Fulton launches three home runs, wins regional final 13-5

May 21—AMBOY, Il. — The Fulton Steamers got their redemption Friday evening, defeating Eastland 13-5 to win a regional championship. After falling in the regional final a year ago, this was a big goal for the Steamers.

"Last year we made it to this spot and lost 3-2. It was a close game last year and this year we just kept the foot on the gas and kept moving forward," head coach Brent Dykstra said.

Things started off shaky for the Steamers, walking the leadoff hitter. A one out double for the Cougars brought in the first run of the game. Another single would bring the score to 2-0 going into the bottom half of the inning.

"They responded well. That first inning, everybody has nerves. You could see the nerves," Coach Dykstra said.

The Steamers weren't fazed however as pitcher Drew Dykstra got the job done offensively, slapping a solo shot to cut the lead in half.

"That was a major spark that got that inning going." Coach Dykstra said.

"It was huge. Giving up those two runs in that first inning was not the greatest start to things but the home run got the whole team off of their feet and it got me out of my nerves," pitcher Drew Dykstra said.

Fulton wasn't done in the first inning either as first baseman Ian Wiebenga got into one, launching a two-run homerun to give the Steamers an early 3-2 lead.

"I think once we came back and smoked the ball in the bottom of the first, that made our boys just relax and realize this game is a fun game," Coach Dykstra said.

Dykstra become much more comfortable on the mound in the second inning, and it was a major difference, striking out the side to send his team back up to the plate.

"That helped the boys relax and realize that they belong here. I've never had doubts that they didn't belong here," Coach Dykstra said.

The offense picked up where it left off in the second inning, with back-to-back singles giving the Steamers two runners on with nobody out. Jacob Jones came to the plate and made it count, launching a three-run home run over the wall to extend the lead to four.

"I've been in a little bit of a slump these last few games. That second at bat I wasn't expecting it. It just hit the right spot and I knew right away that it was gone," Jones said.

"Jake is an animal. He can feed off of his emotions. Some kids shy away from their emotions, but he builds off of his emotions. He's a captain, he's leader and he's definitely one of the guys on the team that gets that ball moving." Coach Dykstra said.

Dykstra continued to deal, striking out five batters over the next two innings to keep his team ahead 6-2.

"Things settled down and were back to normal, which led to me getting back into my groove," Dykstra said.

The Steamers added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth with Wiebenga hitting an RBI single into shallow right field to bring the lead to five. Davis Ludin got in on the action with a two RBI double to make it 9-2.

"You can't ask for anything more from your offense when you're on the mound." Dykstra said.

"I thought the ball would be dead, but they were smoking the ball. They were being patient at the plate and waiting for the pitch they could drive and that's what they did," Coach Dykstra said.

The Cougars loaded the bases in the fifth inning and made it count, scoring three runs to bring them back within four.

The Steamers would get some much-needed insurance in the sixth inning with Ludin once again bring in two, this time a single. A costly error by the Cougars brought in two more runs giving them a 13-5 lead going into the final inning.

"I'm never happy with a small lead. I always want a ten-run lead. Getting those runs in that inning was great," Coach Dykstra said.

Jones came in to close the game for the Steamers, giving up two base runners but not allowing a single run as Fulton clinched their regional championship.

"We've come a long way. Freshman year we only had two wins, last year we came up short, and this year we got what we wanted." Jones said.

Fulton advances to the sectional semifinals on Wednesday, May 25 at 6:30 in Lena, Illinois.

"Our is to hit like this. This our best game we've played all year. We hit phenomenally and only had an error. We scored thirteen runs in a regional championship and it's really easy to gain momentum off of that." Jones said.