Cyclone BB Rallies to Beat KC Behind Heese Homer, 6-4

Harlan Community's Brett Heese (6-3-24)

Cyclone BB Rallies to Beat KC Behind Heese Homer, 6-4 -

(6-3-24) – The offense needed a spark. They got it and roared to victory.

Down 4-0 in the 6th, Harlan Community 1st baseman Brett Heese blasted a 2-run homer to ignite a 6-run inning that became a 6-4 win over Kuemper Catholic Monday.

“(I was) just looking for a fastball and adjust to an off-speed pitch,” Heese told KNOD Sports about his blast. “I saw the left fielder coming in a little shallow, and then I saw him sprinting back so I thought it was a little shallower than what it was, and then Coach (Dillon) Sears at first base was just freaking out. He just said ‘Hell of a hit!’ Then I looked at the umpire and he's just putting it up in a circle.”

It capped a 3-4 day for Heese… and led Harlan Community to a much needed come-from-behind win.

“We needed that,” said Cyclone Coach Heath Stein. “It was good as see balls on the barrel again and Brett had three great swings tonight. Obviously, the two-run blast really got us going.

Heese’s homer kicked off a wild chain of events that led the Cyclones to the win. Colton Schneider singled then Gavin Bruck was hit by a pitch to give them runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. After a fly out by pinch hitter Cade Nelson, Weston Reisz drilled a shot to right center that one hopped the wall. But because the runners had to hold to make sure it wasn’t caught, only pinch runner Hagen Sorensen scored, leaving Bruck at 2nd and Reisz and 1st with the deficit down to one, and knocking Knights starter Mason Knerl out of the game.

Then things REALLY got weird!

Leadoff hitter Landon Kaufman worked a walk from reliever Max Schon to load the bases for Cade Sears. But during the at bat, Schon balked, forcing in the tying run.

Kuemper Catholic elected to intentionally walk Sears for a second time in the game and reload the bases with just one out for Hayden Soma. The first pitch Soma saw ended up in his side for another hit by pitch, bringing in Reisz with the go-ahead run. Quinn Koesters, batting for the 2nd time in the inning, was then hit with the very next pitch to bring in Kaufman with an insurance run.

Starter Braydon Ernst got into trouble in the 7th, but left the tying run stranded at 1st with a strikeout to end the game. Ernst gave up just one earned run and struck out 4 to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Heese has worked hard at focusing at the plate and it’s paid off so far early on. He’s now tied for the team lead with a .370 average and 9 RBI.

“Just looking for fastballs and then adjusting on off speed pitches, and then just try and hit the ball as hard as you can.

Stein likes the approach Heese has had this season.

“Consistent work ethic. I think he's been going through it a little bit prior to tonight as well, like a lot of our guys have, but it's a long season like we talked about there gonna be ups and downs.

“Hitting is the hardest thing to do in sports. So you're going to go through it sometimes and you just need to trust yourself, trust your approach and your swing and just keep working through everything.”

Heese’s hitting couldn’t have come at a better time for a Cyclone offense that’s struggled at the plate, according to Stein.

“For the first five innings, we're kind of going through a lot of what we've been going through and not being able to string together hits and finding ways to get pressure. Those games are tough to win when you can't get on that guy and then a call doesn't go your way and things kind of spiral. But the boy stayed with it, stayed gritty, and put together a heck of a comeback.”

The Cyclones were dealt with a controversial call in the 4th when interference was ruled by the umpire resulting in a double play. The Cyclones had Soma reach on his 1st hit by pitch and inserted courtesy runner Hagen Sorenson to run for him. Koesters then grounded to short where Benicio Lujano flipped the ball to John Boes for the force. But because Sorenson didn’t slide, the umpire ruled he interfered with the play called Koesters out at first as a result, despite that fact that a throw to 1st base wasn’t even attempted.

Despite the dispute, Harlan Community was still able to gain the victory and improve to 8-3 on the year while Kuemper Catholic fell to 3-7.

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