The Grundy Center baseball team earned the NICL-West championship for the fourth straight season with a road sweep of Gladbrook-Reinbeck Monday. The Spartans won 13-2 in five innings and 16-9.
Congratulations to the 2024 NICL West Champion Grundy Center Spartans. They battled through short preparation and key injuries. Ultimately, they were just grittier. Things didn't always go as planned, but these guys found a way. That's 4 in a row. #gbp #spartanpride pic.twitter.com/MkGeIW0P2J
— Grundy Center Spartans Baseball (@SpartanSluggers) June 25, 2024
Grundy Center scored three in the first inning, but the Rebels responded with two in the bottom of the first. The Spartans then scored four in the third, once in the fourth and five in the fifth to end the game early. Tate Jirovsky had three hits. He, Tanner Laube and Pete Lebo each had two RBIs. Jirovsky was the winning pitcher with 2.2 innings pitched. He struck out three batters with no walks and one hit.
In the second game, the teams battled to a 3-3 tie after two innings. But the Spartans took the lead for good with four runs in the third. Leading 10-4 after the top of the sixth, the Rebels cut the deficit to one with five runs in the sixth. But the Spartans scored six in the seventh to pull away. Ethan Meester had three hits and four RBIs. Brayden Davie was the winning pitcher with three strikeouts, two walks and six hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
Grundy Center (13-6, 9-3 NICL-W) will host #1 (2A) West Marshall Friday.