In their last two games, THS has rallied for seven runs in the final inning to produce a pair of thrilling, albeit improbable, walk-off wins and avoid season-ending losses in the sectional and super sectional.

“The walk-offs are amazing,” senior first baseman Mick Niebrugge said. “But we’d much rather win with a big lead.”

The Shoes never trailed against Newman Central Catholic. They scored in four different innings, including three-run frames in the second and fourth.

But it was two pitches in the bottom of the fourth that just might have been the two most important of the game.

The Comets trailed 7-3, but had the bases loaded and their leading hitter – Ashton Miner – at the plate. The sophomore right fielder, who amassed an impressive .438 batting average during the season and already had three RBI in this game, also had the count in his favor.

Despite falling behind 3-and-1, Caleb Deters responded in championship form. He fired consecutive fast balls and got Miner to swing and miss, ending the scoring threat and giving the team in navy, gold and white even more momentum.

“That was a great feeling,” the T-Town righthander admitted. “I’ve come out of the pen a lot this year. You learn to be ready for any situation. I knew at that point I had to throw strikes. I just tried to locate a fastball down. I was pumped up coming off the mound.”

“That was a huge momentum swing for us,” Coach Justin Fleener added. “Caleb has good movement on his fastball, and for a sophomore, locates it well. I was impressed how he came back from a 3-and-1 count. That was a huge moment in this game.”

If the Shoes needed any more run support, it came in the top of the sixth in a loud way.

After Mick Niebrugge drew a one-out walk, Jason Kreke took a swing at the first pitch he saw.

“It sounded like it was hit well,” Coach Fleener said, followed by a big smile.

He was right. Kreke connected with a fastball and sent it sailing far over the left-centerfield fence.

“I knew their pitcher was throwing a lot of curve balls, but struggling to get them over,” Kreke explained. “I figured I’d get a fastball, so I was sitting on it. It felt good. I knew it was gone.

“Coming to Illinois Field is a dream come true for me,” the junior catcher added. “I’ve always wanted to play here. Hitting a home run here was the cherry on top.”

After getting Miner to strike out in the fourth, Deters allowed only one baserunner over the final three innings to get credit for the win. He pitched the final 4.1 innings, allowing three hits and one walk, while striking out three. He is now 7-0 on the season.

He came on in relief of starter Davin Worman, who went the first 2.2 innings. The junior lefty allowed three runs on four hits.

“I think Davin tried to be a little too fine with his pitches,” Fleener noted. “He did okay to get us to that point. I thought Caleb was ready, so I made the move. Caleb has a little more velocity. As the game went on, I thought he got better and better.”

“I had too many jitters at first,” Deters admitted. “I needed to calm down and throw strikes. I tried not to think too much and just focused on me and Jason.”

The game looked like a potential slugfest in the early innings. Both teams scored single tallies in the opening frame.

In the top half of the inning, Worman walked with one out, stole second and scored when Kreke grounded a base hit up the middle. The Comets responded when Garrett Matznick led off with a double and came in to score on a fly ball by Miner.

The Shoes took the lead for good in the second. Henry Thompson walked, Teagan Pals – the super sectional hero – looped a single into shallow center and Gavin Addis moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt.

Aidan Niemerg then hit a ground ball that appeared headed for the outfield. But Newman Central Catholic first baseman Evan Bushman made a diving stop. There was no play, however, as Niemerg streaked down the line for an infield single and an RBI.

Dawson Hoene drove home the second run with a fly ball and Mick Niebrugge capped the three-run inning, lining a pitch up the middle that nearly hit the second base bag. That brought in Niemerg and stretched the THS lead to 4-1.

After the Comets got a two-run single from Miner in the third, the Shoes immediately responded with another three-run explosion in the top of the fourth.

Niemerg started things off by lining a pitch into the rightfield corner and racing all the way to third base for a triple. With one out, Worman grounded an RBI base hit to right. Niebrugge then doubled into the right-centerfield gap and Kreke walked to load the bases.

The final two runs of the frame scored when Carter Hoene drew a bases-loaded walk and Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to center.

Containing the top four batters in Newman Central Catholic’s lineup was a key to this game. Those hitters – Matznick, Garrett Wolfe, Miner and Chase Decker – had batting averages between .372 and .438. Matznick did have three hits, but the other three combined for just one.

“We knew the top of their lineup was very good,” Fleener said. “They barrel balls up very well. We knew we couldn’t leave pitches over the hittable part of the plate.”

Meanwhile, the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 hitters in the T-Town lineup combined for a big game offensively. Worman, Niebrugge and Kreke combined to score five times, collect five hits and drive in five runs. Overall, the Shoes had a nine-hit attack, with Niebrugge, Kreke and Niemerg each getting two.

“I felt comfortable at the plate tonight,” Niebrugge said. “I got some decent pitches to hit and was able to come through to help the team. We had good run support. That always helps pitchers have confidence.”

“We got guys on base in almost every inning,” Fleener noted. “We were putting a lot of pressure on their defense.”

The Shoes will now face a Sacred Heart Griffin squad that needed to pull off a late rally to advance to the championship game. The Cyclones scored two runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to post a 6-5 decision over Eureka.

“We knew what kind of team we had this year,” Niebrugge said. “We came so close to making a run last year. We just want to show what this team is made of.”

“This has been our goal all year,” Kreke added. “This team has put in so much work and it shows. Knowing we get to play here just gave us extra fire.”

Coach Fleener is no stranger to the state tournament. He has now guided the Shoes to state 10 times during his 24-year career. They will be looking for their fifth state title, having won championships in 2010, 2011, 2017 and 2019.

“I felt from the beginning, this team had the potential to get here,” Fleener said. “We know SHG is a very good team with good bats up and down their lineup. We know we have to neutralize that.”

“We have a lot of energy right now, but none of our kids have been at this point before,” the veteran coach added. “Everybody knows it’s a big game, but you still have to go out and execute. We just need to go get it done.”