Cubs earn return trip to state tourney

CHANUTE — Unlike their counterparts on the softball side a night earlier, Humboldt High’s baseball club wasn’t much interested in building any drama Wednesday.
While the Lady Cubs had fans on the edge of their seats in a playoff victory Tuesday, the Cubs were methodically lethal — almost workmanlike — in a pair of dominating victories to punch their ticket to the state playoffs.
Humboldt (14-2) secured a Class 3A regional championship — and its second straight trip to state — with wins of 12-1 over Jayhawk-Linn and 16-1 over Burlington in the title game.
The Cubs followed a similar pattern in both contests by grabbing a first-inning lead, holding the lead with effective pitching and pouncing with aggressive base running to force opposing defenses into mistakes.
“That’s the way we play, especially if we smell blood in the water,” Humboldt coach Mike Miller said. “We want to make you make a play.”
The Cubs put the game away with an eight-run third inning before ending the contest via the 15-run rule with a six-run fourth.
Humboldt pounded out 12 hits and took advantage of five Burlington walks.
Leading the way was Jacob Carpenter, who started the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. He ended the game 3-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs. Hunter Murrow went 2-for-3 with four runs scored. Corey Whitcomb had a pair of singles and two runs. Nate Whitcomb delivered a single and two runs. Caleb Vanatta smacked an RBI single. Caleb D’Armond had a single and run to with the defensive play of the game, a one-handed running catch along the warning track in the top of the fourth inning. Alex Murrow had a two-run triple with a run scored.
Corey Whitcomb ended the game with a steal of home after Hunter Murrow intentionally got picked off first base to entice a rundown.
Nate Whitcomb, meanwhile, was the beneficiary of his teammates’ offensive support. He shut down the Burlington offense on three hits with no walks.
“We felt pretty good with Nate on the mound,” Miller said. “We knew if we could get him a couple of early runs we would be in good shape.”
“I was able to get ahead in the count, which is something I struggled with the last couple of games,” Whitcomb said. “We have a good defensive team, and coach wants us to pitch to contact. I was able to do that today.”

IN THEIR opener against Jayhawk-Linn, the Cubs took the early advantage with a three-run first inning, then put the game away with nine in the fourth.
Carpenter drove in two with a triple in the first to put Humboldt in front for good.
Hunter Murrow’s two-run double was the big blow in the fourth frame. Caleb Vanatta and Grayson Pearish drilled back-to-back triples later in the inning to cap the rally.
Pearish got the start. He held Jayhawk-Linn in check, despite an errant pickoff attempt in the top of the third, which preceded a Ben Rowe double to pull the Jayhawks to within 3-1. But Pearish induced a ground-out to end the inning and effectively erase Jayhawk-Linn’s only rally of the game.
He allowed four hits with one walk in five innings, while striking out three.
“Grayson did a good job for us,” Miller said. “We shut him down early in the year because of arm problems, and he’s just now working his way back into shape. We still need to get his velocity up a bit, but he’s getting better. Today was a good sign.”
Hunter Murrow went 2-for-3 with a double. Caleb Vanatta had a double and triple. Pearish had a triple and single. Carpenter singled twice. Nathan Whitcomb had a single, as did Kason Siemens.

THE REGIONAL titles in baseball and softball are more feathers in the cap in what has been a remarkable sports year for Humboldt athletics. The school’s basketball team made it to the state championship game, while the football team advanced to the second round of the postseason playoffs. The Cubs also are expected to take a strong contingent to next week’s state track meet in Wichita.
The mood surrounding the plaque presentation after Wednesday’s games was joyous, but calm.
“We got a little taste of this last year,” Whitcomb said, referring to Humboldt’s third place finish at the state tournament in 2012.
“I’m not sure if it’s sunk in yet,” Miller added, “or if the kids know they still have some business to take care of.”