North Star outlasts Southeast to stay alive

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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

Nate Wilder was so pumped up, he could hardly spit out the words.

Wilder came to the mound in Lincoln North Star’s state tournament elimination game with the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second.

The senior counted on his breaking ball and struck out the only batter he faced to save the Gators’ 9-8 victory over Lincoln Southeast Tuesday at Sherman Field.

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North Star will take on Omaha Westside tonight at 7 p.m. in another losers’ bracket game at Sherman Field.

“That was nerve-wracking,” said Wilder following the Gators first state tournament win. “I just went in and threw what Jake (Benne, the Gator catcher) called for. He called for breaking stuff and I have unbelievable trust in him. He’s blocked the plate all year and I knew he would tonight.”

Wilder came on after starter Ricky Ideus surrendered three runs on four hits in the seventh inning. The final three hits all came with two outs and from the bottom of Southeast’s order.

Josh Scheffert got a lead-off triple and scored on a groundout. With two outs, Tye Powers singled, Ryan Tarletsky drove in a run with a single and Travis Miller sent in a run with a double to the left-field fence.

“We were down four and could have rolled over,” Southeast coach Randy Brolhorst said.

North Star put Southeast in a big hole early, taking a 6-0 lead in the first three innings. Benne and Joe Hartley both singled and scored on a triple by Wilder, who came home on a balk. Ideus doubled in the second and scored on a single by Jared Ryder. In the third inning, an error kept the inning alive for North Star, and after Zach Klapperich doubled, Ideus drove in two runs with his second double.

The Knights scored a single run in the third on one hit, two walks and a wild pitch. In the fourth, Will Herman and Tye Powers each singled and after an error loaded the bases, Nate Cech doubled in two runs. Jaydee Jurgensen’s single drove in two more runs.

North Star got two runs in the top of the sixth after Zach Buller singled. Ideus’ third double drove in what proved to be the winning run in the seventh.

“Lately, I haven’t been hitting well. On my first at-bat, it was 0-2 and I choked up,” said Ideus. “That’s the first time I ever hit three doubles in a game.”

Creighton Prep 15,

Papillion-LV South 5

Creighton Prep got all it needed in the first inning with four runs and then added six in the fifth and five more in the seventh to send the Titans home.

Ryan Briggs was 2-for-3 with a three-run double and drove in four runs. Josh Raburn picked up the win for the Junior Jays, striking out five in his four innings.

Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.