It was a hyped 4 seed vs 5 seed matchup as the Sabers of Central DeWitt battled the Go-Hawks of Waverly-Shell Rock.

Both teams earned their right to be at Duane Banks Field but right from the get-go, it was the Sabers to claim early momentum, such momentum that they would not relinquish. Central DeWitt captured at least one hit in every inning while sporting at least one runner in scoring position across all five innings of action. Along with that, Central DeWitt scored at least one in every inning against a Go-Hawk squad known for it’s pitching and defense. Waverly-Shell Rock’s Chance Key (92 K’s) led one of the strongest pitching staffs in the class and he had perhaps his roughest outing of the season going a season-low three innings of work. With that, he allowed eight hits and was credited with three earned runs. He did toss three strikeouts in his outing.

Overall, the Sabers collected their fifth state tournament win in program history on the heels of 11 hits while playing errorless ball. Eight Saber bats collected one hit with freshman outfielder Kyle Bixby collecting three of the eight RBI in the outing.

On the mound, Boomer Johnson, in his second state tournament start, wowed the crowd with his nine strikeouts and just three hits allowed through five innings pitched. He even recorded the final three straight outs to secure the win and send the Sabers onto the state semi-final for the third time in program history.

The Sabers now improve their record to 24-15 and will face the winner of ADM and Marion. Meanwhile, the 7th state tournament appearance for the Go-Hawks of Waverly-Shell Rock ends short of a title as they now rest at 33-8.