Baseball: Tunink, Newman win third straight regional title

STERLING – Newman junior Brendan Tunink found it a bit odd when he approached the plate for his first at-bat during the bottom of the first inning in the Comets’ Class 1A regional title game against seventh-seeded Morrison.

Right as he stepped to the plate, he was intentionally walked. Considering how well Tunink had been swinging the bat, it was likely the right thing to do. But it also played right into the hands of Newman coach Ken Koerner and the Comets.

“Fastball I felt like had really good velocity today. When they did hit my fastball they were off and my changeup was working.”

—  Brendan Tunink, Newman Catholic baseball

“We have been seeing that a lot with Brendan – especially toward the end of the year,” Koerner said. “What teams don’t see is that Jaesen Johns has been one of our hottest hitters the last three weeks, and we have complete confidence in him. I smiled when [Brendan] got walked because, he will turn it into a triple [with stolen bases] and Jaesen has been hot.”

Johns advanced the runners in the next at-bat before Nolan Britt lined a single to center to score two runs. That would be all Tunink would need, but the Comets went on to score in every inning anyway to secure their third straight regional title, 10-0 in five innings over the Mustangs.

Newman (19-8) will face Pearl City, a 4-2 winner over Aquin in Thursday’s Class 1A Pearl City Sectional. Morrison finished the season 8-15.

“You could see it from the focus from our kids,” Koerner said. “Starting earlier this week, to practice yesterday, to our team breakfast this morning, the kids know that everything we do is about getting ready to play at this time of the year.”

Tunink tossed a no-hitter and faced just one over the minimum, keeping the Mustangs off-balance most of the day.

“Fastball I felt like had really good velocity today,” Tunink said. “When they did hit my fastball, they were off, and my changeup was working.”

Tunink struck out 10 of the 16 hitters he faced, including striking out the side twice.

When he did get a chance to hit, Tunink showed why Morrison walked him intentionally. On a 1-2 pitch, Tunink took a pitch about shoulder high and clubbed it over the scoreboard in left-center for a two-run home run.

“It was a curveball that was up, and I was waiting for it, too,” Tunink said. “I sat back and waited for it, got the barrel on the ball and got it.”

Garret Matznick had a two-run double, Daniel Kelly added an RBI double, and Kyle Wolfe contributed an RBI single to lead Newman. The Comets are shooting for a third consecutive sectional title.