Gators hold on to defeat Omaha Westside

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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

Jake Benne did his homework and that paid off for him, Nate Wilder and Lincoln North Star.

With Benne calling the shots, Wilder kept Omaha Westside off balance when he needed, and that led to an 8-4 North Star victory Wednesday at Sherman Field in a Class A elimination game.

“I read the scouting report, and I knew to keep these guys off-balance so they would pop it up or ground it out,” said Benne. “We really didn’t want to give them any big hits. They’ll jump on the first-pitch fastball, so we stayed away from that.”

Wilder was efficient through the first five innings, allowing one run and scattering five hits. In the sixth, Westside struck for three runs ,and then the Warriors loaded the bases in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate with one out.

But Wilder got a strikeout, his eighth of the game, and then a groundout to earn the win. That sends the Gators to today’s 4 p.m. elimination game at Sherman Field against Millard West, which held off Creighton Prep for an 8-7 win to advance.

“Wow, I didn’t know that,” Wilder said when told he threw 129 pitches. “My arm doesn’t hurt. It felt the same the whole game. But I was able to locate my pitches well enough to stay in. I’m usually at 70 or 80 pitches.”

North Star gave Wilder plenty of support early. In the first inning, Benne walked, Joe Hartley was hit by a pitch and Wilder singled to load the bases. Jacob Hiatt delivered his first hit of the state tournament to drive in a pair of runs. After a sacrifice and a walk, Wilder scored on a wild pitch and then Hiatt came home on a suicide-squeeze bunt by Ricky Ideus for a 4-0 lead.

“That hit felt very good. I’d been going crazy because I couldn’t get anything on the ground or in the air,” said Hiatt.

Westside answered with a solo run in the second. Jake Rupp and Dylan Flott singled and Tim Sockrider’s walk loaded the bases. Bear Opitz sent Rupp home with a sacrifice fly, but the Gators got out of the inning with a force play at third and another groundout.

The Gators broke the game open in the fourth when Zach Klapperich led off with a double to left-center field. After a sacrifice by Ideus and a walk to Zach Buller, Klapperich came home on a balk. Jared Ryder then reached on an error, chasing starter Peter Thomas.

Benne greeted reliever Rupp with a first-pitch triple to right to drive home two more runs, and Hiatt drove in another run with a single to left.

Westside scored three runs in the sixth on four hits, including a two-run double by Mike Slowiaczek.

“In the last inning, I went to talk to Nate and I just reminded him to look at the scoreboard,” said Benne. “That helped him relax.”

Coach Lanny Bolles said he would likely start Jared Ryder tonight. The Gators have been without pitcher/infielder Zach Ziemba, who had Tommy John surgery midway through the season.

“We always say ‘Z on three’ when we break. Zach has been so great and always there for us,” said Benne.

Millard West 8, Creighton Prep 7

West took a 6-0 lead in the first three innings and then held off a  Prep rally in the bottom of the seventh.

The Wildcats got what proved to be the winning runs in the top of the seventh when Shaun Hoover singled and scored on a single by Kyle Fredrickson, who came home on a double by Danny Marcuzzo.

Prep got four runs in the bottom of the seventh, sparked by RBI singles by Max Huerter and Derek Nelson. Jeff McNichols reached on an error, driving in a run, but was cut down at second for the final out.

Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.