North-Linn continues postseason run

DES MOINES - The glass slipper still fits Cinderella.

North-Linn will gladly keep wearing it.

In their state debut, the seventh-seeded Lynx scored three runs in the top of the eighth to upset No. 2 Van Buren, 6-3, in the Class 1A state baseball quarterfinals Saturday night at Principal Park. North-Linn advances to Thursday's semifinal against third-seeded Pleasantville (34-3).

The Lynx (35-10) were not intimidated by Van Buren (29-1), which was the state's last unbeaten team.

'Everybody is looking at us as an underdog, coming into games like this,” North-Linn's Jake Hilmer said. 'We don't look at ourselves as underdogs, playing teams like this. Obviously, they haven't lost. They are supposed to win, but that takes extra pressure off us in our opinion. When we come to the ballpark and step on the field, we are expecting to win. We expect a lot out of ourselves.”

They were pleased to make history, but they weren't content with just taking the field. Even though they were loose and having fun in the dugout between late innings, they were determined to win.

'We were happy to be here, but we weren't satisfied,” Miller said. 'We kept playing hard.”

Their extra-inning rally started when Brad Pflughaupt opened the eighth with a walk. A sacrifice bunt pushed him to second and he reached third on David Seber's single.

North-Linn Coach Travis Griffith relied on an old favorite, calling for a squeeze bunt. Hilmer executed and Pflughaupt scored the winning run. The Lynx added two more on an error.

The celebration almost came an inning earlier. Van Buren's Garrett Saunders stole second after a base hit. Will Mertens chased him home with a two-out double off the left-field wall to tie the game, 3-3, forcing extra innings.

'I really wanted to get that win in the seventh,” said Hilmer, who reached base three times, scored twice and drove in two runs. 'The crowd was on their feet, two outs and we just needed one more. Unfortunately, that kid hit a heck of a shot. Luckily, it didn't go over, but once we got back in the dugout it's like, ‘Let's refocus and get this next inning, right now.' Three runs in the eighth takes tons of pressure off you on the mound.”

Hilmer, reportedly just the third eighth-grader to pitch at the state tournament, tossed a complete game and allowed just six hits. Griffith said he tallied 130 pitches in the workmanlike effort. He had five strikeouts, getting two straight to end Van Buren's threat with two on in the sixth.

Hilmer, who had batted right his previous three at-bats but moved to the left side due to an injured wrist suffered in his first at-bat, helped North-Linn take a 3-2 in the seventh. He opened with a single to left, stole second and moved to third on Clinton Prier's base hit. Miller earned his biggest hit of the season, ripping a two-out single to center to score Hilmer.

'I saw a pitch come right down the middle and it was huge,” Miller said. 'It looked huge for me and I just drove it. It felt great getting that run in.”

He had fouled off a few previous offerings and gained confidence as the at-bat continued.

'I knew I was right on him and it was only a matter of time if he screwed up or did something bad that was going to leave me a pitch over the middle,” Miller said. 'He did and it worked out great.”

The small-ball approach produced an early run giving the Lynx a 1-0 lead. Hilmer was hit by a pitch from Van Buren starter Robert Barker to lead off the game. Prier's sacrifice bunt moved him to scoring position. Jacob Rawson followed with a hopper up the middle that the second baseman booted into center field, allowing Hilmer to score.

Van Buren captured the lead in the bottom of the third, taking advantage of a couple Lynx miscues. Saunders had an infield single and stole second. He moved to third when Austin Bartholomew reached first on a dropped third strike when the throw short-hopped the first baseman.

Bartholomew attempted to get in a run down, but Hilmer was called for a balk to score Saunders, tying the game. A base hit from Will Mertens and consecutive walks to Barker and Noah Whitten gave Van Buren a 2-1 edge after three.

North-Linn answered immediately with a two-out rally in the fourth. Pflughaupt rapped his second base hit of the game. North-Linn showed some patience at the plate, unlike the first two outs of the inning. Sean Boardman, David Seber and Jake Hilmer drew consecutive walks to score Pflughaupt, pulling even at two apiece.

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@thegazette.com