innings, the score remained 2-0 Abbott.

Abbott bats would do some damage in the top of the 3^rd.  Two singles forced a Lions pitching change.  Another single, an error and a balk gave the Panthers a 5-0 lead at the midpoint of the third.  Preston Putsejovsky got two quick outs before hitting Kegan Supak.  Supak wouldn’t get far as the next batter popped out to short.

Reid Gross gives up just one hit in the 4^th when Will Kazda singled to center.  That was all the offense the Panthers could get.  In the bottom of the 4^th, Logan Fritsch got the Lions first hit of the game.  It came at the expense of the leg of pitcher Preston Pustejovsky.  A liner up the middle hit present and ended up at short.  Pustejovsky would see the most traffic he has seen this game after and error puts runners on first and second.  A strikeout and a walk later and the bases were loaded.  He would strikeout Jack Schley to end the inning with no damage.

The Panthers couldn’t do anything in the top of the 5th inning going down in order.  The Lions continued with the traffic pattern but this time they would chaptalize on it.  Back to back to back singles by Kubala, Supak and Jaeger.  Sacrifice flies by Fritsch and Gully added to the damage.  Fayetteville would get back in striking distance at the end of the fifth the score was 5-3.

In the top of the 7^th, a double by Will Kazda and RBI by Hogan Warren turned out to be critical.  The Panthers would take a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the frame.  Keagan Supak lead off with a double.  Two batters later Logan Fritsch plated him.  An error and a single by Reid Gross put the winning run on base and forced a pitching change.  Riley Sustala took the mound and got a fly out and a strike out to end the game.

Abbott is your 2023 1A State Champions.

WP – Pustejovsky
LP –  Schley

Player of the Game:   Preston Pustejovsky