CLIFTON — After receiving a bye in the first round, the Concordia Knights defeated Clifton-Clyde 6-0 and defeated Valley Heights Purple 3-2 to claim the District 3 Championship and advance to the state tournament.
The Knights defeated Clifton-Clyde 6-0.
Concordia jumped out early, scoring in the top of the first thanks to Carson Farha. Jack Gilliland on the mound in the bottom of the first picked up three strikeouts and held Clifton-Clyde to two baserunners on infield errors. After a scoreless second inning with only Sage Newlin and Nash Farha getting on base with walks, Gilliland picked up three more strikeouts, and issued his only walk of the evening.
Gilliland scored the second run of the day for the Knights with a solo home run to make it a 2-0 game in the top of the third. Gilliland’s and the Knights’ defense stayed strong in the bottom of the inning, with a strikeout and two popouts to keep Clifton-Clyde off the bases.
It would be the top of the fourth when the Knights put the game away. After Newlin and Nash Farha got walked, Carson Farha brought them home on a two-RBI single, and would be brought home by Gilliland; Maklen Brown got on base on a dropped strike three and would be brought home by Parker Headrick to make it a 6-0 game. Gilliland would pick up three more strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth and would end his day on the mound with 10 strikeouts and no hits allowed.
After only Hunter Ryals got on base from an error, Jaden Farha closed the game with two strikeouts and a groundout on the mound. The Knights won the district tournament and earned a first round bye in the state tournament.
The Knights did not give up a single hit to the Eagles.
The Knights defeated Valley Heights Purple 3-2.
In a pitching duel to start the game, with both starting pitchers having seven or more strikeouts, neither team would score in the first two innings. Valley Heights scored first with a pair of runs in the top of the third, to which the Knights would respond with two runs of their own from Nash Farha and Sage Newlin in the bottom of the inning. With another scoreless fourth inning, it came down to the fifth inning. Keeping Valley Heights off the board, Jack Gilliland picked up two strikeouts. With runners on first and second, Maklen Brown hit the ball to deep right field, which allowed Newlin to score the walkoff win and advance the Knights to the district championship.
