Home Sports Remsen St. Mary’s Run-Rules K-P, Advances to First State Title Game Since...

Remsen St. Mary’s Run-Rules K-P, Advances to First State Title Game Since 2016

Remsen St. Mary’s vs Kingsley-Pierson Photo Gallery Photos Courtesy: Jenny Myers

Remsen St. Mary’s baseball advanced to their 11th state title game with a run-rule victory in five innings over Kingsley-Pierson on Wednesday by a 10-0 final score. 

The Hawks wasted no time getting on the board. Carter Schorg led off the first inning with a triple, and it was on from there. The Hawks scored three runs in the first inning and two runs in the second to take control early. That wasn’t a surprise for Remsen St. Mary’s head coach Dean Harpenau who says his team was ready to go right away.

The Hawks had lost in the semifinal round in each of the last four seasons, so Coach Harpenau says this win was redemption for last year’s disappointing loss. 

The start of the game was not the way the Panthers saw this game turning out. Kingsley-Pierson head coach Taylor Doeschot says his team didn’t execute the things they needed to to come through with a win.

Shortstop Carter Schorg readies to throw to first base in Remsen St. Mary’s state semifinal win over Kingsley-Pierson. Photo Courtesy: Jenny Myers

Jaxon Bunkers got the start on the mound and worked five innings of three-hit shutout baseball. He struck out two hitters while walking three en route to his ninth win of the season. Bunkers says he didn’t have his best stuff, but he trusted his defense who got the job done.

Coach Harpenau says he turned to Bunkers because he knew he would lead the Hawks to success.

Cael Ortmann leads off of first base. Ortmann drove in four runs in Remsen St. Mary’s state semifinal victory over Kingsley-Pierson. Photo Courtesy: Jenny Myers

At the plate, it was a smattering of Hawks to come through with run-producing hits. Cael Ortmann drove in four runs including three runs in the fifth and scored the run-rule run to finish the game. He gives the credit to his hitting success to his coaches who prepare him well.

Alex Schroeder, Jaxon Bunkers, and Hunter Pick all contributed with RBIs in the win. Coach Harpenau says it was good for the rest of the order to pick up the slack after not playing their best on Monday.

Kingsley-Pierson just couldn’t come back from that and ends their season with a record of 27-5. The Panthers graduate four seniors who were part of the Panthers’ previous state tournament run in 2020. Some have been with Coach Doeschot for five of his six years with the Panthers. Doeschot says he’s proud of the seniors, and he hopes they look back on their baseball career with positivity. 

Kingsley-Pierson’s Conner Beelner leads off of first in the Panthers’ loss to Remsen St. Mary’s in the state semifinals. Photo Courtesy: Jenny Myers

While four graduate for Kingsley-Pierson, the stable is still full for the Panther baseball team. Coach Doeschot says the expectation has been set, and they will look to meet this expectation for the years to come. 

As for Remsen St. Mary’s, the Hawks match up with New London in their 11th state championship game in program history (including the fall seasons). Ortmann says the Hawks are ready to go and prove the nay-sayers wrong.

As one of the leaders of the team, Bunkers will try and fire up the team to play their best baseball on Friday. He says it’s important that everyone plays their role to give the Hawks the best chance for success. 

The Hawks improve to 35-0 on the season. Their matchup with New London starts at 12:00 on Friday. KLEM will provide live coverage beginning at 11:45 on Friday.

Remsen St. Mary’s vs Kingsley-Pierson Photo Gallery Photos Courtesy: Jenny Myers