The Skutt baseball team claimed it's first state title in school history with a 6-3 win in 12 innings over Norris in the Class B championship.

The teams played a rematch of a Wednesday extra-inning affair, which the Titans won 9-8 in 8 innings.

The Skyhawks had to beat Lincoln Pius X 15-1 before punching it's ticket to a second straight title game. There, a J.D. Daro hit down the left field line helped provide the winning run.

 

LINCOLN — Nobody’s getting the game ball away from JD Daro.

Daro had a tiebreaking double in the 12th inning, then caught a fly ball in center field for the final out of Omaha Skutt’s 6-3, 12-inning win against Norris in the Class B state final Friday at Haymarket Park, giving the SkyHawks (21-9) their first state baseball championship.

While sprinting in from center, Daro tucked the ball into his back pocket. It’s bound for his bedroom.

“I can’t give it away. It’s mine,” Daro said. “I’m putting it on the nightstand so I can look at it every day.”

It was the second three-hour-plus game this week between the teams. On Wednesday, Norris beat Skutt 9-8 — an eight-inning game that pitched and rolled like a boat in storm — but Friday’s game resembled a tightrope walker inching between two skyscrapers.

It was 1-1 until the ninth inning when Skutt’s Ethan Hall hit a two-run single with the bases loaded. The SkyHawks’ first state title seemed well in-hand until Norris (24-5) loaded the bases with an error and two walks. Caden Kohout’s infield single drove in a run, and Jesse Brown’s sacrifice fly tied the game.

“We expect nothing less from our guys,” Norris coach Sean Bartholomew said.

With storm clouds rapidly approaching Haymarket, Skutt came through in the top of the 12th. A walk and a hit by pitch set the table for Daro. He was looking for a fastball and ripped it to left, scoring JT Gordon.

“I hit is as hard as I could,” Daro said.

Drew Perry added a sacrifice fly and Michael Evans a run-scoring single. Norris, which finished second for the fifth time in school history, went in order in the bottom of the 12th. About five minutes later, an unrelenting storm deluged Haymarket Park.

NSAA officials had been discussing multiple scenarios if the delay was prolonged, including finishing the game Sunday or Monday. Instead, officials only had to modify the trophy presentation ceremony, which was moved from home plate to the rain-protected concourse.

Skutt’s Bryce Wesley gave up a triple to Austin Schultz to start the game. Drew Reetz followed with a double that one-hopped the left-field wall.

That gave SkyHawks coach Shawn Exner doubt about his starting pitcher. Wesley had pitched to one batter this state tournament, but Exner chose the left-hander after seeing another lefty, Tyler Crouse of Lincoln Pius X, befuddle Norris on Thursday.

“To be honest, I was kind of questioning it,” Exner said. “But he came around. I guess that’s why we pray.”

Wesley allowed one more hit the rest of the game, finishing with 10 strikeouts in 8 1⁄3 innings.

“After those first two hits, I knew I was leaving my fastball up, so I worked on my slider and keeping my fastball down,” Wesley said.

Norris got everything it could out of starter Zach Argo. He struck out 10 in 6 2⁄3, giving up one run on four hits. He would have stayed in the game longer, but by rule had to be removed after throwing 123 pitches.

Skutt won its first championship the hard way, also beating Pius 15-1 earlier Friday. The SkyHawks scored seven runs on six hits in a 21-minute top of the first inning. It was their second rout of Pius in the state tournament after an 11-1 victory earlier in the week.

Omaha Skutt (21-9) .......... 000 010 002 003—6 10 2

Norris (24-5) ...................... 100 000 002 000—3 4 1

W: Olson. L: Ruhl. 2B: N, D. Reetz. OS, Daro. 3B: N, Schultz.

Omaha Skutt ...................... 730 14—15 16 0

Lincoln Pius X (22-7) ......... 100 00— 1 4 1

W: Anderson. L: Milburn. 2B: OS, Anderson (2), Schwartzkopf. 3B: OS, Evans, Gordon.