Cascade baseball’s extra-inning district tournament win sparked by Tanner Topping’s clutch first official at-bat

DYERSVILLE — Tanner Topping was an unlikely hero.

The Cascade freshman appeared in four games during the season and didn’t log an official at-bat. He was just a late-game entry and was forced to stay in the game as Cooper Hummel’s second substitution.

“I’ve played enough baseball in my life that I was confident in myself,” Topping said. “I know I can play out there and make plays.”

Topping came to the plate in the top of the eighth and smacked an RBI single, sparking a three-run inning and helping Cascade to a 6-4 victory in eight innings over Iowa City Regina in a Class 2A District 7 semifinal baseball game Tuesday night at Commercial Club Park.

Topping wouldn’t have believed the scenario, if you told him before it occurred.

“I’m still pretty shaken up about it,” Topping said after the game. “I never thought it would have happened. Woke up this morning and had no idea.”

The Cougars advance to the district final Saturday against the winner of Dyersville Beckman and Monticello.

“We’ve had to fight and claw to get a lot of wins this year,” said Cascade Coach Roamn Hummel, adding, “Our guys know how to fight through these situations.”

In the decisive inning, Mick Hoffman walked and leadoff batter Leo Noonan added a single with one out. Ty Frasher’s flyout brought Topping to the plate. He worked the count full before lining a pitch over the second baseman, chasing home Hoffman.

“I was pretty nervous,” Topping said. “I was saying if we’re going to win this game I have to come up big here. I knew I had to do my two-strike approach, shorten up and put the ball in play. Just try to make contact.”

“It’s crazy,” Roamn Hummel said. “Tanner is a baseball player. He’s played a ton of baseball. It’s not like he’s not immune to the situation.”

Topping moved to second on defensive indifference and scored after Noonan when Will Hosch reached on an error.

Topping reached the dugout and was mobbed with pats on the helmet, high-fives and cheers, including from Cooper Hummel, who he replaced.

“Just the enthusiasm of our guys and how it propelled them,” Roamn Hummel said. “Will comes up afterward with another hit to give us a cushion, and we needed it the way it turned out. It was huge.”

Regina didn’t go quietly in the bottom half. Drew Streb had a leadoff single, Trey Streb had a base hit and Hudson Koch walk loaded the bases with one out. Hoffman came in for relief and induced two straight groundouts to end it.

Cascade took a 2-0 lead in the second. Eli Fritz and Hoffman singled and scored. Noonan had an RBI single to score Hoffman.

The Cougars added one in the seventh to tie it, 3-3. Hummel walked and Topping came in to run. Cass Hoffman singled and two balks allowed Topping to score.

Drew Streb powered Regina with two hits and two RBIs. He reached on an error in the second and scored on Colin Baker’s single. He also delivered a two-run single that plated Alex Paul and Carter Slager in the sixth, giving the Regals a 3-2 lead.

Cascade improves to 13-12. Regina ends the season at 14-19.

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