LANGDON — Sam Davis might have just had the most eventful three innings of his life.
As if tying the game with his first career home run wasn’t wild enough, he scored the walk-off run in the ninth inning on an accidental steal of home.
“I thought it was a squeeze call, but it wasn’t,” Davis said. “So I was in the wrong, but it all worked out.”
Davis, after straying way too far off third base with the bases loaded, got caught in a rundown. As Park River Area catcher Trace Anderson threw back to third, Davis made a dash for the plate. The Aggies had a chance to get him, but Anderson couldn’t corral the ball cleanly.
Davis slid in headfirst and was mobbed by his teammates. No. 1 seed Langdon Area/Munich (20-4), which trailed 3-0 after six innings, won 4-3 in nine innings over No. 2 seed Park River Area (23-6) in Thursday’s Region 4 semifinals at American Legion Field.
“Games aren’t won or lost in the first few innings. They’re won deep into the game,” LA/M head coach Josh Krivarchka said. “Just proud of our kids’ grit and effort.”
Davis said there was “definitely” a moment of panic before his ultimate triumph.
“I slid in, and [Anderson] didn’t have the ball in his glove,” Davis said with some relief.
For the first six innings, the story was Park River pitcher Jaxon Omdahl. The sophomore, a first cousin of Devils Lake’s Brodina family and one of the top prospects in the Dakotas, completely eviscerated the LA/M lineup before the seventh. He had a no-hitter through five.
That’s part of what made the Cardinals’ comeback so improbable — with Tyson Gemmill and Davis hitting back-to-back bombs to tie it at 3-3.
“You coach a lot of years of high school baseball,” Krivarchka said. “And you think you’ve seen it all. … High school kids surprise ya.”
Omdahl matched up with LA/M starter Theo Romfo. Each right-hander had been dominant in his own right this season. Omdahl came in with 42 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings, pitching to a 2.16 ERA. Romfo hadn’t allowed an earned run all season, in 22 innings.
Each team recorded just a walk and no hits through the first three innings.
Romfo, after striking out three of the first five batters he faced, didn’t record his next strikeout until the fifth inning.
Omdahl led off the fourth with the first hit of the game, and the Aggies rallied for two unearned runs. Shortstop Jax Johnson booted a potential double play ball, and a hit batsman loaded the bases with nobody out. Romfo induced a 6-4-3 double play — it scored a run, but it was about the best possible outcome in that situation.
The Aggies scratched out their second run, though, on a passed ball. A third run nearly scored on the same play, but Romfo applied a tag at the plate to end an ugly frame.
With two outs in the fifth, Park River’s No. 8 and 9 hitters — Anderson and Ben Schatz — put together a pair of hits to score a run. After 26 2/3 innings, Romfo surrendered his first earned run of the season. And now LA/M trailed 3-0, running out of time to make something happen against Omdahl.
Grady Pankratz ended the no-hit bid. But Omdahl struck out three batters to leave two runners on base in the sixth. He totaled 13 strikeouts on the afternoon and, at the time, had a one-hit shutout going.
“He was kind of pitching us backwards,” Krivarchka said. “He was doing a heck of a job up there. He threw his slider a lot to get ahead of us, and threw his fastball enough to make sure that we knew it was there.”
Romfo stranded two hits in the sixth and threw a 1-2-3 seventh to keep LA/M within striking distance. Overall, Romfo allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking three. He threw 111 pitches.
“I thought he battled,” Krivarchka said. “He said a few times he didn’t have his best stuff today, but he just kept competing.”
After Devin Hakanson drew the Cardinals’ fourth walk of the game, Gemmill cranked his second home run of the season to inject some life into the LA/M dugout. They’d hardly finished celebrating before Davis cranked one to left field — a moment of awe silencing the crowd before they watched it fly over the fence.
Davis had been 0-for-2 with two strikeouts before the swing.
“I’d been late all game,” he said. “So just trying to get early on the ball, and it worked out. … I did not think it was gonna go over the fence at first, so it was a surprise.”
All Park River could do was stare in disbelief. Omdahl exited after six-plus innings.
Noah Troftgruben pitched in relief for the Aggies. He performed a couple of magic acts to keep it tied — he got Romfo to ground out with two in scoring position in the seventh, then doubled a runner off second base in the eighth.
Johnson started the eighth inning on the mound for LA/M. But he exited after two batters with elbow soreness, going back to play shortstop before moving to first base an inning later.
So it was up to Hakanson to pitch. He had some issues locating his breaking ball but was able to get through 1 2/3 hitless innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinals loaded the bases with nobody out after a bunt single by Pankratz. It was a mental error for Park River, as nobody covered first.
Before Davis’s game-winning dash, the Cardinals had been trying and failing to get another bunt down.
So, perhaps Davis bailed them out in the end.
“We actually were gonna squeeze on the next pitch,” Krivarchka said. “And our guy at third thought it was that pitch. So sometimes the good Lord is looking out for you on certain days.”
The Cardinals, by some miracle, will now enter Friday’s championship in the driver’s seat. They’ll have two potential chances to win one game and advance to the Class B state tournament. Krivarchka noted that Johnson’s elbow problems could make the pitching situation a challenge.
“You feel like you’re in the driver’s seat, but we’ve been in this situation before,” Krivarchka said. “You’ve got to come out and find a way to win one more. We’ll battle tomorrow, and we’re excited for tomorrow, but it’s never over till you win it.”
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