Rallying for a split

  Ryan Gorman, Keegan Tenge and the rest of their New Hampton baseball team watched Waverly-Shell Rock erupt from its dugout and celebrate Tuesday night as if the Go-Hawks had won the World Series.  And they didn’t like it one bit.  “It was kind of weird to see that,” Gorman said, “and it was like, ‘Hey, we’ve got another game here.’”  Ditto for Tenge.  “Didn’t like it one bit,” he said after New Hampton saw its 13-game winning streak come to an end with a 4-3 extra-inning loss, “and I knew right then, we were going to hit the gas and not let up in the second game.”  The Chickasaws did just that as the offense produced 17 hits and the defense came through in clutch situations in a 15-7 win that moved New Hampton back into sole possession of first place in the Northeast Iowa Conference.  “Here’s the deal about this team, though,” coach Cory McDonald said after his Class 2A top-ranked team improved to 23-2 overall and 13-1 in the NEIC. “We scored 15 runs, we got 17 hits and our guys still weren’t satisfied with the way they played. That’s a testament to this group.”  Still, the split kept New Hampton in control of its own destiny as it chases its third straight conference title. If the Chickasaws win three of their final four NEIC games — two at Charles City Friday and two home against Waukon on Monday — New Hampton is assured of no less than a share of the title.
  For the full story, please see the June 30 Tribune.