Postseason baseball in Iowa can make for an unpredictable July.

Grundy Center avoided being added to a growing list of upsets, the Spartans keeping their composure and closing out a 3-2 win over North Fayette Valley on Saturday, July 12 at the George Wilhelm Sports Complex.

The clock struck midnight for a Cinderella run from the 7-26 TigerHawks, while Grundy Center (23-3) advanced to Tuesday’s substate final against Cascade to be held at the Vinton-Shellsburg Baseball Field.

“There’s 21 outs and anything can happen,” Grundy Center head coach Pat Brown II said. “They had a two-hour bus ride here and came ready to play and while we weren’t ready to start, we kept our whereabouts and didn’t panic.”

NFV had the potential tying run on third with one out in the seventh inning and had the Grundy infield playing in anticipating a bunt attempt.

A hard grounder went to Brody Zinkula playing shallow at second and firing home to Pete Lebo, who put the tag on the lead runner for the second out on the fielder’s choice.

“I told [relief pitcher Ryker Thoren] to just throw strikes and get a grounder for us,” Zinkula said. “We’ve got an awesome infield and outfielders that will protect him and that’s what we ended up doing. I saw the kid running home and knew I had to get it in there to Pete who made an excellent tag, and I think that won the game for us.”

The remaining TigerHawk runner took second on the next at-bat, but relief pitcher Ryker Thoren’s third strikeout of the night locked in the Spartan victory.

“I trusted everybody behind me to do their 1 of 9 on the field and go out there and throw strikes,” Thoren said. “I expect [Zinkula] to make the play he did every time, just like he’s done every other time and everybody trusts me to do my part, too.”

Thoren entered in relief of starter Judd Jirovsky, striking out seven but allowing a rare two earned runs on three hits, with both runs scoring on a bloop single into shallow right field to tie the game in the second inning. Jirovsky improved to 10-0 on the season as his ERA ballooned to 0.39.

“Who would have thought they’d get those two runs the way they did,” Brown II said. “But that’s a well-coached baseball team and they knew they’d have to manufacture runs tonight and they did.”

The TigerHawks didn’t have another baserunner until the sixth inning, when they loaded the bases with two outs before Lebo picked up a dropped third strike for the force out at home.

The Spartans didn’t dazzle offensively, but found ways to get on the board starting in the first inning, scoring their first two runs when Ryder Slifer and Hayden Geerdes were hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

Slifer added one of just four hits for Grundy Center on Saturday with an RBI single to score Zinkula in the third, which was ultimately the go-ahead run.

“I think with a lower velocity we were having issues just sitting back a little bit with our timing,” Thoren said. “We just need to keep our ‘yes-yes-no’ approach at the plate and that’ll come.”

Cascade is riding high after knocking out top-seeded Iowa City Regina on July 8 and surviving a 13-inning thrill ride with Denver for a 5-4 victory on Saturday to reach the substate final.

“That area is rich in baseball tradition,” Brown II said. “Cascade’s hot but tonight goes to show that absolutely anything can happen, and the beauty of it is that we’re playing again on Tuesday.”