Tied 6-6, senior catcher Colton Zeck started the decisive 11th inning with a single. Damon Foreman sacrificed Zeck to second which brought up cleanup hitter Brody Edgerly, who already had hit a two-run home run in the third, a RBI double in the sixth and another double in the ninth. Hammond Bishop Noll walked the junior slugger to take the bat out of his hands. With two outs, Depew delivered, taking a curve from the Noll reliever off the left field light tower. Game Over.

The 11th inning heroics brought an end to a semi-state game full of dramatic plays at South Bend Clay High School. Down 6-5 going into the bottom of the seventh, Zeck started the tying rally with a single. With the count at 2-0, Edgerly blasted a double sending the speedy Zeck from first to home to tie the game. Andrew Troutman's sacrifice fly sent Edgerly to third with two outs. Depew, who had a three-run double in the first inning, popped out to second to end the scoring threat. 

The Kings now had to rely on solid defense and pitching as the game went into extra innings. Foreman, pitching for the first time in over a month when an injury sidelined the junior ace, had smothered a Bishop Noll rally when he came in for relief in the top of the 7th. With the count at 3-2, he forced Noll's cleanup hitter to pop up to Zeck with bases loaded to end their rally. Over the next four innings Foreman sparkled, allowing just three singles while striking out three. 

Defensively, the Kings had committed six errors in the first six innings which had helped to cut their early 5-1 lead. However, when the game became tense, the defense rose to the occasion. In the top of the 8th Troutman knocked down a grounder at second base to flip the ball to shortstop Cameron Cummings to force out a runner at second. Foreman mowed down all three batters in the 9th. In the 10th, Zeck gunned down a runner trying to steal second. In the 11th Edgerly reached up for a high throw to tag out a batter trying to make first on an infield grounder.

The Kings had another scoring threat in the 9th inning. First, Zeck brought the fans to their feet when he crushed a fast ball to center. Noll's centerfielder hauled in the blast just inside the warning track with a running catch. Foreman reached first when he was hit by a pitch. Edgerly slammed a double off the centerfield fence putting Foreman on third and himself on second. Bishop Noll walked Troutman to load the bases with one out. Depew flied out to short right sending David Diedrick, who already had two hits earlier in the game, to the plate. The rightfielder blasted a hard hit ball to the third baseman who ended the Kings' rally with a force out.

Starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, the Kings (20-8) will play Heritage Christian (24-6) in the first of three state championship games at Victory Field, the home of the Indianapolis Indians. by Cass HS web site