The Harrisburg Woodies have done it again, claiming their second consecutive Class A state amateur baseball title with a 3-1 victory over Renner on Sunday.
Having already learned the hard way what it took to beat Renner in the Class A amateur state tournament championship game, the Harrisburg Woodies proved they could do it again. This time, they completed their championship season at 27-4.
The Woodies had already met Renner in the championship game twice before, with Renner winning in 2024 and Harrisburg answering with a 4-3 victory in last year's title game. This time, Harrisburg needed another win over their familiar opponent after falling to Renner earlier in the tournament.
Harrisburg center fielder Jack Sutton said that "Having better energy than the last time we played them was a must coming into this one. We showed up a little bit flat on Friday, but I felt like we came into this one with a lot more energy and it spoke for itself." That energy showed immediately, with Harrisburg jumping in front in the top of the first inning when Michael Oakland ripped an RBI single to score Sutton.
Harrisburg added two more runs in the second, with Sutton delivering a two-out, two-RBI double into left field to bring home J.T. Miller and Dalton Allen. With the offense establishing the lead early, Harrisburg left-handed pitcher Tanner Brown took over, working all nine innings and keeping Renner off the scoreboard until the final frame.
Brown delivered one of the defining performances of the tournament, throwing 133 pitches, including 92 strikes, while striking out 15 of the 36 batters he faced. He allowed five hits, one run, and two walks in the complete-game victory. Brown said, "My mindset was just not to walk guys. A lot of trouble happens when you walk guys, so I was just trying to get ahead and get that first strike early to keep the runners off the bags."
For eight innings, Brown and the Harrisburg defense kept Renner from finding a run. The Monarchs finally pushed a run across in the bottom of the ninth when Maddux Baggs lined an RBI double down the third-base line, scoring Renner's lone run of the afternoon. Sutton finished with four of Harrisburg's 10 hits, driving in two runs and scoring once.
The championship marks the second in Harrisburg club history, and it marks the first time since the Sioux Falls Brewers went back-to-back in 2019 and 2020 that a Class A team has repeated as state champions. Harrisburg's Dalton Lehnen was named the Class A tournament's Keith Cutler Most Valuable Player after going 10-for-22 (.455) at the plate while posting a 1.42 ERA, recording 11 strikeouts, and earning one pitching victory.
Now, Harrisburg has a chance to build something even bigger. Two straight state championships have turned the Woodies into the latest Class A dynasty, and Sunday's victory gave the program its second title while extending a remarkable run against the same opponent that has stood in its way for three consecutive championship games. Sutton believes there is no reason the run has to end here.
Source: Yahoo Sports