Van-Far baseball had been nowhere near a district championship game since it won a title in 2018.
On Wednesday in Mexico to conclude the Class 2 District tournament hosted by Silex, the Indians defeated Sturgeon 12-6 to win a district title and their ninth game following six combined victories in the previous four years.
Van-Far (9-13) fell behind Sturgeon (9-11) 2-0 after the second inning but started chipping away until it held a lead as big as six runs. In the fourth inning, the Indians took their first lead after senior Gage Gibson (who has played all four years) bunted a two-strike, two-out pitch to score the tying run and then Carson Huff put them ahead with a two-RBI single.
Most of the other Van-Far runs were scored via plays at the plate on either bunts, steals of home or wild pitches. The Indians stole 17 bases, led by Slade Keller's three and two each from Reece Culwell, Huff, Gibson, Bransen Salmon and Ronnie Stanich.
Malik Douglas was 3-for-5 with three RBI, Gibson (2-for-4) and Huff each had two RBI, Tyson Douglas was 2-for-3 with a RBI, and Culwell had a RBI.
Culwell pitched six innings with with eight hits, seven strikesouts, five earned runs and two walks.
Van-Far plays the winner of District 6 champion Schuyler County (18-6) on Monday.
Look for the full story on the Mexico Ledger website on Friday, May 17, 2024.
