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The Falcons were 8-5 winners over Chatfield and title holders of W-K’s first 1A East Sub-section championship in 20 years. Proud parents beamed and clutched cameras or sons. W-K coach Chris Gove was on the receiving end of a celebratory ice shower.
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Wabasha-Kellogg’s first baseman Bryan Neis tags out Chatfield’s Ryan Grant in the sub-section championship game Monday in Winona. |
Jarod Nihart barely cracked a smile.
Nihart was 4-for-5 in the Falcons’ (16-4) most important game of the season to date. He had two singles, a double, a triple, two runs scored and a stolen base. His most impressive shot touched high off the right center field wall. And after the senior
captain was through jump-starting his team’s offense from the leadoff spot and firing lasers from third base in the field, he took the mound and struck out three in two innings to preserve the win.
“He can do so many things — so many things,” Gove said. “He can do everything.”
W-K freshman Jordan Dick ran down the final out on the foul side of medium right field. Falcons fans erupted. The players, meanwhile, stayed somewhat reserved. It made sense when Nihart, their leader on this day and so many others, only casually walked from the mound to meet with his catcher when he saw the game was over.
“That’s just who I am,” Nihart said.
Much of his on-field composure is the product of practice. He’ll often stop himself to take a deep breath before toeing the rubber to pitch. He uses similar techniques for at-bats. All of it is deliberate and he started concentrating on such things this year.
“Every time,” Nihart said, “Refocusing is so key. I used to get frustrated a lot when I would make a mistake.”
Gove refocused his team the old-fashioned way after a difficult first inning. Chatfield (16-7) went up 2-0 in the bottom of the first after a wayward W-K relay throw skipped out of play. Gove called time- out and huddled his defense for an animated pep talk.
“They’ve matured a lot and I expect a lot out of them,” Gove said. “I know the talent and ability they have.”
W-K senior Trevor Glomski settled in from there and breezed through four scoreless innings before running into trouble and deferring to Nihart in the sixth. Glomski allowed four hits, walked two, hit one batter and struck out two in earning to win.
The Falcons went up 4-2 after scoring three in the top of the fifth. Logan Stuhr came up with a two-out, two-run single to highlight the rally.
Nihart led-off the sixth with his towering double off the right center field wall and W-K broke open the game with four runs to take an 8-2 lead. Dick came through with a two-run double.
Nihart’s coaches and teammates had to track him down after he initially missed his post game recognition and chance to collect hardware. Afterward, family members reassuredly told him how great he played.
“If we win the state championship you’ll see me jumping up and down,” Nihart promised. “Until then I’ll probably just stay calm.”
The Falcons will carry the No. 1 seed in a return trip to the Section 1A tournament beginning Saturday at Mayo Field in Rochester.
