Game 2 State Semi Final – Fayetteville v Nazareth

We just thought it was hot for the first game.  With the sun directly overhead and the flags not moving at all, play would get underway for game 2 of the 1A State Semi-Final.  Nazareth hosts Fayetteville.  Fayetteville started Chance Konvicka on the mound and Logan Fritsch catching.  While the battery for Nazareth was Carson Heiman with Luke Schulte catching.  It would only take two batters for the first run to get on the board.  Supak would walk, steal second and then get driven in by Easton Jaeger.  Nazareth’s Carson Heiman would settle in and get two pop outs to end the inning.

Sophomore Chance Konvicka got a shut down inning thanks to a groundout to second, a fly out to center and a strikeout.  Reid Gross lead off with a single.  Chance Konvicka flies out to center and their was some confusion on the basepath as Fayetteville believed the ball was dropped .  Reid Gross was tagged out trying to advance to second.  Lawson Fritsch flied out to the shortstop to end the inning.

The bottom of the second had a few things you don’t see often.  Sterl Welps leads off with a single but is back picked on a 2-3-6 pickoff.  Konvicka strikes out Brayden Bullard.  It appears Jack Welps reaching first on a drop third strike, but the umpires ruling is that the ball hit him after swinging.  Therefore, it was ruled as strike 3 and dead ball to end the inning.  The top of the 3^rd was not eventful for Fayetteville.  They went down in order.  Nazareth would follow suit in the bottom of the frame.  A fly out, a ground out and a pop out takes us to the fourth.

In the top of the fourth, Nazareth would only need 3 players on the field.  The pitcher, the catcher, and the center fielder.  All out were flyouts to Tanner Birkenfeld in center field.  With one out, Carson Heiman advances to second on an error by the third baseman.  He advances to third on a ground out to second but would be left their when Sterl Welps struck out to end the inning.

Fayetteville bats got hot with 2 outs in the top of the 5^th.  With Chance Konvicka already on 1^st, Jack Schley, Jake Kubala, and Keagan Supak would single.  Supak’s single would socre 2 runs.  A ground rule double by Easton Jaeger would score another.  After Logan Fritsch was hit by a pitch, Coach Goodwin was forced to make a pitching change.  Sterl Welps would take the mound and quickly get a popout to end the Lions threat.

Jack Welps would provide the only offense in the 5^th for the Swifts with a single.  Jack Welps would control the Lions offense in the top of the 6^th. Konvicka would work around a leadoff walk by striking out the next 3 batters.  Welps would allow 1 Lion to reach but record 3 consecutive fielder’s choice out to put the Swifts in dugout.

Konvicka would record the final 3 outs on a ground out to first, a strikeout and a ground out to 3^rd.  Fayetteville advances to face Abbott.

WP – Konvicka
LP –  Heiman

Player of the Game:  Chance Konvicka