05/29/2026
Madison Cubs Baseball traveled to face sectional host Charlestown yesterday evening in the sectional semifinal. The Cubbies would ultimately fall short and end their season, losing the ballgame 5-2.
Coach Harsin decided to start freshman, Michael Purvis, on the bump. Purvis would go out and prove his coach’s decision to be correct, throwing three strong innings and allowing only one hit while striking out a pair. That one hit came on a solo shot by Pirates SS, Cooper Lynch, in the bottom of the first frame.
Madison would answer in the top of the third inning when Brendan Bentz reached first on an infield single before making it around the bases, then scored on a wild pitch. Bentz was not done. The Cubs right fielder would drive in Madison’s second baseman, Wyatt Overpeck, in the top of the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead.
Purvis’s day was complete, and the Cubs went to their pen, bringing in Matt McCarty. Madison and McCarty were able to escape a couple of hits in the bottom half of the fourth inning, but then failed to move runners across in the top of the fifth. The Pirates, however, did not. Charlestown went on to plate 4 runs on 6 hits in that frame. Christian Grayson recorded an RBI single and tied the game at 2-2, before Charlestown right fielder, Andrew Varble, delivered a blow by driving in a pair on a double. Lex Rose would add some insurance for Charlestown with an RBI single to give the Pirates a 5-2 lead.
Madison would then turn to SS, Bode Heckler, to stop the bleeding and shut the door in the fifth. Madison had some opportunities down the stretch, but failed to capitalize.
In short, it always hurts to lose the last game of the season… but man, what a season for a team that not many outside of that clubhouse expected much from! Those boys hit the ball extremely well, and won some games that they probably had no business winning! I had a lot of fun covering them when I could make it to the ballpark and look forward to seeing this group grow.
Madison will graduate three seniors, but return an army of sophomores and freshmen who have ample varsity experience, including seven everyday starters. The Cubs also have a LOADED 8th grade group coming in and are just stacking classes with talent at this point. Much of that stems from the Madison Baseball Club and the MudCats program started back in 2018. The future is in great shape for this program and they’ll be a contender for years to come!
You can’t just replace guys like Bode Heckler, Elliot Kozenski and Matt McCarty, though. Their leadership and experience will be missed in the locker room. Good luck gentlemen… looking forward seeing guys go onto to do great things in this world!!
