How does the saying go? It’s like déjà vu all over again. Sadly, for the Hastings Hawks, that is exactly what it was. The last five seasons, the Hawks have made solid runs in the year end tournament in an attempt to reach the state tournament, falling in the final game each time. This year, it was on Thursday, August 8 at the bats of Elko, 12-4 after a crazy come from behind, 5-4 win against New Market just two days prior.
The game at home against New Market was much more challenging for Hastings than expected. The younger players struggled to adjust to the slower pitching speeds, and it took a leap of faith by manager Shawn Matson in the eighth to wake up the bats. The energy had been sucked out of fans and players alike, and the Hawks looked finished, trailing 4-0 with only six outs to work with. But on a warm night at Veterans Park, they turned a quiet game into a raucous comeback, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth to stun the New Market Muskies 5-4.
For seven innings, the Hawks’ offense was kept quiet by New Market starter Andy Henkemeyer, who worked efficiently, scattered a few singles, and avoided any real trouble. Meanwhile, the Muskies built their lead one steady inning at a time, scratching out runs in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Adam Weed was a constant headache, collecting three hits, including a double and two triples, while Dalton Kesti’s three-hit night and stolen bases added pressure.
The Hawks had their chances early but could not cash in, stranding runners in the first, fourth, and sixth. Henkemeyer’s mix of off-speed pitches and location kept Hastings from stringing hits together, and through six innings the scoreboard painted a grim picture for the home fans.
Reece Cox started on the mound for Hastings, working four and one third innings and striking out eight, but New Market made contact when it mattered, plating two runs with sacrifice flies and timely hits. Jordan Jeske took over in the fifth, steadied things, and kept the Hawks within reach, striking out five in four and two thirds’ innings of relief.
The turning point came in the eighth. Down 4-0, the Hawks sent a plethora of veterans to the plate as pinch hitters, starting with Jordy Horsch, and he immediately sparked life with a sharp single. Nolan Drossel hit a sacrifice fly to advance Horsch to second and Jason Greeder singled up the middle to put runners on the corners.
Max Kaplan followed with a booming triple to right center, breaking the shutout and putting the Hawks on the board 4-2. Jack Seleski then singled to make it 4-3, and suddenly the Muskies’ defense began to wobble. A throwing error and a pair of miscues in the infield allowed Cory Wolters and Cole Benson to reach, and Taylor Pagel’s pinch hit single tied the game at four. Griffin DiTeodoro then lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home the go ahead run, capping the five-run outburst and sending the dugout into chaos. Jeske closed the door in the ninth, working around a leadoff single and getting the final out on a grounder to short.
Kaplan’s two extra base hits and two RBIs led the charge, while Seleski, Greeder, Wolters, Pagel and Horsch each chipped in clutch hits in the decisive inning. The Hawks finished with 10 hits overall, a balanced effort that looked unlikely just an inning earlier. For Hastings, the win was a gritty reminder that no lead is safe, and no game is over until the last out. It was the kind of comeback that keeps fans buzzing as they walk to their cars, talking about that inning for the rest of the summer.
What made the eighth inning so electric was not just the hits, but the timing. Up to that point, Hastings had managed only scattered singles from Drossel and Johnny Teigland, with no sustained pressure. Henkemeyer had thrown first pitch strikes to 70 percent of the batters he faced, forcing the Hawks to hit his pitches rather than work counts. When the lineup turned over for the third time, Hastings finally began squaring him up.
Horsch’s leadoff single was more than just a baserunner, it was the first time the Hawks put the ball in play hard to the opposite field, forcing the Muskies to adjust their positioning. Kaplan’s triple was a laser, the kind of hit that clears the bases in most parks, and it sent a ripple of energy through the stands. Seleski’s single came after fouling off two tough pitches, a battle that seemed to rattle Henkemeyer for the first time all night.
Errors by New Market’s infielders compounded the trouble. A hurried throw from Gabe Bombadier sailed wide loaded the bases with one out, eventually haunting the Muskies. Wolters’ speed on his bunt put two runners on, and Pagel’s hit through the middle tied it. Jeske’s work in relief should not be overlooked. Entering with one out in the fifth and two runners on, he induced a fielder’s choice and a strikeout to end the threat. Over the next four innings, he scattered five hits but allowed just one run, keeping the deficit from growing too large. His final inning was vintage late game poise, a leadoff hit, a sacrifice bunt, and then two routine outs to finish the job. Defensively, Hastings played sharp behind their pitchers, committing just one error, and they held New Market to 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. That efficiency kept the door cracked open for the offense to finally break through.
The game’s pace shifted dramatically in that eighth inning. Before it, New Market seemed in full control, their dugout loose, their fans already talking about the next round. After it, the Hawks had flipped the script completely, the Muskies left to wonder how a four-run lead had slipped away in just 20 minutes of baseball.
For the Hawks’ faithful, it was one of those nights that proves why you stick around until the end, even when the game seems out of reach. The crack of Kaplan’s bat on that triple, the scramble of runners circling the bases, and the sudden realization that the lead was within reach all came together in a rush of baseball drama that will be remembered well past the box score.
The stat line tells the basics, Hastings scored all five runs in one inning, collected 10 hits, and stranded seven runners. But the feel of it, the way the momentum shifted so suddenly, is what made it special. For a team that had been stifled most of the night, the eruption of offense felt like a dam breaking.
Jeske earned the win, Henkemeyer took the loss, and for the Hawks, the victory was about as satisfying as they come. Not every comeback is built on a single big swing, sometimes it is a string of hits, a few defensive lapses by the opponent, and the right guys in the right spots at the right time. On this night, Hastings had all of that, and it added up to a thrilling 5-4 win that kept their season moving forward.
It was proof that baseball’s best moments often hide in the late innings, waiting for the patient and the persistent to find them. And for the Hawks, who had looked out of sync for most of the game, it was the perfect time to rediscover their rhythm.
Sadly, the magic of Tuesday night’s come from behind win was not carried over to the game against Elko. Elko again sent former major leaguer Jake Petricka to the mound to stifle the Hawks and once again, Hastings was unable to score enough runs off the 37-year-old. The Hawks bats were not silent, tagging Patricka for ten hits and four runs, but it was not enough to overcome the five home runs by Elko who scored 12 to advance to the state tournament and end the Hawks season once again, one game short.
With the move to Class A this year, there were a lot of questions early on. How would a smaller town team with a focus on local players make the two class jump as the team with the fewest ranking points, 39, do against teams that have up to 525 ranking points.
The answer was, they did well, going 11-17 overall, 2-4 in league play and 5-9 in regular season Section 1A action. The new section has 10 teams including perennial powerhouses like St. Patrick, Dundas, Elko, Rochester and Miesville. Section 1A is the toughest section in the state and of the 10 teams, four Section 1A teams go to state. Hastings made impressions on multiple section foes this year causing opposing managers to send their top roster to the field to take on a tough Hawks lineup.
This was not the Hawks year, but it was a fun year for those involved with two great cores of players, young and old, joining forces with a common goal. Hopefully, the same guys return next year with the young guns getting another year of college baseball under their belts, the Hawks are poised to make noise going forward and Section 1A is hearing them loud and clear.