JESUP — Parker Masteller kept saying, “The fog has lifted.â€
Kade Ries got an impromptu ice water shower.
And Jesup tossed a bug wrench into Wapsie Valley’s search for a North Iowa Cedar League East conference crown.
“We’ve had this coming for a while,†first-time head coach Brock Sabers said. “Kids have been great with their attitudes and stuff. Sticking with it, believing in what we’re doing.â€
The home team broke a 10-game losing skid and snapped Wapsie’s five-game win streak with an 8-5 victory Thursday. Jesup (3-11, 2-4) fell 11-1 and 13-3 at Wapsie Valley on June 3 to begin the losing streak, but scored five in the first Thursday to take control and watched as Ries picked up his first save by getting out of a seventh-inning jam.
Blake Hesse reached with a one-out single to give the Warriors (12-3, 5-2) a baserunner with a four-run deficit (8-4).
Hunter Curley followed with a walk, then Cadyn Dana reached on a walk to load the bases.
Landen Moulds hit a sacrifice fly to plate Hesse for the final run.
With two outs, Ries got a strikeout looking to end the game.
“I told them we’re close,†Sabers said. “We’re not a two-win team, we’re better than our record shows. I told them it was coming. I’ll admit, I was starting to wonder if it was coming, but we got it done tonight. For sure.â€
Wapsie first-time head coach Blayde Bellis, a program alum, noted it wasn’t the final inning that ultimately brought down his team. It was the Warriors’ mindset heading into the game, combined with Jesup’s five-run first inning.
“Gotta be ready to play. Gotta be ready to play. It’s as simple as that,†he said. “You think — if you’re not ready to play a team, or you think they’re bad … we’ve played down to our opponents (level) the past three games. Oelwein. Jesup. Gladbrook.â€
Wapsie opened the top of the first with Bryar Bellis’ walk off Masteller. He stole second and came in on Garet Shannon’s single. Shannon stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch.
He scored on Dana’s single for a 2-0 lead, but was left at second as Masteller got two strikeouts.
Jesup rebounded in the bottom of the frame, reaching on two hits and three walks off Bryar Bellis. Tyce Larson’s bases-loaded single scored Ries and Ayden Bergman to knot the game at 2, then Paxten McHone walked to load the bases again and chase Bryar off the mound.
Landon Vogel singled off Shannon for a 3-2 lead. Shannon got two strikeouts, but Oscar Cole’s single drove in two for a 5-2 advantage.
Wapsie was forced to play catch up the rest of the night.
“That says a lot about our kids,†Sabers said. “It’s easy to crumble if that happens — we know that. To come back, to answer, to hold the lead the rest of the game says a lot about our kids perseverance.â€
The Warriors closed within 5-3 in the second as Tyler Schoer scored on an error during a pickoff attempt, and then 5-4 in the fourth as Briggs Boehme scored on Jacob Coffin’s double.
Jesup extened the lead again with timely two-out hitting in the bottom of the frame.
Larson’s double brought in Bergman and McHone’s single plated Larson for a 7-4 score.
A bases-loaded walk to Gage Wymore brought in Jesup’s final run in the sixth.
“Didn’t come ready to play,†Blayde Bellis reiterated. “They were ready to play. They outplayed us, brought energy. We didn’t. Lose the game.
“Simple as that. You’ve got to make plays.â€
Masteller struck out eight in five innings, working around six walks and five hits. Ries struck out three and allowed just two walks and a hit.
Bergman and Larson each went 2 for 3 with a double; Larson drove in three. Vogel was 2 for 4. The J-Hawks picked up seven walks, with two from McHone, and six steals, with two from Oscar Cole.
Dana and Shannon stole two bases apiece for the Warriors while Bryar Bellis, Curley and Dana walked twice. Shannon went 2 for 4 and struck out five in four innings. Boehme struck out four in two innings.
