The last undefeated team in Iowa proved too tough for the Lone Tree Lion baseball team (18-10 overall) Tuesday evening in Fairfield. As heard on AM and FM KCII and KCIIRadio.com, the Lions competed in the Class 1A Subdistrict 5 championship game versus the top ranked Van Buren Warriors (29-0 overall). The Warriors jumped on the Lions’ pitchers early in the championship clash, advancing to the state tournament with an 8-1 victory.

After Lone Tree went scoreless in the top of the first inning, Van Buren’s Garrett Saunders led off the bottom half of the inning with a single, coming around to score on an RBI putout by Robert Barker for a 1-0 advantage. Lone Tree responded in the top of the second inning with their lone run of the game. Senior Travis Gillham got aboard with a one-out double, and came around to score one batter later on a single by sophomore Ross Swinton, tying the game at 1-1. The final five and half innings belonged to Van Buren.

Three runs came across to score in the bottom of the second, helping Van Buren regain the lead 4-1. After two Lion runners were stranded on the base paths in the top of the third, Van Buren added another run in the bottom of the third. A lead off double by junior Robert Barker turned into the Warriors’ fifth run of the game on an RBI double by Brandon Plecker. The final three runs came in the bottom of the fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by senior Will Mertens, ballooning the Van Buren lead to 8-1.

The teams traded scoreless fifth and sixth innings, and the Lions went down one-two-three in the top of the seventh to solidify the final score, 8-1.

Lone Tree senior Erik Murry receives the loss in his final high school athletic competition. Murry allowed five runs on four hits, walking one batter and striking out three in two and one thirds innings pitched.

Lone Tree’s baseball season ends with an 18-10 overall record. The Lions lose six seniors to graduation including: Murry, Gillham, Nick Viner, Ty Schillerstrom, Zach Shalla, and Drake Dauber.