TWIN KILLING … Layne Vance makes the throw to start a double play for the Vikings in the bottom of the first inning.
(PHOTOS BY RENEA KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
MAXIMUM EFFORT … Evergreen second baseman Chris Shrader lays out for the ball during Evergreen’s 8-1 loss to Elmwood in the Division VI regional finals.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
HAMLER (June 7, 2025) – The unfortunate and cruel truth to high school sports is that no matter how deep you go into a postseason tournament, unless you win the state title, you will come up short in the last game you play.
For weeks Evergreen’s Cinderella story to league, sectional, district titles and berth in the Elite 8, was based on throwing strikes, stellar defense and big two-out hits.
In the Division VI final against Elmwood, the two-out hits suddenly dried up. There were a few chinks in the ironclad defense that had become a Viking trademark.
Those two things put together spelled the end of Evergreen’s scintillating tournament run in an 8-1 loss that ended the Vikings’ season at 15-11.
“In no way does this game reflect on what this team has accomplished this year,” Viking coach Chris Owens said.
“From the time we started up in November and we got together with the kids, the ones who played baseball bought in all the way in what we wanted to do.”
“Even Thursday when we were rained out and we practiced on the stadium turf in the rain, they kept saying ‘one more, I want one more’ when we were going over what Elmwood liked to do, until they felt they got it right.”
“This is a very special group of kids whose first goal was to play hard for each other and believe in each other.”
“Every comeback win, there were five or six of them in the league and in the tournament to start with. Those kind of wins in high level games just kept amplifying themselves.”
“It hurts now, they hurt now, but in the very near future they will recognize what we accomplished and that we have set a standard of what is expected with Evergreen baseball.”
Elmwood jumped out to a 2-0 right away against Viking righty Troy Manz. Elmwood pitcher Zack Gross, Ryken Ziegler and Colton Bradford all singled, and along with a throwing error, the Royals had a 2-0 lead before anyone was out.
A Viking staple, a double play, along with an infield pop got Manz out of the first, but the Royals cashed in three more in the second, in part to a second throwing error.
A walk, a one-out single from Aiden Marsh, a pop fly hit from Cadyn Stewart, and the afore mentioned throwing error jumped the Royals on top 5-0.
Evergreen got one back in the fourth when Bryce Bolger walked and was chased home by Chris Shrader’s ringing double off the left-center field wall.
However, with Shrader at third after the throw home to try to get Bolger, Evergreen couldn’t cash in a second run as they had done so well during the sectional and district tournaments.
A hit batter, Stewart’s single and another hit from Gross made it 6-1, and two more sacrifice fly balls plated an additional two runs of insurance in the fourth.
Evergreen loaded the bases in the fifth on walks to Austin Burghardt and Layne Vance around a bunt by JJ Johnson that was misplayed but again couldn’t get the big hit to get back into the contest.
Gross located pitches well all day, giving up just two hits. The senior right-hander walked three and struck out nine.
Manz deserved better as he gave up just four earned runs. The feisty junior hurler walked just one and struck out three.
EHS 000 100 0 – 1 2 4
EHS 230 300 x – 8 10 1
Records: Evergreen 15-11, Elmwood 22-8
WINNING PITCHER: Gross (7 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 earned, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts)
LOSING PITCHER: Manz (6 innings, 10 hits, 8 runs, 4 earned, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts)
LEADING HITTERS: (Evergreen) Shrader – double, RBI; (Elmwood) Zeigler – double, single, RBI; Gross – 3 singles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Bradford – single, 2 RBIs; Stewart – 2 singles, RBI