Cardinals party like it’s 1996, and then some

Miller baseball defeats Chaffee to advance to first state title game in school history
Ever since postseason play started back in May, there has been plenty of deja vu for those involved in the Miller baseball program. From dads and relatives on that 1996 Miller team cheering on their sons and nephews in this iteration of the Miller Cardinals to head coach Justin Snider’s last trip to the Final Four with Clever in 2012, history just seems to keep repeating itself.
Snider had been to three Final Fours in his career (twice as an assistant at Strafford and once as the head coach of Clever) but fell in the semifinal game in all three cases. In order to achieve that feat, the Cardinals would have to defeat a Chaffee team who came in hitting .320 as a team.
Chaffee pitcher Jordan Essner threw five innings of two-hit shutout ball and was cruising until eight straight balls led to an opening for Miller. With Jarod Lung on second and Paul Nunez on first, Colton Brown laid down a great bunt and a throwing error from new pitcher Nolan Fowler allowed Lung to score the first run of the ballgame. Miller kept the pressure on as pitcher Jase Wilkinson helped himself out at the plate, driving in Nunez and Brown to take a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the inning.
Chaffee took advantage of a walk and a hit to right field to get runners on second and third with just one out before Coach Snider made the decision to pull Wilkinson to bring Lung into the game. After a strikeout to the first batter, adversity struck. After a ball was put in play that was bobbled by Schnake, the runner on third was called out due to Chaffee coach Aaron Horrell pushing the runner back to third; that massive call ended the bases loaded jam allowing just a single run on that play to cross. Miller took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning.
The Chaffee leadoff batter later opened with a double. After a ground out and an acrobatic catch from Lung on a comebacker, the tying run was at the plate with two outs. Lung got the strike out to secure the Cardinals spot in the Class 2 State Championship.
“It wasn’t the best executed game we have played this year,” Coach Justin Snider admitted. However, it showed the resiliency that Snider has been preaching for years.
“I saw resilience. Everything is so different from last year. They don’t waver and they’re confident. They have faith in one another and they get things done. I told Colton Brown today that if he gets this bunt down, we are going to win this game. He got it down and things started rolling from there.” Snider continued.
Wilkinson threw 5.1 innings striking out six allowing one unearned run and two walks earning the win. Lung earned the five out save striking out two allowing one hit. At the plate Wilkinson had the big hit going 1-3, driving in two runs. Sam Ferguson also picked up a hit in three at-bats along with Colton Brown with the same line.
The phrase “1996” has been a rallying cry for the last month and a half paying homage to the only other Miller team to make the Final Four. On that team was the dad of Miller right fielder Nate Hill, Derek. That 1996 team finished fourth and Nate is excited to take the father-son competition to his dad.
“Sharing the same semifinal game experience is special,” Nate said, ‘but it’s more special having the one up on him.”
The Cardinals advanced to play in their first state title game Tuesday, June 3, against Eugene.