Green City Gophers Finish Fourth In Class 1

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 By David Sharp 

Green City got off to a good start in their May 28, 2024 Class 1 baseball third place game with Wheatland. The Gophers put five hits together against Mule hurler Andrew Murphy for a 5-0 advantage after two complete innings. 

Wheatland (27- 13) scored on Brett Daughtry’s RBI hit for a 4-1 score after four innings. Green City starting pitcher Thaydon Forrest was ejected from the contest after a tag play at first base closed the Wheatland fourth. The Mules scored eight runs in the final three innings for a 9-6 victory. 

Green City Seniors Aiden Campbell and Kaden Hatcher played their final game for the Gophers. Green City finished the spring baseball season with an overall record of 19-9. 

Jaden O’Haver led off the Gopher second inning with a base hit. Noah Tipton reached on an error and later scored. Tristin Harrison plated O’Haver with a hit. Dalton Youngman tripled in two more runs. 

Tucker Tipton recorded a productive first out of the inning, scoring a run on a 4-3 put out. Thaydon Forrest singled and scored. Kaden Hatcher stroked a two out RBI hit for a 5-0 Green City lead after two innings. 

Green City put two men on base in the third inning but could not score. Andrew Doughterly walked leading off the Wheatland fourth inning. Brett Dougherty singled the run home for a 5-1 Green City lead. 

The Gophers executed a 6-4-3 double play for the first two outs of the fourth frame. Nathan Sawyer ripped a two out single. Thaydon Forrest fielded a tapped ball up the first base line and tagged Bradley Phillips for the final out. 

The officials ruled the play to be excessive and ejected starting pitcher Thaydon Forrest after four complete innings. Forrest struck out two, walked one on three hits and one earned run. 

Green City was charged with one error in the first four innings, and one error in each of the final three frames. “It was an unfortunate thing that happened to us at a bad time in a bad spot,” Green City coach Dale Whitacre said. 

“It put some other guys in pressure situations, and it didn’t pan out for us,” Coach Whitacre said. “I don’t want to say that one player, one call cost us the game but that one changed the game.” 

“Our fate was in our hands. Unfortunately, we gave the umpire a chance to make that call,” Dale Whitacre said. “They made it and that just killed any momentum we had.” 

Ty Hall relieved on the mound. An error, a balk and three Wheaton hits put five runs on the board in the Mule fifth inning for a 6-5 Wheatland lead Ty Hall drew a leadoff walk and scored on Tristin Harrison’s RBI groundout for a six all tie after five innings. 

Wheatland scored two sixth inning runs. Andrew Murphy drove in a run with a base hit. Another run scored on an outfield miscue. Noah Tipton came in to pitch. Ty Hall pitched an inning and a third walking one on four hits. Six of seven runs charged to Hall were earned. Andrew Dougherty had a two out RBI hit for an 8-6 Mule lead after six innings. 

Nathan Sawyer drew a leadoff walk in the Wheatland seventh inning. Sawyer scored the ninth Mule run on an error for a 9-6 lead. Wheatland shortstop Tucker Shaddox took a hit away from Kaden Hatcher leading of the bottom of the seventh inning. 

Ty Hall singled. The next two runners went down in order, ending the game with Wheatfield claiming the Class 1 baseball third place trophy with a 9-6 win. 

Wheatland scored nine runs on ten hits and one error. Braden Sawyer and Brett Dougherty went 2-4 with an RBI each. Nathan Sawyer was 2-3 at bat with a run scored and another batted in. 

Andrew Murphy pitched a seven inning complete game striking out four with one walk on eight hits. Four of the six Green City runs were earned. 

Green City scored six runs on eight hits and four errors. Tristin Harrison went 2-3 at the plate with two RBI. Jaden O’Haver was 2-4 with a run scored. 

“When Xander (Salas) went out yesterday and Ty Hall had to come in and pitch today, our defense changed,” Dale Whitacre said. “It’s unfortunate that had to happen. Those guys did their best, and that’s all you can ask of them.”