By Ryan Stonebraker
Sports Editor

  SOLON — Finally. The Wilton Beaver baseball team has done it. After a 4-0 mild upset over class 2A No. 4 Dyersville-Beckman in Solon in a substate final, Wilton will return to the state tournament. The Beavers, ranked 5th, has been close four other times in the past ten years, and finally broke through. Wilton advances to play at the state tournament in Des Moines at Principal Park, home of the AAA Iowa Cubs. The state tournament moved to Des Moines in 2005 after playing in two locations, Carroll and Marshalltown for years prior to that. The Beavers are the number-2 seed after collecting a record of 25-5 this season to date.
  Wilton makes their first state appearance since the 2005 season when they won the class 2A title with a perfect 42-0 season. In the past ten seasons, Wilton has played in four substate games and lost three times in district final games. The Beavers were 0-4 in their last four substate games including losses to Dyersville-Beckman in 2009 and 2014, Davis County in 2010 and Iowa City Regina last year.
  The Beavers played at Solon last year in a 2A substate game against Iowa City Regina. Wilton led 4-0 after four innings before Regina outscored them 11 to 3 over the final three innings.
  Wilton had a tremendous pitching effort out of ace Jared Townsend and reliever Cory Anderson. Townsend started and pitched 5 1/3 innings. He struck out 13 Blazers and walked six. He surredered four hits. Anderson pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief to earn the save. He struck out two of the six batters he faced and did not allow a hit in two scoreless innings.
  Dyersville-Beckman entered the postseason with two losses to Western Dubuque after a season best 8-game win streak. The Blazers reached the substate game with wins at home over Northeast 11-1, and Camanche 4-1 in the district final.
  Wilton advanced to the substate game with home wins over Durant 5-0, and West Branch 3-0 in the district final game. Wilton will enter the state tournament on a season best 8-game win streak. The beavers have shutout all three of their postseason foes and have posted shutouts in six of the eight games in the win streak and they have eight shutouts in their last eleven games.
  Wilton had six hits in the game. Chantz Stevens was 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored to lead the Beavers. Brayton Wade had a RBI single and Jared Townsend, Nolan Leaton and Brock Hartley each had hits. Cory Anderson reached base via a walk and Leaton had the only Wilton stolen base in the game.


2018 Class 2A State Tournament

Quarterfinals

Monday, July 23

1-Seed Iowa City Regina vs. 8-Seed Treynor - 11:00

4-Seed Van Meter vs. 5-Seed Alta/Aurelia - 1:30

3-Seed Estherville-Lincoln Central vs. 6-Seed Centerville - 5:00

2-Seed Wilton vs. 7-Seed Denver - 7:30


Semifinals

Thursday, July 26

Times are certain, match ups are not. The furthest teams from Des Moines will play at 5, the closest teams remaining to Des Moines will play at 7:30.


2A State Championship

Saturday, July 28 at Principal Park in Des Moines