Eureka shutout the ‘Cats in Super Sectional

Hopes for returning to the state baseball finals vanished Monday when the Wilmington Wildcats lost the Super Sectional game at Geneseo, 4-0 to Eureka.
The Wildcats simply left too many runners on base while the Hornets (34-4) capitalized on timely hitting to score two runs in the third and two in the fifth to get the win.
Wilmington threatened in the first with two men on but couldn’t bring them home. They had one runner on in each of the second and third innings but got picked off. They stranded one in the sixth and two in the seventh as they finished with six hits. In all they had runners on in every inning but the fifth.
Senior Kyle Farrell pitched 4 innings, giving up five hits, four runs, three walks and struck out three. Ryan Kettman threw two innings, giving up two hits, no runs, striking out one.
Having lone hits for the ‘Cats were Lucas Rink, Cooper Holman, Declan Moran, Brysen Meents, Shawn James and Kettman.
While they didn’t advance to state, they went up against a good team that will likely make it to the championship.
Sectional title
They clinched their second consecutive sectional championship on Saturday with a 5-4 win over Bishop McNamara at Beecher.
Senior pitcher Lucas Rink led the charge with a commanding performance on the mound, striking out nine and allowing just two earned runs on three hits through 108 pitches. Despite losing command briefly, Rink leaned on his mental toughness and a wicked slider to carry the Wildcats through.
“Early on, I felt great, I felt like a world beater out there,” Rink said. “And then I started to lose my command but I didn't lose my mental state. I stayed strong in my mental game, and that's really what helps you get through all this stuff, just knowing that my boys are gonna back me up no matter what.”
Rink’s slider was particularly effective. “My slider was the key to success today,” he said. “I was really locating it well, throwing it down and away, kinda back door, and was able to command my four seam well today. It was a good day.”
The Wildcats wasted no time getting on the board. In the top of the second, Cooper Holman scored on a line drive double to center by Declan Moran. Moments later, Moran came home on an error by Bishop McNamara’s third baseman, giving Wilmington a 2-0 lead.
In the fifth, Rink helped his own cause by scoring on a surprising bunt by junior catcher Zach Ohlund, who hasn’t laid one down in a game since he was 9 years old.
“I didn't know I could still bunt,” Ohlund laughed. “Coach Bushnell gave me the bunt sign and I was like, ‘oh well, I can do this.’ I stepped up thinking all I have to do is get the ball to the ground and run.” The bunt rolled perfectly up the first base line and stayed fair. “I couldn’t have bunted it any better,” Ohlund said. “I just ran my butt off.”
The Wildcats added two more in the sixth when Rink delivered a two-RBI single to right, scoring Shawn James and Moran, making it 5-2.
Bishop McNamara fought back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 5-4. Wilmington threatened again in the seventh, loading the bases, but couldn’t add to the lead. Ohlund opened the inning with a double and tried to score on a Holman single, but was tagged out at home.
“I got excited when coach was waving me home,” Ohlund said. “I get past third and was halfway there when I looked up and the catcher already had the ball. I was like, oh, crap, he’s got me.”
McNamara needed just one run to tie in their final at-bat, but Wilmington’s defense and Rink’s pitching shut the door. Holman made a diving stop at third and fired to first for the first out, and Rink struck out the final two batters to seal the win.
Holman ended up 3-for-4 at bat with one run and one stolen base. Moran’s RBI double was huge, along with a stolen base and scoring twice. Dierks Geiss had a nice hit, as did Kyle Farrell. Wilmington out-hit the Irish eight to three.
Sectional semifinal
The ‘Cats made it to Saturday’s championship with a 7-2 comeback win over Chicago Christian in the semifinal Thursday at Beecher.
The Wildcats trailed 1-0 early but erupted for six runs in the top of the sixth inning to break the game open. Ryan Kettman’s two-run homer capped the scoring spree and helped seal the win.
Kettman finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored. He also closed out the game on the mound, pitching 2.2 innings and allowing two hits, one run, and one walk while striking out two.
Rink also had a strong showing, collecting two hits and driving in two runs during the sixth-inning rally. Holman added a two-run double to put Wilmington ahead 3-1 before Rink’s RBI single and Kettman’s blast gave them a commanding lead.
“Kettman and Rink really stepped up for us in big moments,” coach Mike Bushnell said. “Our dugout energy never faded, even when we were down.”
Starter Kyle Farrell kept the Wildcats within striking distance, throwing 3.1 innings of no-hit ball while walking four and striking out two. Rink took the mound in the bottom of the seventh and struck out three of the four batters he faced to end the game.
The Wildcats tied the game in the fourth when Moran singled to right to drive in a run.