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’Cats rally in final at bat, WCHS baseball drops first game in three weeks

Lynx dip into a tie with Clear Lake at top of NCC?standings

HUMBOLDT — Smooth sailing turned into choppy waters in a matter of seven innings.

And just like that, the Webster City baseball team finds itself in a dogfight in the North Central Conference.

The Lynx found themselves climbing uphill Wednesday night and not even a seventh-inning rally could save them in a 7-6 league loss to Humboldt.

WCHS (9-2, 5-1 NCC) fought back from a 4-1 deficit to take a 6-4 lead after its last at bat, but the Wildcats (8-8, 4-2 NCC) had the answer with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull off the upset.

Cade Witzke smacked a walk-off RBI single off Lynx reliever Caleb Olson to seal his team’s win.

The loss pushed WCHS back into a tie at the top of the conference standings with Clear Lake. But head coach Adison Kehoe says there’s no reason to get too frustrated.

“It was bound to happen because we are far from a finished product,” he said. “It’s a long, long season … We’ll be OK.”

Max Hackbarth got the start on the mound for the Lynx and worked into the seventh inning. He was touched for eight hits and six earned runs; he entered the contest with just two earned runs given up on the season.

It was the first time that WCHS lost a game Hackbarth started since June 16, 2016, against Boone, a span of 13 consecutive outings. Hackbarth issued six walks and struck out seven.

“In his eyes and standards, he didn’t have his (best) stuff,” Kehoe said of Hackbarth. “Things happen sometimes.”

Hackbarth didn’t factor into the decision. He has won 10 straight games since his last loss to Boone nearly two years ago.

Humboldt put its first two batters on base in the seventh before Kehoe made the switch to Olson. Reese DeWinter greeted Olson with a two-run triple to knot the game at 6 and Witzke hit a line shot to end it.

WCHS put up five runs in the top of the seventh and appeared to take control.

The Lynx finished with nine hits. Hackbarth and Cameron Moen both went 2 for 3, while Romel Martinez and Nick Hackbarth both smacked a double. Olson, Jordan Tanner and Dylan Steen added singles.

Martinez, Moen and Austin Lampman all drove in one run.

Humboldt 7, Webster City 6

Wednesday at Humboldt

Web City 010 000 5 — 6 9 0

Humboldt 003 001 3 — 7 7 4

Max Hackbarth, Caleb Olson (7) and Jordan Tanner. Cade Witzke, Jacob Thurm (7) and Isaac Thurm. W — J. Thurm. L — Olson. 2B — WC: Romel Martinez, Nick Hackbarth; HUM: Owen Newton, J. Thurm. 3B — HUM: Reese DeWinter. Multiple hits — WC: M. Hackbarth, Cameron Moen; HUM: Sawyer Savery (3). RBI — WC: Martinez, Moen, Austin Lampman; HUM: J. Thurm (2), DeWinter (2), I. Thurm, Witzke.

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