It was a brutal takedown.
Junior Eli Tinkham scored the district-winning run on a walk-off swing by Kenny Wellwood and paid the price. He was taken down to the ground near the home backstop and dogpiled by fellow Pioneers during a seminal moment in Fort Calhoun High School baseball history.
Coach Roy Prauner's record-breaking ballclub is headed to the NSAA Class C State Championships for the very first time.
“I couldn't even breathe,” Tinkham said, recounting his experience at the bottom of the pile through a smile.
After Friday's 6-5 District 3 finals win against Lincoln Lutheran, the Pioneers (17-6 overall) open state play Saturday at Fricke Field in Papillion. They face Lincoln Christian at 1 p.m.
“It was a lot more painful than I thought it would be,” senior Sam Genoways said of the full-roster pile-up. “But the happiness kind of took it away.”
“I probably have battle mark from cleats,” Wellwood added. “But, no, it's all a blur.”
The Fort Calhoun ballplayer with the widest shoulders, however, had no problems with the way the Pioneers' celebration went.
“That was great,” said Alex Christensen. “I seen the whole pile right in front of me and I jumped right on.”
It was a moment. One senior Charlie Boumstein won't forget. He transferred to Fort Calhoun for it.
“This is why I came here,” the second baseman said, tears welling up in his eyes.
FCHS comes back
After the Pioneers' first-round postseason win against Aurora, Wellwood confidently relayed how mentally ready he believed FCHS was for a Class C District 3 Tournament finals opportunity.
On Friday, after his team came back from 4-1 down to win against Lincoln Lutheran, the senior commented on just how right he was.
“Since probably my sophomore year, we've had games like this,” he said. “From spring-to-summer, spring-to-summer — we've been in these situations all of the time.”
Tinkham's third-inning RBI double tied the game at 1-1, but the Warriors scored four-straight runs from there, taking a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning.
It just didn't shake the Pioneers confidence.
“Our kids' focus level throughout the whole game never changed,” FCHS coach Roy Prauner said. “No one was nervous. No one thought we were going to lose and that’s how they’ve been all year. They just keep finding a way.”
Catcher Chase Premer led off the Pioneers' comeback during the bottom of the sixth frame with a double. Levi Lasher ran the bases for him, scoring by sophomore Presley Olberding sacrifice.
FCHS' Eric Koterba was up next with two outs. The senior outfielder and his bat put the ball in play, leading to a district finals-tying two-run throwing error by Lincoln Lutheran.
“I prayed multiple times during this game,” the batter said. “And I asked that this not be my last game that I play, and I think God pulled through for me.”
It was just the first time the bottom of the Pioneers' batting order delivered in crunch time Friday.
“They've had their struggles over the course of the year, but we left them where they're at,” Prauner said. “We just kept, you know, telling them that we were confident with them being there and they rewarded us tonight.”
It wasn't surprising to Genoways at all that his team came back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game.
“That's just who we are,” he said. “We don't win a lot of games by just blowing them out of the water. We compete. We stay in it and, when the game is on the line, we make our plays and we get it done.”
After a scoreless seventh inning, Fort Calhoun did it again during the extra eighth. Now down 5-4 on the Warriors' RBI double during the top half, Boumstein led off what could have been the Pioneers' last chance.
“I had to get something going,” he said.
Sure enough, the second baseman delivered a lead-off double to deep centerfield.
Tinkham bunted safely next before Olberding sent a bounding ball toward the Lincoln Lutheran third baseman, who was off target on his throw to home plate as Boumstein evened the score at 5-all.
The Warriors changed pitchers next in an attempt to take back momentum, but the Pioneers danced to the music pumping out of the press box speakers as the gathered crowd joined in.
The song? “Beautiful Life” by Ace of Base.
Koterba, the No. 9 hitter, bunted next to load the bases for the top of the order. Finally, with one out, Wellwood stepped up to the plate with the game on the line.
“I just had full confidence in Kenny,” said Tinkham, who was standing on third base at the time. “He's our most-clutch hitter, so I knew he was going to get it done.”
The Lincoln pitcher picked up two strikes, but Wellwood was ready for the moment. Ready to send his team to the state tournament with a game-winning contact swing.
“I practice that every day,” the senior said. “I've got a mental approach when I have two strikes. I just try to shorten up, choke up on the bat and just hit the ball back in the middle.”
It was at least the second time he was right in about 24 hours.
“Ended up working,” Wellwood said.
Together, the veteran Fort Calhoun team celebrated the moment in a pile. All season, the Pioneers worked to deliver what's been a record-breaking baseball season — the first winning season in school history.
“We just kind of kept believing in ourselves,” Prauner said. “And that's kind of who we became.”
FCHS beats Aurora in 1st round
Fort Calhoun earned its spot in the district finals with a first-round win against Aurora on Thursday.
The Pioneers beat the Huskies by run-rule, 10-0, despite only accumulating four hits across five innings. That didn't bother Wellwood and his teammates at all.
“Laying down bunts. Hitting sac flies. Stealing bases,” he said. “Whatever gets you the next base, gets us more runs.”
FCHS scored five times during the second inning and added from there. Chase Bierman was 2-for-3 at the plate, while Olberding and Christensen added a hit apiece.
Wellwood and Genoways tallied two RBIs each without any hits, while Tinkham, Bierman and Premer added one each.
Lasher, meanwhile, earned the start on the mound and, eventually, the win with six strikeouts and just three hits allowed.
“I was excited to pitch,” he said. “It's a cool moment to pitch at districts.”
CLASS C DISTRICT 3 TOURNAMENT
Friday
No. 5 Fort Calhoun 6, No. 9 Lincoln Lutheran 5, 8 inn.
LL (11-10) 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 — 5 10 4
FCHS (17-6) 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 — 6 10 2
Thursday
No. 5 Fort Calhoun 10, Aurora 0, 5 inn.
AHS (3-15) 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 3 3
FCHS (16-6) 0 5 1 2 2 — 10 4 2
