(Carroll, IA) Underwood baseball took down Unity Christian 3-1 in the 2A State Baseball Tournament quarterfinals.
Unity Christian took the lead right out of the gate with a one-run lead in the top of the first inning. However, the lead didn’t last long as Underwood fired back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Garrett Luett was the standout player for the Eagles in this contest and did everything he could to help his team win. Luett got the win on the mound throwing all seven innings, allowing one earned run, and tallied 11 strikeouts. In the batter’s box, Luett also led the way for Underwood with a two-run triple in the bottom of the second to give Underwood the lead and the win.
Underwood will now take on the Chariton Chargers who come into this contest with a record of 25-4. The South Central Conference champions took down the likes of Van Meter and Pleasantville on their route to the state tournament semifinal and haven’t lost a game since June 3. The Chargers are a stout team with the stick, batting .328 as a team this season, and score eight runs per game. Chariton is led by a few upperclassmen who all boast very solid stats and have six players who have over 20 RBIs on the season.
Both Underwood and Chariton rank in the top ten for team batting average in class 2A with Underwood ranking third and Chariton ranking sixth. Underwood is led by Luett in the batter’s box, who leads the team in hits and RBIs. Chariton is led by a plethora of players with senior Mason Smith leading the team in hits with 44 and senior Kasyn Paige leading the team in RBIs with 32.
Underwood is trying to make it back to the state title game and Chariton is having its best season since 2013, when they lost to Clear Lake in the 3A state tournament quarterfinal.
Underwood will take on Chariton today at 4:30 at Merchant’s Park in Carroll.
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