Halfway Completes Unlikely District Title Run By Beating No. 7 Lakeland

By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer

Humansville, Mo. — When the fifth run of the fifth inning crossed home plate, Halfway head coach Chip Weeg straightened up, bowed his head and walked back to the coach’s box at third base.

“Now I can breathe,” he said to himself.

Even after upsetting Class 1 No. 4 Walnut Grove in Tuesday’s semifinals and building a 5-0 lead through four innings against No. 7 Lakeland in Wednesday’s Class 1 District 7 championship, it took a 10-run advantage for the third-year Halfway head man to relax.

The Cardinals (12-8) piled 10 runs onto 2-seed Lakeland (15-6) in the fifth inning, putting an exclamation on what many viewed as an improbable three-day run through what appeared to be one of the toughest districts in Class 1 by beating the Vikings 15-2 in five and winning the program’s first district championship in at least nine years.

“I was more nervous tonight than I was last night (against 1-seed Walnut Grove),” Weeg said. “Just didn’t have that feel yet. After that (10th run), it felt a lot better. I could breathe. In these types of situations you just never know until it’s over.”

CLICK HERE FOR HALFWAY VS. LAKELAND PHOTOS

But for how impressive Wednesday’s effort was, everyone on Halfway seemed to know this moment was achievable. Perhaps that had something to do with Tuesday night, when 4-seed Halfway met and defeated its once-annual executioner Walnut Grove by delivering its own form of the King’s Justice with a 5-3 semifinals upset.

“This is the first time we beat Walnut Grove in 10 years, 15 years maybe. That was a hump we had to get over. I told them that once we break over that hump, we’re unbeatable,” Weeg, smiling and wet after failing to escape a Gatorade bath, said.

“[These last two days] took desire and commitment,” Halfway senior first baseman Justin Rovenstine, who scored twice Wednesday, said. “To come back and beat a team (Walnut Grove) that thought they could beat us. That took us for granted. We wanted that game.

“We wanted this game (Lakeland) too, and after coach’s pep talk [Tuesday], which was, ‘If you get this one (Walnut Grove) tonight, [Wednesday] is gonna be a breeze,’ we came out here tonight and now we’re ready to go to sectionals.”

Halfway will face Ballard (3-6) in sectionals at 4 p.m. Monday.

“We’re hitting the ball. They’ve got guts. They want to win now, and we’ve got a shot,” Weeg said.

After what the Cardinals have shown the last three days, they have more than a shot.

“I hope this is the beginning of a new chapter,” Rovenstine said of Halfway baseball. “Hopefully we go to state this year. With this momentum, there’s no way we shouldn’t.”

Halfway starter Dallas Dodd allowed two runs and six hits over five innings, striking out four.

“They out-piched us. They outhit us. They out-defended us. They beat us in every phase of the game…it wasn’t close,” Lakeland head coach Steve Kuchta said.

“I don’t think we had a bad effort. We had some errors and my pitchers weren’t in the zone on pitches and they got behind. When they knew we were throwing a fastball they just [crushed] it. We couldn’t change speeds and we couldn’t hit spots and that’s the way it goes.”

Lakeland hit the ball hard Wednesday, but time and time again those hits seemed to be pulled in by perfectly positioned Halfway gloves.

“For us, and not to take anything away from them, that’s the worst game we’ve played all year. Offense, defense and pitching. My pitcher hasn’t been hit all year and today he gets hit. I don’t have an answer for that one,” Kuchta said.

Lakeland is no stranger to deep runs, and when Wednesday began with Walnut Grove no longer in the picture, the Vikings seemed primed for a run to state. Before running into hot Halfway, that is.

“They played well, their pitchers threw well, and for whatever reason we were outplayed in every facet,” Kuchta said. “I tip my hat to them. I don’t even feel bad about it, we got our [butt] kicked.”

Halfway sophomore Hayden McCarthy hit over .800 over the tournament after after batting .519 heading into district play. McCarthy, who was 2-3 Wednesday, scoring twice, is a part of what’s starting to look like a bright baseball future in Halfway.

“We have a lot of young talent,” he said. “I’m just really appreciative to be a part of this. It’s going to be a great ride. I’m looking forward to it.”