It may have taken a different venue and three extra days, but just like in football and boys golf, the Sabetha baseball team was able to repeat their 3A State Championship with a 10-4 victory over Rock Creek on Monday night at Seaman High School in Topeka. The Bluejays led the entire game in the championship after erasing a 3-0 deficit in the semifinals to knock off Minneapolis 9-5.  

Sabetha 9, Minneapolis 5

Freshman, Jalen Worthley tossed six innings of six hit baseball allowing just five runs and striking out six for the win before Joe Gruber finished off the seventh inning to earn the save.  Gruber was also 3-4 offensively with a couple runs scored while Gabe Garber had two hits and a pair of RBI and Kamden Brownlee added two hits and RBI. 

This game resumed from the bottom of the second inning where play was halted on Friday in Emporia and the Lions scored three runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead.  Sabetha however responded with a leadoff double by Braden Argabright and went on to score six runs on six hits in the top of the fourth and not look back.  Brownlee added a big two-run double in the frame, which was followed by three straight hits from Mason Spellmeier and RBI singles by Ryan Stapleton and Worthley.  Argabright and Drew Schmelzle added RBI's in the six ining and Garber delivered and RBI hit in the seventh for the last insurance run before Sabetha improved to 20-3 on the season. 

Luke Vogel and Cooper Thompson each had two hits for Minneapolis, who ended their season with a 20-4 record.  The Lions had the bases loaded and trying run to the plate in the seventh inning before a double-play ball fielded by Stapleton ended the semifinal contest.  

Sabetha 10, Rock Creek 4

Despite a rested Rock Creek team, Sabetha picked up where they left off by scoring three runs in the first inning and adding two more in the second to build a quick 5-0 lead.  The Mustangs got on the board with a solo home run from Karter Carlson, but could only muster one other run in the third frame and a total of four hits off Sabetha starter Joe Gruber.  The Jays led 5-2 before scoring three times in the fourth inning and adding two more in the fifth.  They could have ended the game early by run-rule but left 12 runners stranded on base while pounding out 13 hits against four different Rock Creek pitchers.  The first two pitchers for the Mustangs lasted only one inning each and allowed four walks, three of which came around the score. 

Argabright was 4-5 in the championship with two runs scored and one batted in while Schmelzle had two hits, runs and RBI. Jake Longabaugh added a pair of hits and drove in three runs while Brownlee had two more hits to cap an impressive final day of the season.  Garber tossed the final two innings for the Bluejays and allowed two runs despite not giving up any hits while striking our four.  

The Bluejays finished another spectacular season with a third state boys championship trophy and a baseball record of 21-3 in just their third year of existence.  Gruber was named the Class 3A Player of the Year getting a win and save pitching in the final day while also six hits and five runs scored in the tournament. Coach Aaron Frey losses a great senior class, but will still return five starters and three of his top four pitchers next spring.