By Jesús F. Jiménez Article and pictures thank you Jesús for doing these articles. No. 6-ranked Indians compete, but fall to top-ranked LCC LAPORTE, Ind. – With a record nine state championships and ranked first in its class, Lafayette Central Catholic is the standard for baseball in Class A – and arguably, all of Indiana. When facing them in the IHSAA Class A semistate, Union City found that the Knights weren’t a team that was going to hit 27 home runs, strike out 27 batters or play immaculate baseball. Instead, Lafayette Central Catholic will fundamental you to death. They put the ball in play. They advance runners. They make the routine play. And they'll wait for you to make a mistake. “They’re just a baseball team, man,” Union City Head Coach Jason Dowler said. “They have powerhouses, but they don’t have to use that powerhouse every inning, and they just put a ball in play.” Union City’s historical season came to an end, as the Indians fell to the two-time reigning state champions, 6-1, in a hard-fought IHSAA Class A North Semistate semifinal on Saturday, June 8. Lafayette Central Catholic defeated Morgan Township 4-3 in the championship and will face Barr-Reeve in the state final on Friday. The biggest thing that Union City could take away? Clean up a few mistakes, and they’re right there with them. “They’re very good at it – and we are, too, though,” Dowler added. “I try to teach these boys, ‘Never forget that: That’s why we are where we are,’ and it just wasn’t our best day, man, and that happens in life.” Where they were on Saturday was a place no other Union City Baseball team has ever been: Battling the top team in the state for a berth to the state championship. The Indians finish the season with a 16-7 record, ranked 6th in the latest Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Class A Poll, and most memorable, claiming the first regional in program history. “I felt really confident for the whole team going into this, because we had been playing well leading up this,” senior pitcher Zack Fulk said. “We just didn’t score enough runs today.” There’s no shame in losing to a team like Lafayette Central Catholic, but despite being the underdogs, the Indians knew that if they played their best ball, they could shock the world. “I’ve always taught my kids at home … I don’t care, win or lose: If we gave 100% and we compete to the best of our ability, sometimes we’re not the best team, sometimes, we’re the underdogs and we compete to the best of our ability and we beat teams that we shouldn’t have beat,” Dowler said. “That wasn’t today, but it’s just tough.” The fundamentals were front and center as Lafayette Central Catholic manufactured three runs in the first two innings: After back-to-back singles to open the game, No. 3-hitter Lucas Gerkey, bunted the runners over, and Kayden Minnich drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly. In the second, Keaton Brooks walked and advanced on an error, later scoring on an RBI groundout. Michael Stapleton scored on an RBI single to make the score 3-0 after two. In the fourth, Stapleton singled and advanced to third base on an errant pickoff throw, later scoring on a sacrifice fly. Gerkey singled to drive in another run, before scoring the final tally on a groundout in the top of the sixth. Union City continuously made solid contact, but only five hits fell for the Indians: Junior Trendon Spence tripled with two outs in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Jayson Connor and junior Brayden Huggins each had two hits, including a double from Connor. Senior Zack Fulk walked twice, while Connor and Spence each walked once. “I think they found a lot of gaps offensively that we did not,” Fulk said. “I think we barreled a lot of baseballs, … and we did not get the hits or the runs to share that. “Defensively, we had some mental errors that cost us that kind of chipped away, just one or two runs an inning, and they just kind of kept momentum.” The Indians scored their run in the bottom of the second. Senior Corbin Richards was hit by a pitch and later scored on a fielder’s choice and error off the bat of junior Brennen Hoggatt. At 3-1 through two innings, the Indians were right there. “Overall, just a decent pitcher on the mound, one of the best ones we’ve faced this year, but nothing overwhelming,” senior Owen Dowler said. “Kind of a little bit underwhelming hitting for what we’ve been doing. A couple of guys stayed hot, but overall, just not our best performance.” Fulk started on the mound and pitched six innings, allowing six runs – four earned – on nine hits and four walks. Connor pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing a hit and a walk, while striking out one. Dowler, Fulk, Richards, Angel Nieto, Keyton Tipple and Kory Jeronimo graduate after an outstanding 60-34 record over four years. The senior class claimed three sectional championships and was part of the first outright Tri-Eastern Conference title in 50 years. “The Tri-Eastern Conference win was probably the biggest win – besides the regional win – because no one in a long time has ever done that,” said Richards, a four-year starting catcher. “But the regional win, that was something that no one has experienced yet from this school, and it was awesome to be one of the few that did it.” Being part of Saturday’s game was awesome, too, despite the outcome. The teams had met in the 2022 regional with LCC coming out on top 12-2. The Indians now know what it feels like to win a regional. They also know the bar, and with plenty of experience returning next year, the program has a bright future. Connor (sophomore shortstop/pitcher), Spence (junior centerfielder/pitcher), Huggins (junior leftfielder), Hoggatt (junior second baseman/outfielder), Caleb Lutz (junior third baseman/outfielder/pitcher) and Luke Collins (junior second baseman) are all expected to return as starters. On Saturday, junior Jace O’Connor started in right field and freshman JoseAngel Perez-Contreras at designated hitter. Blake Curry (junior catcher), Asa Vaughn (freshman infielder) and Colton Emrick (junior outfielder) were also listed on the roster. “These kids got big shoes to fill with these seniors leaving, but man, it’s just been a fun ride,” Coach Dowler said. “I tell all these kids, ‘No heads down, not today, man, we are champs. “'We came in as champs – we did not leave as semistate champs, but we are champs,’ so I’d pick every one of these kids to come back tomorrow and play the same team – every kid.” KNIGHTS 6, INDIANS 1 Lafayette Central Catholic 120 201 0 – 6 10 2 Union City 010 000 0 – 1 5 2 Batteries- LCC: Gerkey (WP) and Cain. UC: Fulk (LP), Connor (7) and Richards. 2B- LCC: 2 (Gutwein, Cain). UC: 1 (Connor). 3B- UC; Spence.