Staley baseball is on short end of pitchers’ duel in state semifinals
Staley baseball coach David Wilson couldn’t have asked for much from his son.
Jake Wilson pitched seven superb innings, allowing one run on two hits with eight strikeouts. But, it still wasn’t quite enough, as the Falcons fell 1-0 to De Smet in a Class 5 baseball semifinal on Friday night at CarShield Field.
“He’s been unbelievable all year,” David Wilson said of his 5-foot-11 right-hander. “I think he’s given up three runs all year. He doesn’t look like your 6-foot-5 guy walking out to the mound, but he competes hard. He’s just kind of got that dirt-bag mentality.”
Jake Wilson, an Indiana State recruit, retired 13 straight batters from the third through seventh innings and allowed just two base runners in the final six innings.
“I started out a little shaky in the first and second, and then I started settling in,” he said. “I felt like I had my best stuff toward the end of the game.”
De Smet left-hander Josh Abel was also brilliant. He tossed a complete game three-hitter to punctuate three scoreless outings in the postseason.
Staley (27-6), which was seeking its second state championship appearance after finishing as the 2015 runner-up, lost for just the second time in its last 17 games and will take on Willard (29-7) for third place at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“I told them tonight there’s a lot people worse off in life than we are,” David Wilson said. “You lose a baseball game and it hurts, and it’ll hurt for a long time, but you’ve got to find a way to pick yourself back up.”
De Smet (13-13-1) jumped on top with a two-out knock in the top of the first.
Joe Dickson reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and scored on a bang-bang play at the plate on Alex Logusch’s single to left.
It proved to be the only run of the night and the only one Jake Wilson allowed all postseason.
The scoreboard had zeroes the rest of the way and that had everything to do with Abel and Wilson, as the two hurlers went toe-to-toe in a pitchers’ duel for the ages.
Abel matched Wilson’s heroics as he allowed just two base runners in the first five innings and ended his 2019 postseason with three straight shutouts and only six hits allowed.
“That’s a team we respect a lot,” De Smet coach Dave Stewart said. “We did an in-depth scouting report on them and we knew their hitters were tough. Josh came out and commanded everything.”
Staley threatened in both the sixth and seventh innings.
The Falcons put runners at second and third in the sixth, but Abel got a come-backer off the bat of Tanner Hanke and fired home for a 1-2 putout. Wilson then fouled out on the very next pitch, ending the threat.
“My last at-bat, I was really excited to go up there with men in scoring position, and I just kind of swung at a bad pitch,” Wilson said.
After the first two batters in the seventh were retired, Staley put a pair of runners on base, but Abel got Hayden Thornton to ground out to second to end the semifinal thriller.
“It seemed to plague us a little bit throughout the postseason. We just can’t seem to get that clutch hit,” David Wilson said. “But, I’m proud of our guys, and I love this team. We’re gonna regroup and get ready to play tomorrow.”