The Skutt Catholic baseball team developed a knack for winning one-run games at this year’s state tournament, and that trend culminated Saturday with a title.
Bubba Day singled to deep right field to score Easton Elam and give the top-seeded SkyHawks a walk-off 10-9 win in eight innings over Elkhorn North in the Class B state championship game at Werner Park.
The SkyHawks (28-5) had won each of their three games in bracket play by one run each.
“We’re not going to give up,” Day said. “You saw that this past week when we had two walk-offs prior to this, so when the game got close, we didn’t panic and we just played our game of baseball.”
The title is the second in program history for Skutt and the first since 2017.
“There was just an easy energy about them, and I’m just super proud of them to fight their way through it,” Skutt coach Damon Day said. “It didn’t look good there numerous times, but the Cardiac Catholics found a way.”
The SkyHawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the eight with one out after a fielder’s choice, a hit by pitch and a sharp single to left from Nathan Christensen. Day lofted an 0-1 pitch from Elkhorn North’s Jack Settles over the head of the right fielder to easily score Elam and set off a dogpile between first and second base.
Skutt trailed 9-7 in the seventh before a two-out rally sent the game to extra innings. Day started things with a single, and he came around to score on Lucas Heller’s double to center to get Skutt within one. Sean Hipsher followed with a double down the left field line to score Heller and knot the score at 9-all.
“I thought it was important to score Bubba on that first one to make them feel like it was a one-run game, and to get Lucas to second,” Damon Day said. “And then Sean Hipsher stepped up.”
Elkhorn North (26-6) took the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh. Charles Riesselman singled with two out, and Hunter Erickson followed with a walk. Both runners came in to score on Connor Wurdeman’s double to deep left-center to put the Wolves ahead 8-7. Jake Janssen followed with a single up the middle to score Wurdeman to push the North lead to 9-7.
The Wolves took early control of the game with five runs in the second. Flynn Fickbohm started the scoring with a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 1-all. Wurdeman followed with a run-scoring single, a fielder’s choice scored two more runs, and Keegan Driever closed out the rally with a bloop single to right to score Ethan Asmus and push the Elkhorn North lead to 5-1.
The SkyHawks took the lead back with five runs in the fourth. A Heller double scored two runs to cut the Skutt deficit to 6-4. Hipsher followed with a double that scored Heller, and the SkyHawks added runs with a hit by pitch and a walk, each with the bases loaded.
Day, Heller and Hipsher combined for seven hits and seven RBIs for Skutt.
Wurdeman had three hits and drove in four to lead the Wolves.
In the postgame medal celebration, Damon and Bubba Day shared a hug after Damon gave Bubba his medal.
“It was a special, special moment,” the elder Day said. “A lot of car rides, a lot of windshield time, a lot of time in the batting cage, and I’m just super proud of him to step up in the moment.”
The moment was something both of them had been thinking of for a while.
“It was awesome,” Bubba Day said. “We also talked about it all year like, ‘Man, we’re going to win this and I’m going to give you a big hug when we win it.’ Just getting to experience that was amazing.”
“I’ve done some cool things, but this is by far the coolest.”
Omaha Skutt Catholic head coach Damon Day shares how special winning the Class B state championship is to him and his family. His son, Bubba Day, had the walk off hit in the bottom of the 8th to send the SkyHawks home… pic.twitter.com/55JXyca5ox
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) May 24, 2026
