Titans' season comes to a close with section loss to Waseca

With the season on the line in the Section 2AA Baseball Elimination Bracket, the Tri-City United Titans hosted Waseca for the right to keep the season going forward. Despite a disastrous first inning which saw the Bluejays score five runs on three hits and three errors, the Titans battled all the way back but came up just short in their rally, falling 8-6 to bring the spring to an end.

Parker O’Malley got the start on the mound for TCU and pitched five innings allowing seven runs, none of them earned, on eight hits while allowing just one walk. Nathan Blaschko pitched the final two innings for the Titans, allowing one run on two hits with no walks.

In the top of the first inning, things got off to an auspicious start with a throwing error allowing the Waseca leadoff man to reach safely. Back-to-back singles loaded the bases with no out and a wild pitch allowed the first run to cross home plate.

A walk reloaded the bases for the Jays and an unusual bounce of the ball on a screaming grounder towards third allowed two more runs to score. TCU got the first out of the inning on the next play when a pop out to right was hauled in by Max Krautkremer, but the ball was deep enough to allow another run to score.

The scoring deluge ended with an RBI single followed by a foul pop out to catcher Dylan Westerman and a strikeout.

The game got tight and the score remained 5-0 in favor of the Bluejays until the bottom of the fourth when Brody Factor, who was pinch running for Reggie Vosejpka who had drawn a walk, stole second before being brought all the way home on an RBI single to left from Blaschko.

Waseca responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth as an error in the outfield scored one followed by an RBI single. In the bottom of the fifth, Westerman and Krautkremer drew back-to-back leadoff walks and after a pop out to left field, a hard grounder to shortstop allowed a run to score.

Keegan O’Meara then right a single into right that scored another run, cutting the Waseca lead to 7-3 before a strikeout ended the inning. In the top of the seventh, Waseca added an insurance run after a pair of singles allowed a sac bunt to the pitcher scored the team’s final run of the night.

With just three outs and a five-run deficit, the odds were against the Titans and a pop out to pitcher in the first at-bat made the mountain an even tougher climb. Krautkremer absolutely demolished a double into right centerfield that one-hopped to the fence but a strikeout left the TCU with just one out.

Hunter Moravec worked the count full before hitting a single to left that scored one run and O’Meara was hit by a pitch to keep the rally alive. Dylan Fink came in to pinch hit for the Titans and hit an RBI single into shallow left field and Vosejpka kept the action going with a single to center that brought home a run to make the score 8-6.

The rally would end though when a popup stayed in the infield on an 0-2 count and was hauled in by the Waseca catcher, bringing the game as well as the season to a close.

Krautkremer finished the game a perfect 3-3 at the plate while drawing a walk as Moravec, O’Meara, Fink, Blaschko and Vosejpka all added one hit apiece.

The game also marks the end of the line for the team’s seven seniors , which included Max Krautkremer, Noah Rynda, Dylan Westerman, Kellen O’Keefe, Reggie Vosejpka, Mason Dietz and Mason Novotny.

TCU finished the season with a record of 10-13 in the final season competing in the Minnesota River Conference as the team prepares to join the Big South Conference next year.