YATES CENTER — It was No. 1 seed against No. 2 seed just like it should work out in a regional baseball tournament final.
Humboldt High’s Cubs, seeded No. 2, had sailed through their semifinal game earlier Wednesday. They notched a 16-1, run-rule victory over West Elk in four innings.
Sedan High’s Blue Devils, top-seeded and undefeated, cruised past host Yates Center High’s Wildcats 12-5 in the semifinals.
The stage was set. Humboldt had won a regional championship on Yates Center’s Kluender Field in 2009.
The Blue Devils were just too much for the Cubs on a very cold, damp May night. Sedan improved to 21-0 with an 11-4 win over Humboldt taking the 2011 Kansas Class 2-1A Regional Baseball Tournament championship.
“As good as we played the first game, we played just as bad for the first four innings of the championship game,” said Mike Miller, Cub head coach. “Our defense let us down in some key situations — seven errors led to two big innings for them.”
Sedan scored a run in the first inning and led 1-0 when it scored four runs in the third. The Blue Devils added five more runs in the fourth.
Humboldt faced a 10-0 deficit when the Cubs came to bat in the fifth. The Cubs produced four runs that inning but it wouldn’t be enough. Sedan added another run in its half of the inning for the final margin.
Grayson Pearish threw five innings for the Cubs. He was charged with 11 runs on eight hits and had three strikeouts.
Seth Nickell, the lone senior on the Cub roster, pitched the sixth inning. He gave up two hits and walked one batter.
“Grayson threw really well for us and I felt he threw good enough for us to win. We just didn’t back him up with solid defense,” Miller said. “Offensively, we faced probably the best pitcher we had seen all season and it took awhile to get going.”
The Cubs ended up with four hits in the game. Alex Murrow tripled. Pearish, Caleb Vanatta and Caleb D’Armond each singled.
“It was good for our young guys to experience a big game like that and hopefully they will learn from it,” Miller said.
“They should be proud of everything they accomplished this year with winning the league. We will be back in this position and better prepared for it next time.”
In the semifinal game against West Elk, Nathan Whitcomb tossed a two-hitter for the Cubs. He struck out six batters.
The Cubs pounded out 14 hits led by Vanatta and D’Armond with three singles each. Whitcomb connected for a single and a double and Hunter Murrow, who drove in four runs, had two singles.
Nick Wiltse hit a triple. Hitting a single each were A. Murrow, Pearish and Christian Wiltse.
Humboldt led 6-1 after two innings. The Cubs scored four runs in the third and ended the game by plating six runs in the fourth.
The Cubs finished at 17-6 and co-champions of the Tri-Valley League with Burlington at 9-3.
Cubs lose regional final to Blue Devils
