HUMBOLDT — Humboldt High’s junior Logan Page threw a no-hitter as the Cubs captured the Walter Johnson Baseball Tournament title with a 7-0 victory over Anderson County.
Facing the larger 3A Anderson County Bulldogs in the championship game, Page was two walks shy of a perfect game while throwing a seven-inning no hitter with 10 strikeouts and securing the shutout in less than 100 pitches.
“I feel amazing. I was really trying to mix up pitches and attack the zone,” Page said. “I had a couple of full-counts, and got a little shaky sometimes, but I kept coming back. I kept throwing strikes and pounding the zone and putting pressure on them.”
As Page was nearly flawless on the mound, the Cubs also had success in the batter’s box. Senior designated hitter Avery Works broke a 0-0 stalemate in the second inning with an RBI single.
Works tied freshman outfielder Kolton Hanson for the team-lead in RBIs while hitting in 3 of 4 attempts.
“I’m just getting hot,” Works said. “I’m making solid contact and it’s getting through the holes. I think I got it every time (in the batter’s box).”
A Page double in the third inning, followed by a Hanson sacrifice fly and another Works RBI single extended Humboldt’s lead to 4-0. Senior first baseman Colden Cook plated a runner in the fourth inning, then the Cubs added a few insurance runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Hanson and senior outfielder Cole Mathes.
“The way we had been playing, I didn’t know what to expect,” Humboldt coach Mike Miller said. “We moved some guys around in the lineup. We shuffled some things, and it didn’t always work, but we seemed to come up with the right guys up to bat with the right guys on base.”
Humboldt defeated Tri-Valley League rival Neodesha to get to the championship game for the third time this season, but this time ending in a 7-5 thriller. Despite having a team-leading three strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings, Cole Mathes did not get the win. That honor went to senior Brody Gunderman, who came on in relief for a strikeout over two innings with a walk. 
Before throwing a no-hitter in the title game, Page put Humboldt on the scoreboard in the opener with the first of his team-leading two RBIs on a single in the second inning. The Cubs extended their lead to 4-0 on an RBI double by junior second baseman Mason Sterling, then an RBI double from Page. Neodesha rallied to a 5-5 tie by the sixth inning, but the RBIs by Cook and Sterling allowed Humbolt to pull away for a 7-5 win.
“We’ve had a couple of different instances where I thought, this is going to be the springboard that really gets us rolling, then we’ve been inconsistent up and down the plate,” Coach Miller said. “Hopefully, getting a good win against a quality baseball team will give us some momentum and push us going down the stretch.”
With the wins, the Cubs improve to 14-4. The Cubs jump back in the TVL action Tuesday when they host Cherryvale for a doubleheader. First pitches for both games are 4:30 and 6 p.m.
