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Aidan Dierks -
Carter Hanson
The MCC Rebel Baseball team traveled to Yankee Field in Milroy to take on the Adrian Area Dragons in an elimination game in the losers bracket of Section 3a playoffs. The Rebels beat the Dragons twice in the regular season and were hoping to make it three games in a row to advance in the playoffs. The Rebels sent Dylan Kluis to the mound to face Keagan Polzine in a great pitching matchup.
Kluis got off to a great start, retiring the first six batters in order. The game was tied 0-0 heading to the top of the third inning. With one out in the inning, Keagan Polzine singled, as would Jackson Jenniges. Kluis got Kunkel to strike out for the second out of the inning. Travis Wiess stepped to the plate, and on a 3-2 pitch he singled to right field, scoring the first run of the game. In the top of the 6th inning, a slow roller to shortstop would begin the Dragon’s inning. A high chopper up the middle bounced off Kluis on the mound, then off Meyer at second base to put runners at first and third. Caleb Wolf hit a clean single to left field to drive in the second Dragons run of the game. That would be the Dragons final run.
Keagen Polzine dominated the Rebels. The senior for the Dragons was pitching for his career and though he walked his fair share of Rebels, he would only allow a pair of hits. Dylan Kluis singled in the first inning and Teague Meyer singled up the middle as well, on a ball that would hit Polzine in the leg. The Rebels struggled to hit any ball square with any sort of force and the Dragons beat the Rebels 2-0, ending the MCC season.
The Rebels had a terrific season, winning 12 games and finishing as the top seeded team in the south subsection. They beat every team in the Red Rock Conference, but picked the wrong time to go cold at the plate. MCC struggled to score throughout the playoffs, as the middle of the order struggled to drive in baserunners and the bottom of the order didn’t get on base enough to turn the order over. The Rebels will return all but four players next season. Aidan Dierks, Owen Gillette, Jesse Kline, and Wyatt Loosbrock played their final games as Rebels this past Thursday night. The Rebels will bring back some great talent and all of their top pitchers, but they will need to take a step forward to improve on this season and get better.
