NORMAL — A few weeks ago, sophomore pitcher Joe Martin realized if Newark took care of business, he would be on the mound for the Class 1A state semifinals.
That advance plan came true Thursday morning as Martin and the Norsemen faced Father McGivney at Illinois State University’s Duffy Bass Field.
Martin walked out of the dugout for the first inning and took in the scene.
“It’s a big game,” Martin said. “Look at the crowd. It’s packed. You just have to figure out how to control yourself, relax. I was doing my best to stay calm.
“The whole town was here. When you have a small town like this, everybody wants to come down.”
The Norseman got what they wanted, with Martin holding off Father McGivney for four innings. A three-run fifth inning erased an early deficit, however, and the Griffins kept adding on for a 5-1 victory.
Newark (26-2) played at 4 p.m. Thursday in the third-place game against the loser of the other semifinal between Farina South Central and Mount Pulaski.
The right-handed Martin (7-1) ended up allowing four runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
“Joe pitched his butt off,” Newark coach Josh Cooper said. “He held a team that is averaging over 10 runs a game to four.
“Holding a really good offensive team to five runs is not a bad job. We just didn’t score any runs. Hat’s off to them. They hit the ball well and had great pitching. We just fell a little short.”
Junior shortstop Tegan Kruser got Newark (26-2) off to a quick start, however.
He jumped on the first pitch from McGivney pitcher Jackson Rodgers (9-0) and rapped a double to right-center to lead off the bottom of the first.
“He was throwing with good speed,” Kruser said. “I knew if I got deep in the count it wouldn’t go too well.”
Kruser reached third on a sacrifice bunt. He was off on contact when Lucas Pasakarnis grounded out to short. The throw appeared to beat Kruser but trickled away, giving Newark a 1-0 lead.
“I was happy to get the early lead,” Martin said. “I tried to hold on to it as long as I could.”
Jake Kruser led off the second with a single, but instead of a successful bunt to move him along, Newark grounded into a double play. Ethan Jeffers followed with a double but was stranded.
“If you’re up 2-0, who knows what happens?” Cooper said.
Still, Martin kept the Norsemen in the game on the mound.
Father McGivney (31-6) eventually broke out in the fifth. The Griffins had a runner on first with two outs. Matthew Gierer doubled in Nathan Terhaar with the tying run. Two more RBI hits followed, and suddenly Newark trailed 3-1.
McGivney added runs in the sixth and seventh innings for insurance. Newark had runners on in each of the final three innings but couldn’t capitalize.
Cooper reminded the Norsemen after the loss they still had a chance to win their final game of the season and finish third in Class 1A later in the day.
“I think this sport mimics life in the best way,” Cooper said. “Not everything is going to go your way all the time. You just have to fight through it. Go out and play some ball, have fun.
“Third place sounds a lot better than fourth place.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
