Wellington advances to NBC championship week with 1-0 victory

Wellington Heat left fielder Matt Heck knew he was supposed to tag up at third base, thought the baseball would drop in safely, didn’t tag up and immediately regretted his decision.

So he did what he always does after an at-bat, good or bad. He plucked a few strands of artificial turf and tossed them in the air.

“I’ll let it go in the wind,” he said. “You’ve got to have a short memory in baseball. It also helps out with the wind.”

Heck needed his mental discipline in the ninth inning to make up for what loomed as a game-turning mistake at third. Given that chance, he singled to center field to drive in Chase Rader and give the Heat a 1-0 win over Colorado in the final of the NBC World Series’ first week on Wednesday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Wellington (4-0) earned a spot in the championship week and a check for $5,000. The Cyclones (3-1) play at 7 p.m. Thursday in an elimination game with the winner also advancing to championship week.

Heat starter Jinny Para struck out 14 and allowed two hits without walking a batter. Colorado stranded a runner at third in the first inning. In the fifth, a double play ended the inning and Parra retired his final 12 hitters in order.

“All spring, he was dominant for (Oklahoma Baptist) and he showed signs of his dominance (in the summer) at times, but nothing like this,” coach Rick Twyman said. “Jinny can be overpowering at times.”

The Heat won its first three games by bludgeoning opponents with a .389 batting average and 8.6 runs a game. On Wednesday, Colorado pitcher Ryan Baca locked them with deceptive off-speed pitches and precision location for eight innings. Rader dumped a single into left, just in front of diving Matt Benn and off his glove, against reliever Anthony Parise.

Heck did what he always does before an at-bat. He wants to clear his mind of the emotion and the noise.

“I look at a spot on my bat, take a deep breath, step in and try to clear things out,” he said. “Think small. Try not to think too much. All we needed was a base hit.”

Heck, up 2-0 in the count, waited for a fastball from Parise and smacked it over Rader’s head. Colorado center fielder Zach English couldn’t play the high hop cleanly and Rader sped around third and scored on a head-first slide with no throw.

“Coach told me that any base hit and I’m scoring,” Rader said. “I knew it was going to reach the center fielder, so it was a moment where you just go.”

All the moments before the ninth belonged to Parra and Baca.

Parra overpowered the Cyclones with his fastball, mixing in just enough off-speed pitches to produce a few groundballs. He gave up single in the first to A.J. Duran, who stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by catcher Austin Orth. Parra ended the threat with two strikeouts.

In the fifth, Evan Walter singled with one out. Parra snuffed that threat with a double play.

Baca, who pitches at Metro (Colo.) State, frustrated Wellington with his changeup and curveball. He allowed seven hits, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.

“He was really good at locating and, when he needed to, he threw that curveball to get ahead or finish at-bats,” Rader said.

Baca stranded runners at third base in the first and second innings. In the fifth, Heck doubled to start the inning and a sacrifice bunt moved him to third. Jordan Climpson lofted a flyball to shallow right and Austin Lundeen slid on one knee to make the catch. Heck didn’t tag, a decision that gathered weight as the zeroes mounted on the scoreboard.

“That could have cost us,” Twyman said. “I just got done telling him that on anything in the air you’re tagging up. But he redeemed himself.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Wellington advances to NBC championship week with 1-0 victory."