By Adam MacDonald
ADEL — The Cook High Hornets are on their way to the Class AA state baseball semifinals after defeating Blessed Trinity in a deciding game 3 Wednesday at Bruce Long Field.
Kaleb Cowart hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth, and D.J. Johnson got a five-out save to lead the Hornets (29-5) to a 7-5 win over the Titans.
“I told the kids I was proud of them for competing, and what they accomplished,” Cook head coach Bob Owsley said. “It’s a good feeling, with all the work we’ve put in, but I told them we’re not through yet. School is ending, and we’ve got three or four kids that are top-10 students. Now they can focus on baseball. We have things we can get corrected. It’s great to be where we are, but I told them I’m not celebrating.”
The Hornets will host Dublin in the semifinals on Monday at a time to be determined. Dublin swept Calhoun on Tuesday, 10-4 and 5-1.
Leading 7-5, Johnson replaced Cook starting pitcher Josh Barks on the mound with one out in the sixth and the bases loaded. Johnson got the next two hitters to pop out to first base to end the threat.
“I knew I was going to have to pitch good and not walk anybody,” Johnson said. “I had to hit my spots and hope they hit a ground ball or a pop-up, and they did. I was kind of, sort of (nervous).”
The Titans (23-10) put together one last rally in the seventh inning, but Johnson squashed it by striking out the side. After Johnson struck out the first batter of the inning, the second batter reached on an error and Johnson hit a batter to bring the winning run to the plate. He recovered by striking out the final two hitters.
“I like pressure situations. I do better under pressure,” Johnson said.
“I don’t know if D.J. gets upset about anything,” Owsley said. “He’s a cool customer. I knew he’d settle in and take care of business. He held true.”
It was a game, and a series, to remember for Johnson. Not only did he get the save in game 3, he also went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, two singles, two runs scored and two stolen bases in the deciding game. He won game 1 of the series by striking out 15 in a complete game three-hitter. Owsley said Johnson asked for the ball in game 3.
“It feels good,” Johnson said. “But we have to play better on Monday (against Dublin).”
Cook’s other star, Cowart, also came up big. Cowart broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the fifth with a lead-off home run to right field that made it 5-4.
The Hornets added another run in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to make it 6-4, and Johnson scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to make it 7-4.
Barks, who had been in and out of trouble all day, finally saw his day come to an end with one out in the sixth. He walked Court Kasten to start the inning, and Kasten stole second on a third strike to J.D. Sabo. Kasten then advanced to third on a wild pitch and came into score on a ground ball hit to Johnson at short to make it 7-5. As Kasten crossed the plate, Johnson’s throw to first was off line, and the runner reached safely. Ross Hampton followed with a single to put runners on first and second, and Barks walked Matt Kinney to load the bases.
Cook head coach Bob Owsley lifted Barks for Johnson, who shut down the Titans the rest of the way.
“I thought Barks did a good job,” Owsley said. “He just ran out of gas.”
Barks picked up the win after going 5 1-3 innings, giving up five runs and five hits while striking out eight.
He walked Jake Skole, the first batter of the game, and Skole stole second and third before scoring on a wild pitch to give Blessed Trinity a 1-0 lead.
Cook responded with four runs in the top of the second. Tyler Norton led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, and pinch runner Skylar Lindsey scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 1-1. Wes Warren reached first on a error and eventually scored on a wild pitch to put Cook up 2-1. Johnson capped off the scoring by hitting a laser over the wall in left-center with a runner on to make it 4-1.
“I was sitting on a fastball, and that’s what he gave me on a 3-1 count,” Johnson said. “I thought it was going to hit the top of the fence, because I hit it on a line, but Coach shook my hand at first, so I was like, ‘OK.’”
Kasten hit a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the third to cut Cook’s lead to 4-3. Hampton tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer to left.
It was a short-lived tie, though, because Cowart put the Hornets back on top for good with a solo shot of his own in the fifth.
