CAMPBELLSBURG — Trinity Lutheran’s postseason run came to a screeching halt in the West Washington Sectional final Monday evening.
When they needed to mask it the most, the Cougars’ youth showed through. They committed five errors in a 7-2, season-ending loss to Orleans.
All but two of the Bulldogs’ runs were unearned.
In the first inning, the Trinity’s Tyler Goecker made it on base with a hit, and Reid Kruse was walked. With the next at-bat, Chandler Reynolds hit an RBI to left field. Orleans’ leftfielder bobbled the ball on the play, allowing Kruse to also make it home and put the Cougars up 2-0.
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The Bulldogs answered with a run in the bottom of the inning. After holding Trinity at bay in the top of the inning, the Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the second.
Neither team scored in the next two innings before Orleans added a pair of runs in the fifth. After two runners reached on errors, two runs scored on an errant play.
The mistakes didn’t stop for the Cougars in the sixth.
The Bulldogs scored on a wild pitch before Jacob VonDielingen was replaced on the mound by Jack Marksberry, who gave up an RBI-double. Marksberry hit the next two batters with pitches before getting replaced by Kruse. Another wild pitch allowed Orleans to score a third run.
Trinity wouldn’t get on base in the top of the seventh, allowing the Bulldogs to win their ninth sectional title and first since 2015.
VonDielingen took the loss on the mound, pitching 6 1/3 innings, while recording nine strikeouts and allowing five hits, two walks and six runs (one earned).
“It came down to simple execution,” Trinity coach Matt VonDielingen said. “Both pitchers threw really well. Both offenses were able to put the bat on the ball, but not with authority or frequency. It was a lot of weak contact. We had a lot of mental errors to compound the physical errors. We had five freshmen in the lineup, so some of that is expected. I told them I hope it leaves a bad taste in their mouth, and they come back next year with a lot more focus.”
Orleans, which had one error, outhit the Cougars 6-3.
