District baseball roundup: Falcons, Wolverines fall in district semifinals

DENVER 1, APLINGTON-PARKERSBURG 0:The Cyclones played small ball to push across the lone run of the game in the top of the 7th inning, with Denver starter Zach Miller striking out nine Falcons to end A-P's postseason run in Parkersburg on Tuesday night.

   After a leadoff walk, Denver used two sacrifice bunts to move the runner to third and Bo McMahon laced a single, only the third hit of the night for Denver, to score the eventual game-winner.

   Denver will play Jesup in a game currently scheduled to remain in Parkersburg at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

   Though A-P had swept the season series with the Cyclones, the Falcons had yet to step in the batter's box against Miller, who was a key component of Denver's run to the state tournament last season.

   "We knew he was good and prepared as much as we could," A-P head coach Roger Oberhauser said. "He was as good as advertised."

   The Falcons were held to two hits and two walks, with the biggest missed opportunity coming in the fourth inning as A-P left the bases loaded.

   Miller only gained momentum as the night went on, recording five of his nine strikeouts across the final three innings, which included striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh to secure the victory.

   Carter Cuvelier struck out seven with four walks and two hits allowed in six shutout innings to start the game for A-P, but finished with a no-decision as Alec Oberhauser entered in the seventh.

   It was a bittersweet end for the Falcons, exiting without a postseason win but ending the season 21-8 overall. Cade Alberts represents Aplington-Parkersburg's lone senior, ending his high school baseball career as A-P's career wins leader.

   "We didn't expect this," Roger Oberhauser said of the team's strong season, holding back tears. "These guys could've rolled over early on, but they didn't give in. … You don't always know what you're going to get with young kids, but we got a lot out of them."

SOUTH HAMILTON 2, DIKE-NEW HARTFORD 0:The 2A No. 4 Wolverines were dealt a stunning shutout by the Hawks in Dike on Tuesday, ending D-NH's season at 27-5.

   "We didn't get the hit when we needed to," D-NH head coach Sean Leonard said. "Their pitcher threw extremely well, was ahead of almost everybody. … Our defense was good, we had a couple of errors that didn't hurt us, it really just came down to not getting the big hit."

   Zeke Balderas limited D-NH to three hits in six innings as the starter for South Hamilton and Cole Berg kept the Wolverines off the board in the seventh inning, ending the game with a strikeout when D-NH had runners on first and third. Balderas also escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning. In all, D-NH stranded nine runners on base.

   Leonard said the loss did not detract from a strong two-year run for the Wolverines, with this summer's senior class taking the mantle to run an overall record of 57-9 in the last two seasons.

   Trent Johnson, Rhett Ehmen, Nick Durnin, Ethan Weichers, Ethan Huntington, Clayton Mapel and Collin Vanderlind all played their final games in the Dike-New Hartford blue on Tuesday.

   "They were good for us last year and great for us this year," Leonard said of the seven Wolverine seniors. "Every hope and wish I can ask for out of a senior group, they fulfilled and then some. … I'm very pleased with what they gave the program."