Gold takes down Black in Game 1 of the Black & Gold World Series
It’s that time of the fall baseball season again. The annual Iowa Baseball Black & Gold World Series got underway at Duane Banks Field. The Gold team coached by Sean McGrath and Mitch Boe defeated the Black team coached by Rick Heller and Marty Sutherland 7-2 in Game 1.
Both pitching staffs will tell you that they didn’t have their best stuff, but when Gold needed a big pitch to get out of a jam, they were able to get it. That ended up being the story of the game. Black left eight runners on base in the seven innings.
“The Gold team got out of same jams. The story today was, the opportunities Black had to score, they just didn’t get it done,” said head coach Rick Heller.
Anthony Watts got the start on the mound for gold team, but was quickly trailing after just two batters in the bottom of the first. Michael Seegers reached base in the leadoff spot with a lofted single into left center field on a 3-2 count. Raider Tello followed with a 105 mph double into the gap to score Seegers and make it 1-0 Black. Watts got out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts and things went south from there for the Black team.
Marcus Morgan allowed two hits and issued two walks in the first two innings, but tallied three strikeouts to keep Gold off the board. In the top of the third, with a runner on first, Sam Petersen torched one over the batters eye in centerfield to give Gold a 2-1 lead. 106 mph exit velocity and 430 feet. The ball was crushed.
Things piled up quickly for Black in the fourth inning. Justin Hackett began the inning on the mound, but came out of the game after allowing two hits and a walk. Gable Mitchell extended the lead for Gold with an RBI single on a 3-2 count. Jack Young came on from the bullpen, but Gold used power to extend their lead. Young delivered the first pitch of his outing and Sam Petersen deposited it beyond the left field wall for a three-run home run to make it 6-1 Gold. Blake Guerin added a 416-foot solo home run two batters later to make it 7-1.
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On the pitching side of things, Jack Whitlock, Caleb Strack and Zach Voelker combined for 4.2 innings to finish off the win, but it wasn’t without a bit of drama. In the sixth inning, Black tried to mount a rally against Caleb Strack. Reese Moore singled to get on base and Connor Hennings followed with a single of his own, but it snuck past Sam Petersen in centerfield, which allowed Moore to score, cutting the lead to 7-2. A pair of walks loaded the bases, but when Gold needed a big out, they got it. Strack struck out Jaixen Frost to end the inning and Zach Voelker got the final three outs in the seventh inning.
“Black team had an opportunity to come back in the sixth and didn’t get a two out hit with the bases loaded,” said Heller. “Thought Caleb Strack competed and that was good to see.”
For Black, Michael Seegers reached base three times, including two walks, while Raider Tello had a hit and a walk in his two at-bats. Sam Petersen led the way for Gold, going 3/4 with two home runs and five RBI’s.
Up Next, is Game 2 of the Black & Gold World Series. Gold will try to clinch the series with a win, while Black will look to force a decisive Game 3 on Thursday. First pitch is set for 2:30pm at Duane Banks Field.
