LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL: HYR Intermediate 50/70 wins Central Region title

Josh Cook, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·3 min read

Jul. 22—ANKENY, Iowa. — The Highlander Youth Recreation Intermediate 50/70 All-Star team is headed to the World Series.

HYR earned that trip with a 4-3 win over Daniel Boone from Columbia, Mo. in the Central Region Tournament final Thursday night in Ankeny, Iowa.

HYR advances to the World Series, which is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 7 in Livermore, Calif.

To take home the trophy from the 10-team, modified double-elimination tournament, HYR had to win back-to-back games Thursday.

First, it beat host Johnston (Iowa) 13-2 in five innings in a revenge game in the losers' bracket final. Then, it outlasted Daniel Boone in the winner-take-all final last night.

Johnston (Iowa) blasted HYR 14-4 Tuesday to hand the latter its first loss of the postseason. HYR avenged that loss Thursday by tallying 12 runs in the first three innings and thanks to a strong start from Jakob Reed on the mound.

Jaxon Stone and Nolan Kennedy led the way for HYR at the plate. Stone went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs while scoring three times. Kennedy was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.

HYR, which benefitted from 11 walks, also received a pair of RBIs from Blake Wisman while Preston Didat touched home four times and Parker Pennington twice.

That was more than enough for Reed, who allowed two earned runs on six hits while walking three and striking out nine in the complete-game victory.

In the championship game HYR faced Daniel Boone, which had won its first three games of the tournament by a combined score of 34-13.

Daniel Boone exhibited that offense in the bottom of the second inning, when it scored three runs off of Didat to take the early lead.

In the top of the fifth inning, though, HYR scored four times to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

In that frame, Crew Neely drew a leadoff walk. He scored two batters later on Bo Kahl's RBI-double. Stone followed with a single to put runners on first and third with one out.

That brought up Didat, who delivered. He promptly launched a pitch over the fence for a three-run homer.

That proved to be all the offense HYR would need, but Daniel Boone made it very interesting.

Boone began the bottom of the fifth with three straight singles. After the third of those, Boone had a baserunner thrown out at home.

Then with two outs and runners on second and third, Didat recorded an inning-ending strikeout.

Didat earned the win on the mound.

He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits while walking only one and striking out 10 over six innings.

Pennington came on in the seventh and struck out the first batter he faced. He induced the next hitter into a groundout before getting the ensuing one into a game-ending flyout.

That set off a celebration and an on-the-field dogpile by the HYR players.

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CENTRAL REGION TOURNAMENT

Thursday at Ankeny, Iowa

Losers' bracket final

HYR 13, JOHNSTON (IOWA) 2

HYR 273 01 — 13 8 0

Johnston 011 00 — 2 6 2

W — Jakob Reed. L — Ahvyance T. 2B — Nolan Kennedy (HYR), Jaxon Stone (HYR), Preston Didat (HYR).

Championship game

HYR 4, MISSOURI 3

HYR 000 040 0 — 4 11 2

Missouri 030 000 0 — 3 6 0

W — Didat. L — Colton N. 2B — Bo Kahl (HYR). HR — Didat (HYR).