Brody Panuke dominated on the mound and drove in two for the Trojans, who won their third title in four seasons (JR Olson)

KEIZER – One year after coming up one run short in its bid to win three straight state titles, Kennedy erased that memory with a dominating 13-0, five-inning win over upstart Crosshill Christian Saturday afternoon at the OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union 2A/1A Baseball State Championship at Roto-Rooter Park in Keizer.

Kennedy’s six seniors will graduate having made four straight trips to The Show and with three state titles to their credit.

“Compared to last year this feels great,” said senior Henry Beyer, who had two extra base hits and three RBIs.

“Winning this one is very meaningful,” Kennedy head coach Kevin Moffatt added. “This was an unbelievable group that grew a lot. Had we lost today it would have sucked but they are good kids who are going to go on to do good things.”

This game belonged to top-seeded Kennedy (28-3) almost from the start. Trojan starting pitcher Brody Panuke, after giving up a one-out single to Jonah Phillips, struck out the last two batters in the top of the first to put the first zero on the board. The Kennedy offense went to work in the bottom of the frame, plating three two-out runs on three hits and two Crosshill Christian errors.  

That’s how it would go for the rest of the game as well. Kennedy put up a crooked number in every inning, capped by six in the fourth, to take a 13-0 lead. Eight players scored runs for the Trojans. Five drove in runs. Kennedy benefited from five hit batsmen, four walks and six Crosshill Christian errors. They supplemented a seven-hit attack and turned a promising matchup between the two best teams in 2A/1A into a one-sided affair.

“I don’t know if it was totally nerves,” said Crosshill Christian coach Ben Northrop, whose Eagles were making their first appearance in a state final. “We just made a couple of blunders early on and it kind of snowballed. These guys have played in big games all season long. The blunders took us out of our game.”

To Kennedy’s credit, the Trojans put constant pressure on Crosshill Christian’s defense. The Eagles could not hold up.

“I think we stressed them a little and it helped a lot because they had a lot of errors,” Henry Beyer said.  

“They’re obviously talented,” Moffatt added. “You can see how good fundamentally they are and they scored a truckload of runs this year. But sometimes with a young group, and it’s being their first time over here, we thought if we put pressure on them they might have a few issues.”

While Kennedy was scoring in every inning, the Trojans also were keeping Crosshill Christian (26-3) off the scoreboard, thanks to a masterful performance on the mound from senior lefthander Brody Panuke. Panuke went all five innings and allowed just four baserunners while striking out six.

Crosshill Christian’s biggest threat came in the third, when Gavin Chin connected on a one-out double and moved to third on Johan Phillips’ infield single, his second knock of the game. Panuke bore down and induced 3-hole hitter, Tayden Isaacson, to pop out to end the frame.

“I was nervous all week, but when I got the rock, I was nothing but excited,” Panuke said. “We did the little things right. We played confidently and had fun. This is something I dreamed about all my life and here I am living it.”

Despite the loss, Crosshill Christian can hang their collective heads high after a dream season. Two years after going 6-16 in their first varsity campaign, the Eagles not only won the toughest league in 2A/1A, they also won the league tournament and defeated the two-time defending state champions in one of the semifinals.

“I’m going to remember what a great group of guys we had, especially the three seniors we started this thing with four years ago,” Northrop said. “It’s been an incredible journey from that point to now. And I’m excited because next year I feel like we have a great shot at returning.”

Miles Lute, the 2A/1A Player of the Year, took the loss on the mound for Crosshill Christian and had just two at bats from the leadoff spot. Lute led the state in RBIs by a wide margin and was one of the leading pitchers in 2A/1A. He will be sorely missed next year when Crosshill Christian tries to make a return trip, but said that the journey with this group his senior year is something he will never forget.

“I’m going to remember the guys and the traditions we had and all the memories we made along the way,” Lute explained.

Making it all the way to the final meant the world to this team, he added.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better way to end it, besides maybe winning,” Lute said. “It was just awesome to make it here. Congrats to those guys. They played a great game.”