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(NewsDakota.com)–Years of frustration for Grafton baseball were finally released Sunday.
After being turned away in title games twice, including on their home field in 2010, and landing runner-up to Beulah in the high school season in May, Post 41 claimed their first state title since 1996 with a 4-1 win over Wahpeton at Townsend Field in LaMoure.
Jamie Villareal shook off early struggles to throw a complete-game one-hitter, striking out eight, while first-baseman Tom Houdek finished 3-4, driving in three Grafton runs.
Head Grafton coach Chad Kliniske outran the past near misses as he sprinted to the mound to celebrate with his team after Villareal fanned Wahpeton catcher Alex Lunneberg in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.
“When I took the job in 1998, I promised we would hang some banners,” said Kliniske. “To be honest, I feel a little guilty it took this long, but we’re happy.
Grafton entered the day with two chances at the title, standing undefeated with a 6-4 win over Wahpeton and 12-2 (5) win over Washburn Saturday. But after Wahpeton bounced back with an 11-7 (8) win over host LaMoure Saturday night, and with Wahpeton armed with two of the best arms in Tyler Grippentrog and Jeremy Bontjes, there was a sense of urgency.
That sense of urgency came to bear early, as Villareal experienced what would be his only trouble of the game in the bottom of the first. A walk issued to Lunneberg was followed by Villareal hitting Grippentrog and Bontjes with pitches, loading the bases for Wahpeton with nobody out.
Ryan Sheeley connected with a Villareal breaking pitch, sending a hard liner to center, which was caught by Austin Campbell, but also was enough to plate Lunneberg on a tag for a 1-0 Wahpeton edge.
After a strikeout of Cole Gilles, Villareal plunked Seth Meide, the fourth free pass and third hit-batsman of the inning. Wahpeton would strand the bags full, however, when Preston Kath rolled out to second.
“I had jitters right away,” said Villareal. “Once I got settled down, I was fine, but it was rough.”
Kliniske said the start by Villareal was more like last year than this one. “He did that all year last year, but this year he was dialed in right away. But he said, ‘Don’t worry coach, I got this,’ when he got in the dugout.”
Villareal indeed had it. He would face just three over the minimum the rest of the way, allowing only two runners to second, and none past it, with Gilles’ leadoff single in the fourth the lone Wahpeton hit of the day.
Grafton trailed into the fourth, then capitalized on the second of four Wahpeton errors to tie. Joe Demers drew a one-out walk, the first issued by Wahpeton starter Grippentrog. Grippentrog, attempting to check Demers at first, threw wild, with the ball drifting into the deep foul-ball area behind first base slightly unique to Townsend Field, allowing Demers to rise from a head-first dive and take two bases to third.
Houdek, who had pulled the ball weakly against Wahpeton Saturday and again to start Sunday, sent the next pitch the opposite way on a line to right for his first hit, scoring Demers and tying the game at 1-1.
Neither team found the plate again until Grafton broke the tie in the seventh, and it would be another Wahpeton error that led to the run.
Austin Markel led off the inning with a single, and was then pushed to second on Ryan Dusek’s sacrifice bunt. Grippentrog, who had walked just one batter thus far, lost Logan Thompson and Campbell back-to back, loading the bases for Grafton.
Wahpeton head coach Chris Kappes made a trip to the mound, anticipating a Grafton squeeze, which materialized when Zach Suda squared. Grippentrog threw a pitch-out, and catcher Lunneberg found Markel hung up on the break to the plate.
The play broke down, however, when, third-baseman Gilles broke toward home to cover the bunt, and shortstop Meide did not rotate to cover third base. Gilles attempted to back-pedal to cover, and Lunneberg tried to lead Gilles with a throw to get Markel.
The throw was too high, and sailed into left field. Markel stood and dashed home for the eventual winning run. After a Suda flyout and a walk to Demers, Houdek put the game out of reach with his third straight hit, plating Thompson and Campbell and giving Grafton a 4-1 lead.
Villareal hit the first man he faced in the seventh, but Grafton second-baseman Markel took a hit away from Wahpeton’s Carson Miller with a sliding stop of a grounder in short right field, throwing to first to beat a speedy Miller. Villareal then recorded his seventh and eighth strikeouts, sending Clay Bassingthwaite and Lunneberg down swinging to punctuate the win.
“I hope people learn through the media just how good he is,” said Kliniske of Villareal, who recorded two wins and a save in three appearances over four days. “He has broke some big Post 41 records, and is approaching some others, and he is only a junior.”
Grafton is now 46-5 this season. Wahpeton is 42-4, with all of their losses to teams playing for state titles. Outside of two losses to Grafton, Wahpeton has lost to Fargo Post 2, who played for the state Class “A” title today in Mandan, and Dilworth, MN, playing for Minnesota’s state “B” title.
Both teams advance to the Class “B” Central Plains Regional, hosted by Wahpeton, next week.