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ELDRIDGE — That’s the thing about playoff magic. Sometimes it runs out.
Two days after upsetting No. 3 Marion 6-2 in a Class 3A baseball substate semifinal, Mount Vernon fell to No. 7 Davenport Assumption, 5-0, in the substate final Wednesday, July 16, at North Scott.
“You get the big win, and feel that should be the end,” senior Garet Swartzendruber said. “It sucks. It is a gut punch. Everybody wants to make it to state, but someone’s got to lose.”
Assumption (27-11) advances to state for the 19th time and will chase its 10th title next week at Lewis & Clark Park in Sioux City. The Knights are the No. 4 seed and play fifth seed and No. 8-ranked Saydel (27-7) at 2 p.m. Monday, July 21.
They can definitely thank junior pitcher Nolan Dittmer. The lefty was efficient Wednesday, scattering seven hits, one walk, and one hit batsman.
“He threw strikes and filled the zone,” senior Cole Thurn said. “He made sure that whatever happens, he threw strikes. We just struggled to get people in. It happens. Wish we could go back and change it. We can’t.”
Mount Vernon (19-13) had a runner in scoring position in four different innings. Their best chance came in the sixth inning, when Swartzendruber, Erik Lamb and Michael Ryan hit consecutive singles to load the bases with one out.
But the Knights got out of the inning with a double-play.
“It was just one of those days,” Mount Vernon Coach Charles Chatman said. “Hitting is difficult. We’ve seen some real good lefties this year. Sometimes they win.”
Mount Vernon countered with a lefty of their own, junior Cael Foreman. He pitched three shutout innings before getting into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. Assumption hit around their order, scoring five runs on three hits and two Mustang errors.
Assumption ended up outhitting Mount Vernon 9 to 7, and there were no extra-base hits for either team.
“We hit the ball all game,” Swartzendruber said. “It felt like, even thought we were down five runs, we still had a chance to come back.”
Mount Vernon was chasing its fifth state trip in school history, and first since 2013.
“This senior class has been in this game twice in the last three years,” Chatman said. “It’s tough. You give yourself an opportunity, and you come up a little short. There’s no words to express the frustration, the pain, the anger … it’s a lot.”
Mount Vernon 000 000 0 — 0 7 3
Assumption 000 500 x — 5 9 0
Cael Foreman, Landon Wilson (5), Garet Swartzendruber (5) and Gabe Grafft; Nolan Dittmer and David Gartner. W – Dittmer (3-2). L – Foreman (4-3)
