DENISON -- Just like clock work, "Big Game" Baughman struck again Monday night . . . right when the Harlan Community Cyclones needed him most.
Using both his bat and his right arm to keep HCHS unbeaten in the Hawkeye 10 standings, Willie Baughman added to a growing list of clutch senior-year performances as the Cyclones outlasted Denison-Schleswig, 7-5, in an extra-innings thriller.
A quiet night through six turned heroic in the final three innings as Baughman delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the seventh, a game-winning two-run homer in the ninth and two and two-thirds hitless innings of relief for the win on the mound.
The Cyclones won their 13th straight game and handed D-S its third conference defeat. One night later, HCHS won again to get to 11-0 in the H-10, while Denison lost 10-9 to Lewis Central and fell to 5-4.
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Baughman - and many Cyclone teammates - have done a lot of winning since his senior year of athletics began in the fall. Baughman's resume includes an incredible diving touchdown catch in the final 20 seconds of a one-point playoff win over Spencer, numerous clutch performances throughout a state tournament run in basketball and the number-two slot on the Cyclones' state tournament golf team this past spring.
Now, he's working some of his magic on the baseball diamond.
"I don't know what to say about Willie. He's kind of the guy in the clutch this year. He's come through," said HCHS head coach Steve Daeges. "Last year he got a little taste of varsity ball, and this year he's just kind of stepped up and he's one of our leaders. He's not doing it with his mouth or anything; he's doing it with his actions on the field, so that's great to see."
Cyclone starting pitcher Bobby Seivert, who had two hits and drew two walks at the plate, kept the Denison bats largely at bay outside of a four-run bottom of the fourth.
With HCHS leading 1-0, Kerry Fineran started the Monarch rally with a solid single but was then forced out at second on a fielder's choice. Nathan Bruck kept the inning going with a fly-ball single to shallow right field that seemed to hang in the air for an eternity before falling in. With two outs, Brandon Scherff picked out a high pitch to his liking and drilled a two-run single. D-S added two more runs with the help of two Cyclone errors, a run-scoring wild pitch and a bloop RBI single by Kenny Namanny.
"I thought Bobby did a real nice job of pitching tonight, but in the fourth inning there we didn't help him," Daeges said. "We counted, and I think they had seven outs (to work with). We misplayed a couple balls in short right and on the infield . . . and allowed them to get four easy runs."
The Cyclones did answer back quickly, however, tying the game with three runs in the top of the fifth to chase the Monarch starting pitcher. A two-base error ignited the inning, which included an RBI double by Jeff Hastert and a hit-and-run RBI single by Tyler Lefeber. Namanny relieved Scherff with the bases loaded and promptly walked Seivert to force home the tying run.
"I was proud of our kids the way we battled back," Daeges said. "We didn't panic. We were playing a pretty good team and we came right back and tied it up."
The score stayed tied until the top of the seventh, when a hit-by-pitch and stolen base put Eric Croghan at second with two outs for Baughman. Down in the count, Baughman stayed back on an off-speed pitch and laced an RBI double to the right-center field gap.
The Cyclones eventually loaded the bases, but Namanny escaped when a Derek Schwartz liner was snared by the shortstop.
In the bottom of the seventh, Seivert's high pitch count may have caught up with him as Josh Schwade temporarily saved the day for Denison with a one-out, game-tying home run to right.
Daeges then pointed to Baughman, who plunked two of the first three batters he faced before getting a ground ball to end the inning and bring on extra baseball.
With the pitching matchup now Baughman vs. Schwade, neither team made much noise in the eighth, but a leadoff walk to Lefeber in the ninth set the stage for drama.
Taking advantage of the shorter dimensions at Denison, Baughman jumped all over a Schwade offering early in the count and drove his first home run of the year out to dead center.
"I was just looking for something to hit up the middle," he said afterward, referring to some advice from assistant coach Joe Heese. "I kind of got under it a little bit, but I guess it's a short field, so it's a good thing it was.
"I caught it solid enough to get it out."
Baughman's work wasn't quite done yet as Denison still had one last at-bat. Facing the 8-9-1 hitters, he retired the side in order for the second straight inning to run his record to 2-0 (both wins in relief), but not without some controversy.
With two outs, Baughman's effective but sometimes unpredictable curveball hit Fineran in the leg, appearing to put the tying run on base. The home plate umpire ruled that Fineran had leaned into the pitch, however - making it a ball - and moments later Finerman went down swinging to end the game.
"I guess I was just padding my stats on the all-time hit batsmen (list)," Baughman joked of his two hit-by-pitch that counted. "The curveball has been going good, so hopefully that continues."
123 456 789 R H E
HCHS 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 2 -- 7 7 2
Denison 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 -- 5 6 3
HCHS Boxscore
AB R H RBI
Jeff Hastert, 3B 5 1 1 1
Michael Kaufmann, SS 4 0 1 0
Eric Croghan, C 3 2 0 0
Tyler Lefeber, DH-1B 4 1 1 1
Nathan Bruck, RF-PR 0 0 0 0
Willie Baughman, 1B-RF-P 4 1 2 3
Bobby Seivert, P-RF 3 0 2 1
Lucas Musich, CR 0 0 0 0
James Cairney, LF 3 0 0 0
Alex Brown, PH 1 0 0 0
Derek Schwartz, 2B 4 1 0 0
Brian Kloewer, CF 3 1 0 0
Totals 34 7 7 6
Doubles: Hastert, Baughman. Triples: None. Home run: Baughman (1). Base-on-balls: Seivert 2, Kaufmann, Croghan, Lefeber, Baughman, Cairney. HBP: Croghan. Stolen Bases: Croghan, Bruck, Musich. Sac bunt: Kloewer.
HCHS Pitching
IP H R ER BB K
Seivert 6.3 6 5 3 1 6
Baughman (W, 2-0) 2.7 0 0 0 0 3
Baughman hit 2 batters.
