There was just one top 10 ranked team in Class 3A to lose in the opening round of District baseball on Friday night. That was Gilbert on their home diamond, and the team that knocked off the Tigers was Coach John Hupp’s Greene County Rams by a 2-1 final. Greene County (10-22) plays Boone (18-12) in Boone at Memorial Park tonight at 7 p.m. on KG98 and streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com with coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.

Tonight’s game was originally scheduled for Gilbert, but has been moved to Boone by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.

Going into the first round contest, Coach Hupp figured his team would need good pitching, which they got from senior Austin Delp. He had playing good defense on his list, and the Rams were outstanding in that category with no errors, and no less than five well above average outs recorded. Finally, timely hitting was something he figured the Rams would need. They had just one hit and only one base runner until the seventh inning vs. Gilbert. Trailing 1-0, six Rams reached base and two scored. The Tigers made the only two errors of the game in that inning, and the eventual winning run scored with David Richter being hit with a pitch on an 0-2 count when the bases were loaded.

Coach Hupp looks at tonight’s contest in similar fashion. “We know we’re the underdog, but if we get good pitching and defense, and come up with timely hitting like the other night, we’ve got a chance. We know Boone is a very good team, but our guys love playing the game of baseball and will go out there tonight with everything they’ve got.”

The winner plays on Wednesday night vs. either Ballard (Huxley) or Webster City for the Substate 2 title and a trip to the State Tournament.