By: Joe Blystone
METAMORA (MAY 16, 2023) – A wise old man once said, “When opportunity knocks, you better answer the door!”
Evergreen answered in a big way with a seven-run first inning, then answered every Fairview comeback attempt to take home a 14-8, Division III sectional win in a 3-hour marathon at Mac Simon Field.
“We had better at bats today at the plate,” Viking coach Mark Cymbolin said. “It’s been an up and down year and hopefully we are on the upside now.”
Two early errors around Layne Vance’s infield hit loaded the bases with no one down against Apache starter Elijah Arend.
Arend then hit Blade Walker with a pitch forcing home a run, and Brady Kanneman followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.
Hunter Vaculik added a run on the first of his three hits on the day and a wild pitch boosted the Viking lead to 5-0. Isaac Overfield capped the first inning barrage with a two-run single.
Cory Kanneman fought past trouble in the first two innings but the Apaches got on the board in the third on Abram Shininger’s RBI single.
Fairview closed the gap the next frame when Cory Kanneman walked a pair, Adam Lashaway singled and Jackson Grine brought all three home with a double into the left field corner.
However, the Vikes came right back to win the inning with a four spot, the big hit being Chase Kirk’s two run single with two down to regain an 11-4 margin.
Fairview scored twice in the fifth and sixth with the help of four Evergreen errors and Shininger’s second run scoring hit to close the gap again to three at 11-8.
The Vikes put the game away the three runs in the bottom of the inning as Kirk, Connor Hewson and Colton Robertson each had RBI singles to cap the Vikings 14-hit attack, nine of which came from the last four spots in the order.
“Our three seniors are at the last part of the lineup, and they had great at bats,” Cymbolin said.
“We had seen good pitching the last five games against teams like Northview and St. Francis, so I think we were ready and had good approaches today.”
After giving up a leadoff single to Breavin William’s to start the seventh, Hewson retired the next three to finish it off.
Every Viking starter had a hit in the victory.
FAIRVIEW 001 322 0 – 8 10 5
EVERGREEN 700 403 x – 14 13 6
WINNING PITCHER: C. Kanneman (3 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 5 strikeouts, 6 walks) Others: B. Kanneman, Hewson.
LOSING PITCHER: Arend (0.1 innings, 2 hits, 7 runs, 0 earned, 1 strikeout, 0 walks) Others: J. Shininger, Grine, E. Shininger
LEADING HITTERS: (Fairview) Lashaway – double, single; Grine – 2 doubles, single, 3 RBIs; A. Shininger – 2 singles, 2 RBIs; (Evergreen) B. Kanneman – single, 2 RBIs; Vaculik – 3 singles, RBI, 2 runs; Kirk – 2 singles, 3 RBIs; Hewson – 2 singles, RBI, 2 runs; Overfield – 2 singles, 2 RBIs
Joe can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com