The final swing felt so good, the sound so loud off the bat, that Owen Mandrell knew it was pure.

The Rock Falls senior smoked a run-scoring double to the fence in left-center field to drive in a run in the top of the seventh, ending his career on a high note.

But the offense never really got going for the Rockets in their Class 2A Rock Falls Regional title game Saturday against Winnebago, and the Indians advanced with a 9-3 victory at Hinders Field.

“It felt great, probably my last swing ever. A good way to go out, an RBI double. In the end, we didn’t win, so that’s what matters the most,” Mandrell said. “We’re a great team, and we fought to the end. Obviously it’s unfortunate to go out this way, but all credit to them. They’re a great hitting team, and they put the ball in play.

“We’re a great hitting team too, we just didn’t perform the best we could today. But we were fighting to the end, it just wasn’t enough.”

Winnebago (21-11) scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to take control. Liam Allen had an RBI double, Ryan Corl rapped an RBI single, AJ Rundblade drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, and Landyn Bernardes capped the inning with a sacrifice fly.

That play ended the inning, as A.J. Moore made a diving catch in left-center field and doubled off an Indians baserunner at second base, but not before the run scored.

“We came out really slow in our last game, and the whole mentality was just to jump on them right away,” Allen said. “I thought we did that very well and carried it on the rest of the game. It helped getting a shutdown inning right away from AJ [Rundblade].”

Rundblade allowed just two baserunners in the first three innings, then escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fourth to keep Winnebago’s momentum going. He finished with 10 strikeouts, four walks and two hit batsmen in 5⅔ innings, allowing two runs and four hits.

“To be honest, everything was working,” said Allen, the catcher. “He was really locating the fastballs well, getting ahead in the count, and that’s huge. The slider was moving well, too.”

“The mindset was honestly just to relax. The biggest thing is just to stay calm and throw strikes,” Rundblade said. “You see hitters with different skill sets, and you understand how they swing and all the dynamics of that, and that helps you figure out which pitch to throw and where. Knowing to stay calm and relaxed and focused on the next play is always the best thing.”

The early lead was also a big boon to the junior pitcher, as he was able to find a rhythm and rely on his defense, which made several nice plays behind him.

“It’s a nice groove. You know your team’s behind you and you can just throw a strike and everybody will back you up. It’s a great feeling,” Rundblade said. “There’s not a lot of pressure on me in the first place, and I think that’s what made my pitches consistent and what helped me out the most, just staying calm, not feeling any pressure. Coming out and having runs on the board is super nice.”

The Indians added runs on wild pitches in the third and fourth, and Allen ripped his second RBI double later in the fourth. A pair of RBI groundouts by Brenden Erickson and Grant Kelly in the fifth answered two Rock Falls runs in the top of the inning.

Winnebago’s leadoff hitter reached base in each of the first five innings, putting pressure on the Rockets the entire game.

Rock Falls (14-14) got on the board when Carter Hunter scored on a wild pitch and Owen Laws drove in Connor Fritz with a groundout in the fifth. Mandrell’s two-out RBI double in the seventh capped the scoring.

Fritz reached base three times and scored twice, and Moore had another outfield assist in the sixth, throwing out a Winnebago baserunner at home for a double play after making a catch in left field.

While the loss stings, the Rockets will be able to look back on some fond memories of the 2026 season.

“These guys are my brothers. I love every single one of them,” Mandrell said. “This is my favorite team – even as a freshman, I loved those guys, every year – but this is by far my favorite team I’ve played with ever. It’s a good group of kids, we all get along well, and we made some great memories. I’m going to miss them.”