1998 IHSAA Baseball Class 3A State Championship Game

 

JASPER WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE BASEBALL STATE TITLE

Second-ranked Jasper scored nine runs in the first two innings and captured its third straight state championship with a 11-2 victory over Westfield in the IHSAA Class 3A state championship game on Saturday at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

 

The Wildcats, making a record fourth straight appearance in the state finals, became the first team in history to win three consecutive championships. Jasper also became the fourth team in history to win

three or more state championships in baseball. LaPorte has won seven, Logansport has four and Evansville Memorial three.

 

Westfield, which finished 20-13 under coach Eric Lentz, got off to a hot start in the first inning as Dan McAleavey sent a two-out double to the wall and was driven home on a single by Todd McKinney.

 

Jasper (30-6), coached by Terry Gobert, retaliated by scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning keyed by Scott Kluesner's two-run homer to left. Heath Uppencamp, Brad Eckerle and Phil Ruhe each hit doubles in succession which scored Uppencamp and Eckerle.

 

The Wildcats tallied five more runs in the second inning which was highlighted by Eckerle's two-run single which scored Kluesner and Uppencamp. Jimmy Corbin's sacrifice flyout scored Scott Braun, Chad Erny plated on Uppencamps double and Eckerle added the final run of the inning on a fielder's choice.

 

Unranked Westfield added a run in the fourth inning when Ryan Smith drilled a two-out homer to the leftfield corner.

 

Corbin's triple to the right center fence led off the Jasper fifth inning and helped the Wildcats add two more runs. Kluesner followed with a single which scored Corbin and after Kluesner moved to second on a fielder's choice, Eckerle's single allowed Kluesner to account for Jasper's final run.

 

The IHSAA Executive Committee selected Heath Uppencamp of Jasper High School as the recipient of the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude Award in Class 3A Baseball. Uppencamp becomes the third straight player from Jasper and the fourth overall to win the Phillips Award. Phil Rohleder won in 1967, the tournament's first year, and Phil Kendall and Matt Mauck won in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Farm Bureau Insurance, the IHSAA corporate partner, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Jasper High School in Uppencamp's name.

 

Westfield (2)

 

AB

R

H

RBI

Eric Frazier, lf

3

0

0

0

Ryan Haughey, 1b

2

0

0

0

Josh Schoenenberger, p

0

0

0

0

Jerred Copeland, ph/3b

1

0

0

0

Dan McAleavey, ss

3

1

1

0

Todd McKinney, rf

3

0

1

1

Ryan Smith, 3b

3

1

1

1

Connor Kuba, c

3

0

0

0

Pat Phillips, dh

3

0

1

0

Michael Head, pr

0

0

0

0

Jason Lewin, p

2

0

0

0

Corey Mills, cf

2

0

1

0

Nathan Patton, 2b

0

0

0

0

TOTALS

25

2

5

2

 

Jasper (11)

 

AB

R

H

RBI

Chad Erny, ss

3

2

2

0

Jimmy Corbin, cf

2

1

1

1

Luke Werner, ph

1

0

0

0

Scott Kluesner, 3b

3

3

2

3

Heath Uppencamp, p

4

2

2

1

Brad Eckerle, c

4

2

3

4

Phil Ruhe, rf

3

0

1

1

Joe Kress, lf

2

0

0

0

Ryan Schwenk, dh

3

0

0

0

Scott Braun, 2b

2

1

1

0

Jason Recker, ph

1

0

0

0

Alex Bohnert, 1b

0

0

0

0

TOTALS

28

11

12

10

 

Westfield

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

--

2

5

2

Jasper

4

5

0

2

0

0

x

--

11

12

0

 

E — Frazier, Smith. 2B — McAleavey, Uppencamp 2, Eckerle, Ruhe. 3B — Corbin. HR -- Smith, Kluesner. SAC -- Kress, Corbin. LOB — Westfield 2, Jasper 3. DP -- Jasper 1 (Bohnert). WP — Lewin, Uppencamp. HBP -- Erny by Lewin. SB -- Erny. Umpires — James Robinson (Home Plate), Dale Goodwin (First Base), Miles Mann (Second Base), Dave Stauffer (Third Base). Time of Game — 1:27.

 

Pitching Summary

 

IP

R

ER

H

BB

SO

Uppencamp, W (12-1)

7

2

2

5

0

11

Lewin, L (9-5)

1.1

7

7

6

1

1

Schoenenberger

1.2

0

0

2

0

1

Frazier

2

4

3

4

0

2

Smith

1

0

0

0

0

0