Loss to Cascade denies MFL MarMac trip to state baseball
MFL MarMac senior Austin Evanson tossed five scoreless innings in the team’s substate loss to Cascade on July 11. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Landon Johnson reached base twice against the Cougars and scored MFL MarMac’s lone run in the second inning.
Bulldog shortstop Jacob Schellhorn delivers a throw to first base.
A second inning double from Brayden Gordon drove in MFL MarMac's run against Cascade.
Right fielder Jaxon Millage throws the ball to the infield.
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
A 5-1 loss to Cascade in a July 11 Class 2A substate game denied MFL MarMac its first berth in the state baseball tournament since 1977.
Last week’s substate appearance was the Bulldogs’ first since 2003. After a scoreless opening inning, the team got on the board in the second, when a Brayden Gordon double brought in Landon Johnson.
MFL MarMac took that slim 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, behind the masterful pitching of Austin Evanson. After working out of a jam in the fourth inning that saw Cougars on second and third base with no outs, the senior didn’t allow a run until the bottom of the sixth, when an RBI-double forced him from the game.
Ben Krambeer relieved Evanson with one out and a runner on second base, but couldn’t hold Cascade at bay. The Cougars scored four more times in the inning, including twice on bunts.
Evanson’s final stat line included six hits, a walk, hit batter and two earned runs over five and one-third innings. He tallied two strikeouts.
Krambeer surrendered four hits, a hit batter and three runs in two-thirds of an inning.
After late-inning rallies in both their district wins the week before, the Bulldogs couldn’t muster another against Cascade. The team went down in order in the top of the seventh, sealing the Cougar victory.
Cascade pitcher Cade Rausch limited MFL MarMac to only four hits, including the Gordon double. Jacob Schellhorn singled twice and Austin Schlee once. Johnson reached base twice on a walk and hit by pitch.
The Bulldogs finished the season 20-12 overall and 12-6 in the Upper Iowa Conference, behind champion South Winneshiek.
