Wheeler SB to Play for State Title After Another Walk-Off, 3-2

Audubon's Michelle Brooks (7-24-24)

Audubon's Jordan Porsch (7-24-24)

Wheeler SB to Play for State Title After Another Walk-Off, 3-2 -

(7-24-24) – For a team named ‘The Wheelers,’ they really seem to like to WALK it off.

Michelle Brooks 2-RBI single with one out in the 7th gave Audubon a 3-2 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the Class 2A State Semifinals Wednesday.

“I've never caught for somebody that's, you know, gone to the state finals. So, it's really cool,” said Wheelers catcher Jordan Porsch.

Porsch started the 7th inning rally with a base-hit. She then scored on an Alexis Obermeier RBI single to get the Wheelers on the board after being held to no runs and 2 hits by Rockets pitcher Lanie Batterson over the first 6 innings.

Maya King came in to pinch run for Obermeier, giving the Wheelers runners at the corners with nobody out. Lucy Stanerson, who courtesy ran for pitcher Riley Miller after a walk, was thrown out at the plate after a comeback by Addie Hocker.

A stolen base by Hocker would then set the stage for Brooks’ heroics.

“I was definitely really nervous going in,” said Brooks. “But I knew I had to settle in, not swing at the junk balls and really focus on getting a hit somewhere cause we needed the win.”

It’s the third consecutive walk-off win for Audubon and 2nd in the 2A State Tournament, their first in school history. Brooks thinks it’s obvious her team knows how to handle the pressure.

“We have a lot of comeback games, so we are kind of used to it. We took the fielding, we really had to hype ourselves up for every out because we knew it was gonna lead into our batting and we took it seriously.”

Miller kept the Wheelers in the game, going nearly pitch-for-pitch with E-B-F’s Batterson, before the Rockets were able to string together 3 consecutive hits in the 4th and plate their only two runs on a double by Aliya Wagamon. Miller would retire the final 10 batters of the contest.

Porsch loves the camaraderie she has with her young hurler Miller.

“I think we're really good team. We understand each other really well. You know, I help her, she helps me. She controls the batters and then she knows that she can trust me with the base runners, which is an insane thing to have that amount of trust because they have to get on first, but when they're on, it can be a little nerve wracking. So, to have that understanding with her is amazing.”

Porsch said her team was determined to keep their dream of a championship alive.

“We were all just like, ‘Let's go! It's now or never!’ This is the one game that's keeping us from the championship. This is one game that's keeping us from Van Meter, and we wanted to play them all year.”

Audubon will get what they wanted as they will face top-ranked Van Meter for the 2A State Title on Friday at the Harlan Rogers Sports Complex beginning at 5pm.

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