Defense, teamwork leads CMB to district win

OGDEN — Collins-Maxwell/Baxter’s baseball coach Max Seeman has preached teamwork all season long.

And on Saturday, teamwork came into play during the fifth-seeded Raiders’ Class 1A District 14 quarterfinal game against fourth-seeded Madrid.

Junior Brady Stover helped senior starting pitcher Seth Balke get out of a jam in the second inning with a double play catch and throw home from center field, and Balke returned the favor to Stover with a diving catch on a suicide squeeze attempt in the sixth inning of a tie game that wound up saving the game for the Raiders.

CMB used the momentum from Balke’s diving double play to plate two runs in the seventh and Stover held off the Tigers with a 1-2-3 bottom half during a 5-3 victory.

“This game exemplified what good teamwork can do for you,” CMB coach Max Seeman said. “Our defense has to be huge for us. The offense is starting to come together, but the defense definitely kept us in this game.”

The Raiders (9-14) take a three-game win streak into Tuesday’s District 14 semifinal against top-seeded Ogden. That game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in Ogden.

The other semifinal in Ogden on Tuesday is third-seeded North Polk and second-seeded Woodward-Granger. North Polk defeated Woodward Academy 8-6 to advance.

CMB defeated Madrid 10-0 in five innings just three days before Saturday’s nerve-wracking triumph.

“This was a completely different team that we saw three days ago,” Seeman said. “They booted it around for us at their place but they made plays today.”

The Tigers only had four hits against Nate Bishop in that one. Balke allowed four hits in the first two innings in the second meeting, but the Tigers (9-18) failed to cash in on most of their opportunities.

They had three straight singles against Balke in the second, but Stover’s catch and throw home got two quick outs and Madrid was turned away with a pair of runners on base.

The first three Tiger batters reached base in the third as well. But back-to-back 1-2 putouts by Balke and another groundout to Bishop at shortstop retired Madrid without any damage.

The first Tiger hitter reached with a single in the fourth, but a double play on a bunt attempt to Balke on the mound once again erased the threat.

CMB also stranded several runners on base. The Raiders left five runners on base in the first four innings before cracking the scoreboard in the top of the fifth.

Creighton Caple and Stover began the frame with back-to-back singles and Hunter McWhirter was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Caple was thrown out at home on the next play, but Stover scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0.

Brady Kemp gave the Raiders a 2-0 lead with an RBI sacrifice fly and Brad Ritter drove in a third run with an RBI double to the gap in left-center field.

“I have been struggling lately so it was nice to see some fastballs that were right there inside where I like them,” said Ritter, who had two doubles, one walk, one RBI and a run in his first-ever district game.

The lead was short-lived though as Madrid finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth.

Balke surrendered three runs — one earned — off three doubles and two errors in the frame. Stover came on in relief and got the Raiders out of the jam with a strikeout.

With the game tied at three, Madrid began the sixth with back-to-back walks against Stover. The junior lefty got a little help when Cole Shannon was thrown at the plate trying to score on Mason Gibson’s single to left. Tucker Maxwell hit Balke on the cutoff and Balke gunned down Gibson at home.

The Tigers were turned away scoreless again when Balke dove for a ball that was bunted down the third-base line, snagged it and then ran back to third to get the final out. Wyatt Smith was running on the pitch and had no chance return to third safely on the suicide squeeze attempt.

“There has been no bigger play for us all year,” Seeman said. “They probably would have won the game if they converted that. It would have deflated us if they scored there, but the guys were fired up after that and it was good to see. It means they care.”

McWhirter and Ritter credited the team’s defense as a reason for the victory. And Balke’s diving catch definitely pumped his teammates.

“It was huge. That made a huge difference in us. It put a lot of energy back into our team,” said McWhirter, who singled, walked twice and was hit by a pitch after having three hits and two RBIs against Madrid the first time around.

CMB took advantage of its momentum in the seventh. Ritter began the frame with another double and then Spencer Gauch reached on a bunt single. Ritter scored and Gauch moved to third on a balk and Maxwell made it 5-3 with an RBI sacrifice fly to the grass in center field.

Stover improved to 4-2 on the year when he retired Madrid in order in the seventh. The final two outs were his 69th and 70th strikeouts of the season.

“Our defense was making plays all night. It kept us in the game and our bats did enough to get the win,” Ritter said. “I am usually gone on a missions trip so I have never been in one of these games. It’s awesome. It feels great to get the win.”

Gauch had a hit, a walk and was hit by a pitch and Caple singled in the fifth and walked in the sixth to compliment Ritter and McWhirter at the plate.

Madrid (9-18) ended its season with six straight losses.

Eli Gruete took the loss on the mound. He threw all seven innings and allowed five runs on nine hits with five walks, two hit batters and one strikeout.

Seeman doesn’t know who will pitch against Ogden on Tuesday. But he does feel like the Raiders’ best ball is still ahead of them.

We are starting to hit the ball better so hopefully we can keep that up,” Seeman said. “We have been working on some stuff and things are starting to come together for some of the guys. We are taking advantage when we get guys on base, which wasn’t the case earlier in the year.”