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Hawks, Mustangs suspended in 3rd inning, resumes this evening

PCM?led 5-4 when rain washed out game on Saturday

South Hamilton’s Lane Swenson (8) attempts to beat out a throw while avoiding getting hit by the fall during Saturday’s Class 2A District 13 quarterfinal against PCM in State Center. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

STATE CENTER — South Hamilton’s Class 2A District 13 quarterfinal baseball game against Heart of Iowa Conference rival Prairie City-Monroe got started here Saturday evening.

It just never finished.

Weather forced the suspension of the game with two outs in the bottom of the third inning. It will resume this evening at 5 p.m. on the same field. West Marshall and Colfax-Mingo will meet in the other district quarterfinal, scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.

The winners will now have a tight turnaround, as the district semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday night. Either South Hamilton or PCM will advance to face Roland-Story in Story City.

PCM (7-8) led South Hamilton, 5-4, when the dark clouds rolled in, accompanied by thunder, lightning and torrential rain.

South Hamilton’s Freddie Lewis (right) stares down PCM pitcher Beau Webb (18) as he takes his lead off third base during a Class 2A District 13 quarterfinal on Saturday in State Center. The game was suspended due to rain in the third inning. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

The Hawks (7-6), who thumped PCM twice during the regular season, got off to a fast start with three runs in the top of the first. Quinton Grove, Carter Hewitt, Cade Flaugh and Lane Swenson all touched Mustang pitcher Beau Webb for singles. Tycin Barkema drove in the first run on a ground ball and Swenson plated two with a shot into left.

But PCM countered in its

opening at bat, courtesy of a two-out, two-RBI double to left-center by Durant Van Dyke.

Hewitt smacked his second single — a rope down the line in right — in the second to plate Grove for the second time to extend South Hamilton’s edge to 4-2, but the Mustangs again answered with three runs without the ball ever leaving the infield in the bottom half. They had two hits — a bunt and dribbler — and then took advantage of two Hawk errors to move in front.

South Hamilton again had a chance to put up a crooked number in the third, but Swenson was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on an Elijah Balderas single to left. Webb also got out of a second and third jam with just one out by getting two pop-ups on the infield.

Hewitt, the Hawks’ 6-foot-5 junior southpaw, got the start on the mound and was working on his first easy inning in the third when the suspension came. Neither he nor Webb will be on the mound when the game resumes today due to the state’s pitch limit restrictions.

South Hamilton head coach Kyle Galetich speaks with a group of players during Saturday’s district game against PCM. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

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