West Delaware standout B.J. Hermsen tossed the first no-hitter of his career and struck out ten as the top ranked Hawks blanked Saydel 6-0 in the Class 3A quarterfinals of the state baseball tournament. Hermsen says he just threw and let the defense do its work, the strike outs came and he ended up with a no hitter. "It’s nice," he says.
Hermsen says he was not even thinking about the no-hitter until the late innings. He says about the fifth or sixth inning he looked up an saw there were no hits, but other than that Hermsen says he didn’t think about it.
It was the second straight trip to the tournament for Saydel which finished the season 22-15.
After spending much of the game struggling just to get runners in scoring position Knoxville’s offense exploded in the bottom of the sixth. The fourth ranked Panthers scored ten runs in the frame to rally for a 10-4 victory over Webster City.
Knoxville coach Steve Mott says they hit two or three line drives, but they were right at people, and sometimes that’s deflating. Mott says they always preach that the games are a marathon, not a sprint, and that has been very helpful.
Webster City had taken command by scoring four runs in the fourth inning. The Lynx end the season with a record of 20-12.
Webster City coach Matt Zoske says it’s a great tribute to the team to make it to state and put up a great showing. Zoske says the trip is something they will be proud of when they look back on it.
Sioux City Heelan may have 14 losses but they are just two wins away from a state title. The Crusaders scored two runs in the first and added four more in the second and cruised to an 8-1 victory over second ranked Mount Pleasant.
Heelan coach Brian Atchison says a tough regular season schedule helps his team. He says you can’t underestimate their 4A conference and the Sioux City schools. Atchison says playing those Sioux City schools made his team better.
Mount Pleasant hurt its own cause by committing seven errors in the game. Third ranked and defending champ Cedar Rapids Xavier rolled past Creston 18-0.