With one of the strongest teams in program history, it was the end of an 18 year drought on this date five years ago when the Pella baseball team toppled rival Oskaloosa to advance to the state tournament.

Pella High was victorious 7-4 against Oskaloosa — the 4th time those teams met in the 2015 season, at a home game.

Oskaloosa had learned their lesson from their previous matchups, and were going to avoid pitching to Grant Judkins, so it was up to the rest of the lineup to pick up the slack.

The game was keyed by a bases-clearing double off of the bat of then-Freshman Landon Vander Leest in the 2nd inning, who said after the game it was up to the rest of the team to perform offensively when the opposition intended to shut out their best player.

“I knew they weren’t going to throw much to Judkins,” Vander Leest said after the game on July 22nd, 2015. “We knew me and some of the other guys in the bottom part of the lineup had to do some more work with runners on base tonight.”

The big hit by Vander Leest gave pitcher Tanner Wood all the run support he needed to earn the victory on the mound, giving up four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, and Judkins slammed the door shut to earn his first save of the season.

Head Coach Jesse Jablonski told KNIA/KRLS Sports after the game five years ago it was a program-defining victory, and a long time coming for the school.

“I just can’t be more proud these kids,” Jablonski said. “All of the guys that have been in the program over the years and have been through some tough years, and to watch everyone pull together and know that this day was somewhere in the future, and then you watch this group pull together and play their hearts out all year long.”

The win moved Pella to 33-4 on the season, and was a preview of a wild state tournament to come the following week, where the Pella Dutch finished as a state semifinalist.

Highlights from the 2015 state tournament run: