Litchfield scored three runs in the top of the eighth, then survived a Southwest Christian rally in the bottom of the inning for an 8-7 win Tuesday in the Section 5AA tournament at Fritz Field in Cologne.
The Dragons, 9-11 overall and seeded ninth, will play fourth-seeded Rockford in the winner’s bracket quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Rockford. Top-seeded Southwest Christian, 13-5 overall, falls to the elimination bracket, where it will meet fifth-seeded Providence Academy.
Litchfield trailed 5-0 after the third inning, but just when things began to look bleak, the Dragons rallied, getting four runs in the fifth, then tying things up at 5-5 with a run in the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
The game, Litchfield coach Jeff Wollin said, “felt like a play with three different acts. There was no shortage of drama ….”
Caden Besemer started on the mound for Litchfield, departing after giving up four runs in the first two innings. Owen Carlson pitched 5 2/3 innings of “sterling relief” before tiring in the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when Besemer, who moved to third base after leaving the mound, returned to the mound with two outs and bases loaded in the eighth to strike out the last Southwest Christian hitter and preserve the Dragons’ win.
Carlson got the win on the mound, having allowed three runs and four hits during his stellar relief appearance. Besemer recorded the unusual save, having pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and six hits.
Six players — Hunter Schultz, Winky Estrada, Beau Weseloh, Connor Taber, Anthony Estrada and Calvin Jones — had one hit each for Litchfield. Anthony Estrada drove in two runs, while Schultz and Bauer Wahl both scored two runs.
