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Putnam County baseball punches ticket to IHSA State Finals with 7-4 win over Galena · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Putnam County Baseball punches ticket to issa State finals with
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  seven to four win over Galina. Written by Kevin Schlumm.
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  This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  to you by Everlett. Putnam County senior traxton Mattinlee grabbed
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  the plaque, lifted it high over his head, and jumped
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  back toward his teammates. The rest of the Panthers leapt
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  up and down as they bobbed around him. Then the
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  Panthers took the celebration outside the fence with family, friends
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  and fans. Maddox Pool was doused with water by friends.
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  Eli King wore the player of the game chains. There
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  were lots of hugs, handshakes, and high fives. The plaque
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  was passed around for photos, so many photos that one
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  PC player joked his cheeks hurt from smiling. Everyone wanted
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  to celebrate and document the moment that many likely didn't
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  anticipate when the season began. Putnam County defeated Galena seven
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  to four in the class won a Northern Illinois University
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  supersectional on Tuesday to earn its first trip to the
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  state tournament since twenty thirteen and seventh overall it's insane.
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  Poole said, I think we expected to compete all year,
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  but I don't know if anybody expected us to get
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  this far. It's good to be put in the history
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  books with everybody else. It's pretty cool. The Panthers twenty
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  five to eleven, advanced to play North Clay Co Op
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  thirty five to four in a state semifinal at one
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  pm Friday at Illinois Field in Champagne. I'm expecting to compete, Pool,
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  said win or lose. I think we're coming to compete.
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  The Panthers competed Tuesday. After the Pirates scored three runs
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  in the top of the fourth inning on two hits,
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  two walks, and a hit batter to take a three
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  to two lead. Putnam County responded immediately in the bottom
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  of the inning. Carter Hawkstadter singled up the middle to
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  lead off and later scored on a single go by
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  King to tie the game. That was very important. King said,
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  instead of being down one and having low morale, it
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  just resets to zero zero and it's a whole new ballgame.
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  I feel like that was favorable for us. After starting
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  pitcher Kade Zimmerline hit the first batter of the fifth inning,
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  Pool came on in relief and retired the first three
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  batters he faced. I knew I was probably going to
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  be the first one out of the pen today, Poole said.
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  My off speed was a little off to start, but
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  I settled in as the game went on. I was
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  just trying to pump the zone and go right at them.
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  I knew my defense had my back. The Panthers broken
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  open in the bottom of the fifth with a four
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  run inning. Jonathan Stunkle, Zimmerline and Pool hit three consecutive
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  singles to start the inning, with Pools scoring. Stunkle Hochstatter
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  brought in a run with a fielder's choice, and Pool
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  scored when a pitch got away from the catcher before
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  King laid down a squeeze bunt to plait the fourth run.
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  A hot team is a dangerous team, Putnam County coach
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  Chris Newsom said, I feel like we're pretty hot offensively.
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  Hopefully we're going to keep that rolling into the state tournament.
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  Pool threw a perfect sixth, then closed it out in
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  the seventh. After a leadoff double. Pool got a ground out,
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  sacrifice fly and another ground out to end it. Cade
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  battled Newsom said he probably wasn't as sharp as usual.
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  He would probably tell you that, but he did enough
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  to get us four strong innings. Maddox did a phenomenal
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  job of just throwing strikes and letting our defense work.
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  He's competed all year long. The moment's not too big
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  for him, so he's the right man for that spot.
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  The Panthers took an early lead when Mattingly led off
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  the first inning with a walk, moved to third on
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  an errant pickoff attempt, and scored on Stunkel's single. Zimmerline
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  followed with a single to plate. Stunkle, Stunkel, Zimmerli, Pool
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  and King had two hits each. Stunkle had two runs
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  and an RBI. Zimmer Line and Pool each had a run,
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  and rb I and King drove in two runs.