NEWARK – The ceremony honoring the seniors on a team, whatever the sport, makes for a special day for those athletes, and it’s made even more special when they win. That was the case for the Newark baseball team Thursday, but only after Earlville made it as tough as it could.
The senior-led Norsemen jumped out to a 6-1 lead on the Red Raiders, who rallied to within 6-4 and then the final score of 9-6 before the home team could close out their 10th Little Ten Conference victory of the season.
Tegan Kruser picked up the win on the mound for Newark (13-5), but not without taking a few lumps. The senior right-hander struck out seven but walked three and was touched for four runs, all but one of them unearned because of a single Newark error.
Jake Kruser took over in the seventh and gave up two runs and three hits before closing the door.
“This was a special day for us, and I’m happy with the way I pitched today,” Tegan Kruser said. “I knew because Joe [Martin], our ace, pitched earlier this week, I’d get the start, so I came in with the mindset to lead the team. … The seniors all played well. We wanted a win on our day, and it feels good.”
His support at the plate also was solid, the Norsemen totaling 10 hits – two each by Martin, Jake Kruser and Cole Reibel – and scoring runs in each of the first five innings, including three runs after the Red Raiders (2-11, 1-9 LTC) posted three runs in the fifth to get within two.
“With all the senior day stuff going on, it was an important day for the seniors, but credit Earlville. They really battled,” Newark coach Josh Cooper said. “Our seniors today did a great job. They led our team, like Tegan, leading the way on the mound like he always does. … We ask him to keep the ball low and trust his defense, and he does that, pitching to contact, getting ahead with the fastball and working his off-speed.
“Offensively, we may not have strung a lot of hits together, but we were always on base and when you do that and score in most every inning, good things will happen.”
The Red Raiders put up a run in the first off Kruser on a triple by Bryar Keller and an RBI groundout by Jeremy Weymouth.
Newark tied it in the bottom of the first against Earlville starter Garett Cook on a Jake Kruser single, two stolen bases and a wild pitch, then took the lead for good in the second on a Zach Carlson hit and steal, and Reibel’s run-scoring single.
The hosts padded that with three unearned runs in the third, aided by three Raiders errors and an RBI single by Martin. They made it 6-1 in the fourth when Jake Kruser was hit by a pitch, moved up on a Tegan Kruser hit, stole third and scored on a balk by Cook.
Earlville notched three runs after two were out to start the top of the fifth. Keller reached on an error, then Weymouth walked and Griffin Cook drove a run in with a double. Garett Cook followed with a two-run single to make it 6-4.
But the Norsemen responded in the fifth with a three-spot of their own, another balk plating a run after a run-scoring single by Mitchell Kruser and an RBI double by Reibel.
Singles by Keller and Weymouth and a two-run hit by Ryan Browder gave the Raiders two more runs in the seventh, but that was all.
“Where’s that [contact] been all year?” Earlville coach Dillin Reel joked. “That’s the way it goes sometimes. When you have 10 hits, it shows at least we’re trying up there.
“There have been times we haven’t been making good contact at the plate in general. We’re 2-11 and so far, with the eight strikeouts today, we’re at 112 strikeouts this season. The fact that we put the ball in play well today was good for us. … And to come in here and lose by just three runs to the best team in the conference, for us that’s a victory.”