Warhawks bow out to top-ranked Knights

     The 2019 baseball season came to an end for the West Fork Warhawks with Saturday night’s 11-2 loss to the No. 1-rated Mason City Newman Catholic Knights in a Class 1A district title contest.

     Newman Catholic raised its record to 34-3 with the win and advanced to play Newell-Fonda (17-14) in the sub-state final Tuesday evening at Algona.

     West Fork wrapped up its campaign with a 22-9 slate.

     Newman Catholic, which earned a 12-2 regular season win at West Fork on July 10 — took control of Saturday’s battle in the opening inning, bunching together six hits off starting pitcher Lukas Wogen to put eight runs on the board.

     Leadoff batter Josh Fitzgerald keyed the uprising with a pair of extra-base hits — a double to left-center and a two-run homer to right.

     The Warhawks came back to chase home both of their tallies in the top of the second.

     Sophomore Kayden Ames grounded a single to right off pitcher Evan Paulus. A misplay by the Knights’ right fielder on the play allowed Ames to race all the way to third base. He then came home on a wild pitch.

     West Fork tacked on an unearned run to conclude the frame, aided by a walk, a wild pitch and a Newman Catholic infield error.

     The Knights loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the second before Wogen quelled the scoring threat by slipping a called third strike past Doug Taylor.

     Dylan Schlader reached on an infield hit with two out in the Warhawk fourth, before Paulus got out of that inning with a strikeout.

     The Knights built their lead to 11-2, putting together three hits to score three times in the bottom of the fifth. Jacob Schutt had the key hit of that frame — a run-scoring single just inside the left field line.

     West Fork put runners on base in each of the last two innings, but was unable to advance either of them past first base.

     The Warhawks finished with four hits in the contest, one each by Ames, Trey Pfeffer, Kyle Rooney and Schlader.

      Wogen, who took the loss, and relief pitcher Mitchell Halloran combined to allow 10 hits and seven walks and struck out six.

     Saturday’s game closed out the West Fork baseball careers of seniors Halloran, Wogen, Rooney, Jesse Chibambo and Pfeffer.