DUNLAP, Iowa — Even after making an unexpected relief appearance the night before, West Harrison's Lucas Christensen said his arm felt better than it normally does on Thursday night.
And the senior pitched like it.
Christensen was in complete command while throwing a two-hit shutout in a 3-0 win over Boyer Valley in a Class 1-A District 16 semifinal. The victory put the Hawkeyes (16-9) in Saturday's final against No. 6 Coon Rapids-Bayard (27-5) in Coon Rapids at 7 p.m.
"I figured if I could just hit the strike zone, I'd let my defense help me out," said Christensen, who improved to 8-3 on the season. "Sometimes they're kind of shaky, but they played really well tonight. We win when we play errorless."
That held true on Thursday. West Harrison backed up its ace with flawless defense.
Christensen did the rest, striking out nine batters one night after throwing 1 innings of relief in a 10-9 quarterfinal win over Woodbine. Chase Bertelsen and Ethan Earlywine had runs-scoring singles to back him in a quickly paced game.
"We played our game," Hawkeye coach Tony Nunez said. "Our game is pitching, defense and some timely hitting. And that's what we did tonight."
West Harrison managed only four hits against Bulldog starter Adam Hadden, who fanned 11 in a losing effort. It did take advantage of the Boyer Valley senior's wildness, however.
Hadden, who struck out 21 in a nine-inning win over the Hawkeyes as a sophomore, issued seven walks on Thursday. Three of those free passes turned into runs.
The Bulldogs (6-15), who hit .234 as a team this season, didn't offer much offensive support. Tyler Hoffman had the two hits, and only three others reached base.
"Obviously, you can't win without hitting the ball a little bit," Boyer Valley coach Dan Steele said. "We've had a little trouble stringing hits together all year. When we have scored runs, they've come in bunches. Those bunches didn't happen tonight."
Boyer Valley (6-15)...................000 000 0—0 2 0
West Harrison (16-9)..................011 100 x—3 4 0
W: Lucas Christensen (8-3) L: Adam Hadden (2-6), 2B: BV, Tyler Hoffman.
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