Green City Rallies For Sixth Straight District Championship
by: David Sharp
An upset minded Newtown-Harris/Grundy County baseball team scored in each of their first two innings during their May 15, 2024 Class 1, District 14 Baseball championship game at Princeton. Green City scored single tallies in their first and fourth innings.
The Tigers (6-9) put four fifth inning runs on the board for a 6-2 lead midway through the fifth inning. Green City answered with a decisive 11 run rally, then added three more in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 16-6 win.
Green City advanced to host Brashear (10-7) in the Sectional round of the Class 1 baseball playoffs. The Gophers claimed their sixth straight baseball district championship.
Hunter Miller plated Brett Otto with an RBI grounder in the top of the first inning. Corbin Axtell started the game for Grundy County/ Newtown-Harris on the mound. Jaden O’ Haver began the game on the hill for Green City.
Ty Hall drove Thaydon Forest home with an RBI grounder in the bottom of the first for a one all tie.
Mason Rayl drove Kaleb Bower home with two out in the top of the second for a 2-1 Tiger lead. Xander Salas drew a leadoff walk in the bottom half of inning four. Tucker Tipton tied the game at two all with an RBI ground out to second base.
Brett Otto doubled leading off the top of the fifth inning for Grundy Co. Mason Rayl singled. Zackary Cross smacked an RBI single for a 3-2 Tiger lead. Cooper Coffman plated another run with a sacrifice fly.
Slade Hill doubled in two runs for a 6-2 GC/ Newtown-Harris lead. Ty Hall relieved on the Green City hill. Hall got the final out of the Tiger fifth inning. Grundy Co. led 6-2 after four and a half innings.
Kaden Hatcher walked off Corbin Axtell leading off the Gopher fifth. Ty Hall followed with a hit. Jaden O’Haver singled Hatcher home for a 6-3 Tiger lead. Noah Tipton squeeze bunted a run home, pulling the Gophers within a 6-4 deficit.
Tristin Harrison drove in the tying runs with a base hit up the middle. Mason Rayl came in to pitch. Two hit batsmen aided the Green City cause. Thaydon Forest reached on an error.
Two runs scored for an 8-6 Green City lead. Ty Hall doubled in two more runs for a 10-6 lead. Jaden O’ Haver doubled in two more runs for a 12-6 Green City advantage. Jaden o’ Haver scored on an error.
Mason Rayl struck out the final two batters of the fifth inning for a 13-6 Green City lead after five complete innings. Ty Hall struck out two batters in the Tiger sixth inning. Grundy Co/ Newtown-Harris loaded the bases. An infield ground out ended the inning with no scoring.
The Tigers threw a Green City runner out at home plate for the second out of the bottom of the sixth. Thaydon Forest doubled a run home for a 14-6 Green City lead. Kaden Hatcher plated Forest with a hit for a 15-6 score.
Jaden O‘ Haver drove Kaden Hatcher home for what proved to be the winning run with a two out hit and a 16-6 Green City win.
Green City scored 16 runs on 11 hits and one error. Thaydon Forest was 3-4 at bat with a double, three runs scored and three batted in. Ty Hall was 2-4 with two runs scored, a double and three RBI.
Jaden O’ Haver was 3-5 at the dish with two runs scored and four driven in. Tristin Harrison was 2-4 for Green City with a run scored and two batted in.
Jaden O’ Haver pitched four and 2/3 innings allowing seven hits and six earned runs. O’ Haver struck out nine batters and walked three. Ty Hall was the winning pitcher in relief working an inning and a third with two runs, two strikeouts and one walk.
Grundy County/Newtown-Harris (6-9) scored six runs on nine hits and three errors. Brett Otto was 2-2 with two walks. Mason Rayl was 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Slade Hill was 1-3 with two RBI.
Corbin Axtell pitched four and a third innings allowing five hits, eight runs, seven earned on two walks and a strikeout. Mason Rayl pitched an inning and 2/3 with six hits, eight runs, five earned with two walks and two strikeouts.
The Tigers advanced to the district championship game with a 16-3 win over the Ridgeway, Cainsville and Mercer Coop. Grundy County knocked off second seeded Princeton by a 5-4 final score in ten innings.
Seniors Zackary Cross, Layden Fordyce, Payton Miller, Brett Otto, Corbin Axtell, Slade Hill and Cooper Coffman played their final games for the Grundy County/Newtown-Harris
