Storm Lake Iowa — 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Storm Lake an 8-7 come from behind win over Boyden Hull Rock Valley Friday night in the 3A District 1 baseball semifinals in Storm Lake.
The Nighthawks took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Eric Salazar Singled and scored the first run of the game. Cade Van Zee singled and scored followed by Andrew Frick who doubled and scored. RBI’s came from Van Zee, Frick and Brett Van Der Wilt. The Nighthawks would loose Salazar their starting pitcher with an arm injury in the first inning and Van Zee their clean up hitter to a leg injury sliding into third base in the fifth inning.
Storm Lake got on the board in the second inning as Jake Eddie singled and scored on an rbi single by Cole Kleespies to cut the lead to 3-1.
The Nighthawks erupted for four more runs in the third inning to go up 7-1. Cody Moser reached on an error and later scored. Van Zee singled and was driven in on Frick’s rbi single. Frick scored on a fielders choice by Kody Noble. Noble came in on a 2-run single by Damien Reuvers.
The Tornadoes began the comeback with a pair of run in the fourth as Jake Eddie and Manny Chavez both reached and scored to make it 7-3.
A pair of runs in the sixth cut the lead to 7-5 as Ethan James reached on an error and later scored along with Drew Price who beat out an infield single and later scored the second run of the inning for Storm Lake.
In the seventh Jake Eddie and Tyler Dvergsten reached on a walk. A series of walks brought in 1 run and a suicide squeeze with the bases loaded brought in the tying run. with the bases loaded and 1 out and Manny Chavez at third Mark Eddie hit a line drive to left that scored the game winner and brought the game to a close.
Mark Eddie got the win going 4 and 2 thirds in relief of starter Ethan James. Eddie gave up 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 7.
Three pitchers combined for the Nighthawks after Salazar left with an injury to his throwing arm. That came after striking out the first hitter for Storm Lake. He left after just a third of an inning departing with a 1-1 count on Storm Lake’s number two hitter in the bottom of the first inning.
With the win Storm Lake advances to host Bishop Heelan Monday night in the District final. The Crusaders eliminated Le Mars 8-7 in the first game of the evening. Storm Lake is now 21-9 on the year. The Nighthawks finish at 15-10.
