Carthage team on verge of national Junior League stage

The Carthage Junior League baseball team, which includes players from Dallas City and LaHarpe, played its first game to win the Illinois State Tournament last night (Tuesday). A loss means they play a second game against Evergreen Park tonight for a chance to advance to the Central Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind. The team is shown above with their championship banner after winning the Taylorville Sectional last week.

The Carthage Junior League baseball team had two chances to win the Illinois State Tournament and advance to the Central Regional Tournament in national competition.

The Carthage Junior League, which includes players from LaHarpe and Dallas City, played last night (Tuesday) against Evergreen Park in the first of two chances they had to win the Junior League Baseball Illinois State Tournament at Burbank National in Burbank. Carthage was the last team left in the winner's bracket in the tournament. If they lost Tuesday, they play again tonight (Wednesday) for the tournament title.

If Carthage wins the state tournament, they play Saturday, Aug. 2, in Fort Wayne, Ind., at the Central Regional Tournament against winners from other states. The Illinois winner's first game is at 11 a.m. versus Michigan. It is the first of four pool games before the teams are ranked and placed in a single-elimination bracket.

Carthage made history last Tuesday with a 7-1 win over Salem to win the Taylorville Sectional. It's the first time a Carthage team has won a sectional title in Junior League baseball.

Ser Whitaker threw three innings and struck out seven. Jack Bastert threw four innings and struck out six.

Tate Leake was 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and two runs scored. Bastert, Whitaker, Tanner Anderson and Jay Williams each had a hit and scored one run. Evan McGaughey had two walks and scored one run. Brody Gronewold scored one run.

Salem didn't score its run until the seventh inning.

Carthage traveled to Burbank and began the state tournament with a 5-4 win over Evergreen Park on Saturday, July 26. Leake delivered the big blow in the game with a grand slam in the second inning as part of a five-run inning. Gronewold, Nick Driskell, and John Martin each scored on the home run.

Jay Williams scored the first Carthage run of the inning on an RBI-single by Driskell.

Evergreen Park scored one run each in the first and second inning to make it 5-2. They added two more runs in the seventh inninge. With the winning run on third base, McGaughey induced a ground ball to Driskell at shortstop who threw to first for the final out of the game.

The game continued the trend of Carthage's close finishes.

“We've had plenty of them come down to the final inning,” said Carthage coach Andy Gronewold. “You're playing to win, but you're also playing so you don't use up all your pitchers' innings. It adds another element to the game I don't like.”

Pitchers can only throw 20 pitches one day and still pitch the next day.

Carthage is the only team in the state tournament not from the northern part of the state.

Carthage defeated Forest Park 3-2 on Sunday, July 27, to stay in the winner's bracket and put themselves into position to win the state tournament.

Whitaker scored all three Carthage runs. He scored in the second inning on a single by Brody Gronewold to give Carthage a 1-0 lead. Whitaker next scored in the fourth inning. He reached base on a walk, stole second, and scored on a throwing error. Forest Park also scored a run in the fourth to make it a 2-1 game.

Whitaker made it a 3-1 game with a solo home run in the sixth.

Forest Park scored a run in the seventh on a bloop single into right field to cut the lead to 3-2 before John Martin caught a pop up at third base to end the game.

Andy Gronewold said his team has been relaxed and having fun all year. That hasn't changed as they've advanced in the tournaments.

“These kids get along very well. It makes them relax and do well. If one player gets down after a bad play, there are two or three guys there to tell him to forget it. Their chemistry is phenomenal.”

Gronewold said he appreciated all the help from coaches and parents in making the games and the extended stays away from home go smoothly.