Aug. 15—MITCHELL — It has been a long time coming for the Hartford/Humboldt Wood Ducks.
For the first time in program history, the Wood Ducks are headed to the Class B state amateur baseball tournament semifinals. H/H punched its ticket to the final four Friday night with an 11-6 victory over perennial powerhouse Canova at Cadwell Park, continuing what has become a remarkable postseason run.
"Honestly, it's huge," Hartford/Humboldt player JJ Jesson said following the win. "I have to give credit to our manager Jacob Ellens. He has been toying with the lineup, especially here at the end of the year. Everything seems to be clicking for us. This season has been amazing. The best I have ever been a part of."
The Wood Ducks (19-6-1) will face Clark at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Mitchell with a spot in Sunday's state championship game on the line.
Now, through three tournament victories, Hartford/Humboldt has outscored its opponents 29-9 and have also won nine of their last 10 games, including their last five.
But Friday's quarterfinal matchup with Canova was anything but easy early on. The two teams were deadlocked at 1-all through four innings before the Wood Ducks' offense erupted in the top of the fifth.
Hartford/Humboldt scored six runs in the inning, with Brody Jacobson delivering a two-RBI single to left field and Jesson adding an RBI single to help give the Wood Ducks a commanding 7-1 advantage.
Canova answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the deficit to 7-3. Jesson quickly put a stop to any thoughts of a comeback. Leading off the sixth, Jesson launched a solo home run over the right-field scoreboard, extending Hartford/Humboldt's lead to 8-3.
"I saw him (Canova's Luke Koepsell) warming up and I could see it out of his hand," Jesson said. "I knew if I got an off-speed pitch, I was gonna sit on it, and he threw it. I just happened to put a good swing on it."
But Canova refused to go quietly. The Gang scored three times in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Kendall Gassman, bringing the score to 8-6 and creating another tense moment for the Wood Ducks.
Hartford/Humboldt starter Drew Eldeen had opened the inning by allowing the first two batters to reach, prompting Jesson to enter in relief. Eldeen, however, had already delivered a strong performance. The winning pitcher worked seven innings, allowing five runs on just three hits while walking six and striking out five. Jesson allowed three runs in the eighth, only one of which was earned, but ultimately escaped the inning with a strikeout to keep the Wood Ducks ahead.
H/H answered with three insurance runs in the top of the ninth, restoring its five-run cushion. CJ Den Boer ripped an RBI triple before Brodie Herr followed with a two-RBI single, giving Jesson some breathing room as he returned to the mound to close out the game.
"They brought a lot of momentum into that long inning, so for us to come back and put a few runs on them was kind of the gut punch," said Wood Ducks second baseman Jacobson. "We took that momentum right back, and that's really huge in these types of games."
Jesson then finished what he started, closing out the ninth to secure the victory and earn the save. Offensively, Jesson led the way for the Wood Ducks with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. Jacobson added two hits and two RBIs, while Den Boer collected two hits, scored twice and drove in a run.
For Canova, which finished its season at 18-9, Justin Miller and Gassman each recorded a hit and two RBIs. Jared Miller took the loss after allowing three hits, three runs and three walks while striking out two batters over 4 1/3 innings. Koepsell, Jack Neises, Gassman and Justin Miller each made an appearance in relief.
Now, Hartford/Humboldt turns its attention to Clark. The Traders have been one of the tournament's hottest teams, most recently stunning the Dell Rapids Mudcats with Zach Toben's walk-off home run on Friday night before the Hartford/Humboldt-Canova game.
Jesson knows they will have their hands full. But after the way H/H handled Canova, he believes the formula for Saturday is simple.
"Honestly, I think we just need to do what we did tonight to find a way to beat Clark," Jesson said. "Just from top to bottom. We need hits. We need to play good defense and we need to play hard. They are a hot team right now, and we just need to focus on ourselves and everything will handle its own."
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