The Silver Lake baseball team is making a return trip to the Class 3A State Tournament. The Eagles defeated Sabetha and Riverside on Tuesday night in Sabetha to secure the regional title. 

Semifinal #1: Maranatha 5, Riverside 15 (6 innings) 

Riverside scored three runs in the second, third, and fourth innings on a combined two hits. Maranatha helped the Cyclones out all game with errors and wild pitches with the Cyclones taking full advantage. 

The Riverside bats didn't fully wake up until the sixth inning. Riverside was leading 9-5 going into the sixth and they would put the game away with six runs on five hits for the run rule. 

In that sixth inning, the Cyclones got an RBI double from Kobe Koehler, and RBI single from Beckam Griffin, and RBI single from Mason Hayes, and Chase Hewins added an RBI groundout. 

Keagan Hughes pitched all six innings for Riverside and collected eight strikeouts on exactly 100 pitches thrown. 

Semifinal #2: Silver Lake 5, Sabetha 1

Silver Lake and Sabetha played their regular season doubleheader 12 days ago with the Bluejays pulling out two, one-run wins. 

In the regional semifinal, it was the Eagles who got the win to advance. 

The Eagles scored the first run of the game in the third on an RBI single by Drew Womack. The Bluejays would tie the game in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Curtis Fitzgerald. 

Silver Lake would blow it open in the fifth as they would score three runs to take a 4-1 lead. The Bluejays defense played a major factor all night in helping Silver Lake as they committed five errors which led to multiple runs. 

Silver Lake would top it off with one more run in the seventh on a bases loaded walk issued to Dom Monhollon. 

Kip Kruger was the winning pitcher for Silver Lake as he tossed six innings allowing just two hits with five strikeouts. 

Ike Tramp pitched six innings for Sabetha and finished with four strikeouts and three walks. Sabetha was the #2 ranked team in 3A entering the week and have their season end in the semifinals with a record of 22-5. 

Championship: Silver Lake 7, Riverside 2 (8 innings) 

This game was tightly contested throughout and needed an extra frame to decide the winner. 

The Eagles scored the first run of the game in the second on an RBI single from Dom Monhollon. 

The Cyclones would bounce back and take a 2-1 lead in the third as Kobe Koehler drove in a run on a fielders choice with the second run scoring on a Silver Lake throwing error. 

The Eagles instantly tied the game in the fourth at 2-2 as they got another RBI single from Monhollon. 

The game held at 2-2 through the seventh and it went to an eighth inning, and from there it was all Silver Lake. 

The Eagles would score five runs in the top of the eighth as they got an RBI single from Kip Kruger, an RBI single from Miles Kibbee, and a two-RBI double from Aiden Stricklin to cap it off. 

The Cyclones would put two runners on in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Gavin Schoenfelder struck out to end the game. 

Dayne Johnson pitched into the seventh inning for Silver Lake and was solid, finishing with a couple of strikeouts and two walks. 

Kobe Koehler kept Riverside in it as he pitched into the eighth inning before reaching his pitch count. Koehler finished with seven strikeouts and two walks. 

One of the best seasons in Riverside baseball history ends with a record of 17-6 as they won the NEKL title this season. 

Silver Lake will head to the Class 3A State Tournament and will await their opponent as they will enter with a record of 16-11.