Appleknockers win state 1A baseball title
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<p class="p1">With the game tied 3-3, the Cobden High School baseball team came on in the sixth inning to score six runs to post a 9-3 win over Okawville for the 1A state championship at Peoria Saturday, June 6.</p><p class="p1">It was the first ever state baseball championship for Cobden, which finished in second place in the state tournament in 1987.</p><p class="p1">“It was a big win,” Cobden baseball coach Craig Partridge said. “A lot of teams go up there and get close. But, we won it and we’re going to enjoy every minute of it.” </p><p class="p1">Jacob Furlow and Cayden Childers started the fireworks in the sixth inning by opening with back-to-back singles. </p><p class="p1">Childers and pinch-runner Austin Lewey advanced to second and third base when the Okawville catcher fielded John Russell’s bunt and threw to third base. The throw was late and the bases were loaded with no outs.</p><p class="p1">“Those were a couple of big hits,” Partridge said. “They misplayed the bunt and loaded the bases.”</p><p class="p1">It set the stage for J.T. Moore, who drove in two runs with a single. Logan Spalt then had a hit right over the shortstop’s head that drove in two more runs.</p><p class="p1">“That chopper over the shortstop was big,” Partridge added.</p><p class="p1">The Rockets’ starting pitcher Nick Stubhart left the game in the sixth inning and two relief hurlers came on and struggled.</p><p class="p1">“The change of pitchers didn’t help them out,” Partridge said. </p><p class="p1">When the sixth inning was over the Appleknockers had a comfortable six-run lead around eight hits.</p><p class="p1">Okawville had taken an early 1-0 lead after one inning. Cobden bounced back to take a 2-1 lead after three innings. The Rockets scored a run in the third and fourth innings for the 3-3 deadlock.</p><p class="p1">Parker Flamm pitched 4 2/3 innings and was relieved by Moore with two outs and the bases loaded and a tie ball game.</p><p class="p1">Moore struck out the first batter he faced to end the threat. </p><p class="p1">“We’ve been hitting well this year, but pitching has been our mainstay,” Partridge noted. </p><p class="p1">Spalt, the winning pitcher for the opening game Friday at the state tournament against Fulton, has one of the top pitching ERAs in the state.</p><p class="p1">Flamm allowed six hits to go with three walks and two strikeouts when he left in the fifth inning. Moore, who pitched 2 1/3 innings, didn’t allow a hit the rest of the way to go with a walk and a strikeout.</p><p class="p1">Spalt led Cobden’s 15-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Furlow was 2-for-3. Moore was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Flamm was 2-for-5. Lewey was 1-for-1. Russell was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Theron Sweitzer was 1-for-3 with 3 RBIs. Dylan Duty was 1-for-4. Cayden Childers was 1-for-4. Sam Cohen was 1-for-5.</p><p class="p1">Partridge said the win was a combined team effort.</p><p class="p1">“You don’t win without everybody contributing,” said Partridge, who noted there were some key defensive plays as well throughout the tourney series, especially noting Sweitzer, who made two big key defensive plays. </p><p class="p1">Partridge said that Cobden made a couple of mistakes on defense, and then added that “things just kind of fell in place for us.”</p><p class="p1">“They have found ways to win all year and they’ve done it as a group. I thought all along this group really matured,” the Cobden coach said.</p><p class="p1">Okawville finished the season at 17-18 overall.</p><p class="p1">The Appleknockers finished 27-6 overall and only lose three of their top 10 players to graduation.</p><p class="p1">“We will have a lot of experience coming back,” Partridge noted. </p><p class="p1">But for now, the team is savoring the moment.</p><p class="p1">“The recognition they’re getting now, they’ve earned all of it,” said Partridge, whose team was honored with a parade through Cobden following the state tournament win Saturday evening.</p><p class="p1"><strong>Cobden 6, Fulton 2:</strong> Cobden, trailing 2-1 going into the fifth inning, had hits from Moore, Spalt, Flamm and Cohen to take a 5-2 lead in the first round game of the state finals Friday, June 5.</p><p class="p1">The Appleknockers added another run in the sixth inning to close out the scoring.</p><p class="p1">Fulton scored its first run in the third inning on a Cobden error and the second when Appleknocker pitcher Spalt committed a two-out balk. The Steamers did not get a runner past second base the rest of the way.</p><p class="p1">Spalt was the leading hitter, as well as winning pitcher. He was 4-for-4 at the plate with a triple and 2 RBIs. </p><p class="p1">He allowed five hits to go with two walks and 8 strikeouts for his 14th win of the season. The junior hurler finished the season at 14-1.</p><p class="p1">Moore was 3-for-4 with a double for the Appleknockers. Cohen was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Sweitzer was 1-for-2. Flamm was 1-for-4 with an RBI.</p><p class="p1">Fulton finished the season at 21-9.</p><p class="p2"><strong> </strong></p>