On a roll: Strong pitching, timely hitting help Bulldogs win district
A 4-1 win over Beckman Catholic on July 12 clinched a district championship for the MFL MarMac baseball team. The Bulldogs advanced to the Class 2A - Substate 4 final against Mediapolis on July 15. (Photo by Abby Schellhorn)
Stellar pitching from Parker Kuehl helped lead the Bulldogs to victory over Marquette Catholic and Beckman Catholic. The senior pitched 11 and two-thirds innings across both games, allowing a combined five hits and three runs, while striking out 19 hitters. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
MFL MarMac second baseman Kade Humble chases down a Marquette Catholic runner trying to steal during the July 8 game. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
Ben Krambeer connects with a pitch in MFL MarMac's win over Marquette Catholic. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
The MFL MarMac Bulldogs are district champions. The team won all three of its playoff games last week to advance to the Class 2A - Substate 4 baseball final against Mediapolis on July 15.
Postville proved no match for MFL MarMac in the July 7 postseason opener in Monona. The Bulldogs breezed past the Pirates 11-1, after racking up 11 hits, four walks and five stolen bases in five innings.
Jaxon Millage had a three-hit night, including a homerun. Tyce Wikner knocked in three runs on a double and single and scored a run. Ben Krambeer singled and doubled, drove in a run and also scored. Parker Kuehl finished the night with a two-RBI double and crossed home plate once himself.
A trio of pitchers took the mound for the Bulldogs. Jacob Schellhorn allowed just two hits, a hit batter and one earned run over two innings, while striking out three batters. Just one hitter reached base against Kade Humble—and two struck out—in two innings. Kyler Nuehring walked one batter but struck out three others in one inning.
MFL MarMac headed to Dyersville July 8 for the district quarterfinal. It was a rematch against Marquette Catholic, a team that defeated them 13-3 just the week before. The Bulldogs did most of their damage in a three-run third inning, including a two-RBI hit by Schellhorn. They added an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning, which proved vital as the Defenders pushed two runs across and left the tying runs stranded in the final frame. MFL MarMac won 4-2.
Marquette Catholic struggled to generate offense against Bulldog ace Kuehl, who collected 13 strikeouts in six and two-thirds innings, while only allowing four hits and two earned runs. Krambeer recorded the final out of the game after surrendering one hit and walking a batter.
Schellhorn’s two-RBI hit led MFL MarMac’s offense, which made the most of five hits. Kuehl had two of them—a double and a single—and also walked, stole two bases and scored a run. Wikner doubled and scored and Carter Lightfoot reached home plate after drawing a walk and swiping a base.
Kuehl continued his dominance on the mound in MFL MarMac’s 4-1 victory over Beckman Catholic in the District 8 final on July 12. The senior gave up just one hit and one run, which was unearned, in the opening inning, then held the Blazers off the board for the next four. He earned six strikeouts. A walk was the only blemish for Schellhorn, who pitched the final two frames.
The Bulldogs scored all four of their runs in the third inning, with RBIs from Krambeer, Millage and Humble. Kuehl doubled, walked, stole a base and scored a run. Brayden Gordon reached twice on a single and a walk and also scored.
The win improved MFL MarMac to 24-6 overall. They will face 26-2 Mediapolis, who shut out both West Liberty and Durant to win district seven, in the Substate championship game. First pitch will be at 7 p.m. on July 15, at the Solon Recreation and Nature Area Baseball Field. The winner qualifies for state.
