JOHNSON CREEK — Sports enthusiasts know that beating a team three times in one season is difficult, especially when it’s against a long-time conference rival. Since 2007, either Pecatonica or Barneveld has won the Six Rivers East title outright with the other trailing not far behind. In that stretch, the Vikings led the all-time series 24-19, but the Eagles triumphed in the postseason series 4-3. Barneveld ended Pecatonica’s seasons in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2015; but Pecatonica eliminated Barneveld in 2007, 2017 and 2018. 

Despite sweeping the Eagles in the regular season 7-2 and 5-1, the Vikings allowed six runs in the sixth inning en route to an 8-3 loss in a WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal game June 4. In that frame, Barneveld sent 11 batters to the plate, scored six runs, drew five walks and had one hit by pitch.

“They had a couple key hits early for their first couple of runs,” Pecatonica head coach Jim Strommen said. “It was walks in the big inning too with a couple key hits. Walks and key hits. That was the story of the game.”

Pecatonica struck first in the bottom of the second, though, in what could have been a breakout inning. After a strikeout, Max Steele fouled off multiple pitches to work a 3-2 count. He then reached on an infield single and was awarded second on a balk by Barneveld starting pitcher Kasey Helgeson. Talen Havens struck out looking, but Steele took third during the at bat on a passed ball. No. 9 hitter Austin Enloe drew a four-pitch walk, followed by a full-count walk by Tyler McKeon. 

The free passes loaded the bases for Jameson Johnson, the team’s leader in RBIs. In Pecatonica’s regional final game against Riverdale, Johnson was 2-for-2 with two home runs. He also began the sectional semifinal game with a double in the right center gap. With a 2-2 count, Helgeson threw one in the dirt that got past Trenton Owens and allowed Steele to score from third. Helgeson recovered, getting Johnson to strike out looking.

“He (Johnson) has been one of our leaders all year. What can you say, he’s not going to be perfect in every at bat. No one is,” Strommen said. “You hope you get a hit at that point, but it didn’t happen.”

In the top of the fourth, Barneveld’s bottom of the order produced. Owens drew a full-count walk against Pecatonica starting pitcher McKeon. Gavin Fischnick advanced Owens to second on a sacrifice bunt. Kadyn Schlimgen flew out to center for the second out, but Ty Thousand and Hunter Larson kept the inning alive with back-to-back RBI hits. McKeon limited the damage to just two runs, striking out Cooper Shipman to end the inning.

Helgeson threw a 12-pitch shutdown inning in the bottom of the frame. He struck out Havens and Enloe and got McKeon to line out on the first pitch.

A scoreless fifth set up a dramatic sixth.

Fischnick drew a leadoff walk, checking his swing on a 3-2 pitch. Schlimgen moved Fischnick to second with a sacrifice bunt and Strommen elected to intentionally walk Thousand to create a force out at each base and potentially set up a double play. McKeon then walked Larson on five pitches, reaching his pitch limit. 

Relief pitcher Lukas Rue came in with the bases loaded and one out — the same situation as Pecatonica’s regional final game against Riverdale. Just like that contest, Rue walked the first batter to score a run but struck out No. 9 batter Aden Knight. But that’s where the similarities end. Rue hit Terek Marx on the first pitch of his at bat and walked Helgeson, giving up two more runs. After falling behind to Owens 3-1, Rue gave up a two-RBI single down the third-base line.

“Lukas has done that before,” Strommen said of Rue relief pitching in tight spots. “But it wasn’t his day today. That happens. You wish it was perfect every day, but we all know it’s not going to happen. You hate to have it happen on a day like today, but it did.” 

Strommen made his second pitching change of the inning as Fischnick came to the plate for the second time in the inning. Carson Kurschner gave up an RBI double to Fischnick that sailed over the head of Rue in right but got out of the inning, inducing a fly out to left.

After a less-than-ideal stint on the mound, Rue looked to redeem himself at the plate. On a 1-1 count, he appeared to line a single to right field but Shipman got the outfield assist to retire Rue. Outside of pinch hitter Levi Krebs’ 3-2 walk, the Vikings went down quietly.

Down to its last chance in the bottom of the seventh, Pecatonica made some noise. Leadoff hitter McKeon hit a bloop single into no-man’s land behind second. Johnson and Elijah Knutson lined back-to-back RBI hits, making it an 8-3 game. But Barneveld relief pitcher Thousand got Kurschner and Grady Gordon to pop out and pinch hitter Trevor Doescher to ground out.

McKeon suffered the loss, giving up five earned runs on three hits. He struck out five and walked an uncharacteristic six. Rue recorded one out, giving up three runs. Johnson led the Vikings at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Knutson reached base in two of his four plate appearances, going 1-for-3 with an RBI and hit by pitch.

With the loss, Pecatonica ended its season with a 17-4 record. The Vikings won their ninth straight Six Rivers East Conference title and third straight regional title. The senior class compiled a record of 76-15 (.826) in the last four seasons, making the program’s first trip to state and earning a Division 4 runner-up title in 2023.