BLANCHARDVILLE — With a 10-1 win over Argyle and 10-2 victory over No. 10 Barneveld, No. 3 Pecatonica clinched the outright Six Rivers East Conference title — its eighth straight.
“It’s great,” junior Jameson Johnson said. “You don’t want to be the ones to not keep that legacy going.”
The Vikings clinched at least a share of the title on Monday, May 15, as they charged Argyle starting pitcher Max Godfrey with five runs in the first.
Tyler McKeon and Johnson led off with back-to-back singles. Johnson then got into a pickle attempting to steal second, diverting the defense’s attention to let McKeon score. Elijah Knutson and Coy Ruegsegger walked, setting the table for Carson Kurschner.
The center fielder came through with a two-RBI single to center. Max Steele added on with another RBI single, and Kurschner scored on a passed ball. Lukas Rue laid down a suicide squeeze, giving himself up for Steele to score for a 5-1 lead.
“The key was the first inning,” Pecatonica head coach Jim Strommen said. “Max [Godfrey] is a great pitcher. For us to get five in the first inning was huge. He’s had some great performances throughout the season. When you strike out 20 like he did against Barneveld, that’s a forever memory.”
McKeon led off the second inning, too, with yet another single. He stole second and advanced to third on a flyout by Johnson. With Knutson’s single to center, Pecatonica took a 6-1 lead.
The score held through the top of the fourth, as Argyle sent four batters to the plate in the top of the third. Godfrey struck out the side in the bottom of the frame, and the Orioles went down in order in the fourth.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Johnson smoked a double to left. Knutson walked, and Ruegsegger drove them both in with a double to center.
Pecatonica had a chance to end the game in six but left a runner stranded at third. With two outs, Ruegsegger singled to right, scoring Johnson. Kurschner’s single put Ruegsegger into scoring position for Steele, who delivered an RBI double to right. Relief pitcher Ike Waage avoided the mercy rule, getting Rue to ground out to second.
Argyle drew two walks in the top of the seventh, but relief pitcher Rue struck out two and induced a grounder to end the game.
“Our pitching did fine. Our defense was fine. We have to score runs, plain and simple,” Argyle head coach Tyler Ritchard said. “They [Pecatonica] just played good baseball.”
Will Helfvogt led the Oriole offense, going 2-for-3 at the plate with one run scored. Godfrey suffered the loss, giving up five earned runs in three innings pitched. He struck out five and walked three.
“We have a lot of games this week that we are trying to make up. Unfortunately, we had to hold Max to under 74 pitches,” Ritschard said. “We play Thursday, a doubleheader on Friday and come back Monday. It’s kind of a nightmare at the moment with all the rain delays.”
Ten batters got to the plate for Pecatonica, and all but three recorded hits. Johnson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. Ruegsegger, who collected the win, was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
With a 10-2 win over Barneveld on Tuesday, May 16, Pecatonica clinched the outright title. The Vikings got out to another fast start, scoring three runs in the first inning. They added on with five runs in the fourth to seal the victory.
McKeon and Knutson each went 3-for-5. McKeon scored three runs, while Knutson tallied two doubles with four RBIs. Johnson, who reached base in all of his plate appearances, picked up the win. He gave up three hits and struck out six.
