It was a week of ups and downs for the Flora Wolves.

Flora began post-season play last Thursday in Newton against the host Eagles and finished their post-season on Saturday against the Olney Tigers.

Thursday the Wolves squeaked by the Eagles with a 6-4 victory.

Coach Brian Tackitt gave the baseball to Senior Cody Brubaker.

Brubaker responded by giving the Wolves six strong innings.

The Wolves came into the Newton Regional as the number two seed, Newton was the third seed.

In the two teams first meeting on April 21 the Wolves and Eagles combined for 31 runs and eight home runs.

Flora used five pitchers as they were handed a 16-15 nine inning loss by Newton.

Thursday the two teams went back at it, but this time it was a lower scoring game.

Brubaker  worked a scoreless top of the first inning despite letting the Eagles lead off hitter reach via the error.

The Wolves were shut down in the bottom of the first as the game remained scoreless.

Both Newton and Flora were unable to push a run across the plate in the first three innings of Thursday’s regional semi-final game.

Newton pushed the first run of the game across in the top of the fourth inning, but it was quickly answered by the Wolves in the bottom half.

Freshman Paul Knapp stroked an opposite field solo homerun to tie the game at one.

Neither team scored in the fifth inning and Brubaker held the Eagles scoreless in the top of the sixth.

The Wolves then went to work offensively in the bottom half of the sixth.

Back-to-back one out singles by Edwards and Knapp set up an RBI chance for Brubaker.

The Wolves Senior hurler drew a four pitch walk and loaded the bases for Pierson Boose.

Boose grounded into a fielder’s choice which forced Edwards out at home plate, but kept the bases loaded for Flora.

Junior Bryton Krutsinger then ripped a double into the left-centerfield gap to drive home Knapp and Brubaker and give the Wolves a 3-1 lead.

Flora wasn’t done scoring in the inning.

A double off the bat of Austin Lewis drove home both Boose and Krutsinger putting the Wolves up four, 5-1.

Newton went to the bullpen, but the Wolves had the same answer for the Eagles relief pitching as Clay Henson doubled into the gap to drive home Lewis and give Flora a five run cushion, 6-1.

Freshman Nick Painter flew out to end the inning.

Wolves head Coach Brian Tackitt stuck with Brubaker to start the inning, but after a walk and two straight Newton doubles he went to the bullpen in the form of Knapp.

Newton had cut the Flora lead to three, 6-3, and Knapp came in with on on and nobody out.

The Eagles kept the offense rolling as they hit their third straight double and cut the Wolves lead down to two, 6-4.

The Eagles hitter tried to stretch his double into a triple and was thrown out for the first out of the inning.

Knapp now had the bases empty and one out when he induced a fly out to centerfielder Edwards.

A Newton single, then a walk gave them the go ahead run at the plate with two outs.

Flora’s Freshman hurler dug deep and worked the count full, 3-2, before firing a fastball on the inside corner of the plate for strike three and a Wolves victory.

The victory by theWolves set up a Regional championship game against the top seeded Olney Tigers on Saturday.

Olney defeated the Wolves 10-5 earlier in the season.

As the number two seed, the Wolves were the visitors on Saturday.

Despite a lead off walk to start the game by Edwards, Flora came up empty in the first inning against the Tigers.

Coach Tackitt went with Knapp on the hill to start Saturday’s regional championship game and the freshman struggled with his control early in the ballgame.

Knapp gave up a lead off double to start things, then a single.

Knapp then walked the next six Olney hitters who came to the plate, allowing five runs to come across the plate without recording a single out.

Coach Tackitt had no choice but to relieve the Freshman right hander and went with Krutsinger out of the bullpen.

Krutsinger allowed three runs to score before the Wolves could find their way out of the inning.

Olney led 8-0 after the first inning and put the Wolves in a deep hole.

Flora showed their determination in the top of the second as Krutsinger helped his own cause with a lead off single.

A walk to Lewis gave Flora two runners on with nobody out.

A sacrifice by Henson moved both Krutsinger and Lewis into scoring position and a single by Trent Tackitt drove both of them home one at-bat later.

Two runs were all the Wolves could muster in their half of the second and cut their deficit to six.

Krutsinger came back out to pitch the bottom of the second for the Wolves and kept the Tigers from scoring.

In the top of the third inning, the Wolves put the petal to the metal and muscled up.

Brubaker drew a lead off walk and moved into second when the Tigers made a fielding error allowing Boose to reach safely.

Things started to turn on Olney when Krutsinger came up big again for the Wolves with a three-run homerun to pull Flora within three, 8-5.

Lewis followed by popping out to the Tigers third baseman for the first out of the inning.

Leftfielder Clay Henson drew a walk and then moved to second on a wild pitch during Tackitt’s at-bat.

Three pitches later Tackitt when big fly for a two-run homerun to pull the Wolves within one, 8-7.

Flora kept clawing and scratching their way back into the game and weren’t done scoring in their half of the third.

After a Kyle Beckham ground out, Edwards doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch.

Knapp drew a two out walk to give Flora runners on the corners.

Brubaker, who led off the inning, came back to the plate to single home Edwards and tie the game at eight.

The inning ended when Boose grounded out to short.

Flora sent 11 hitters to the plate in the third inning, pounding out six runs on four hits and tied the game in the process.

Olney regained the lead in the bottom of the third inning on a solo homerun off of Krutsinger.

The Tigers shut the Wolves attack down in order in the top of the fourth, the busted the game wide open in the bottom half with five runs to take a 14-8 lead.

Flora would add three runs to their total, but it wasn’t enough as the Wolves season would come to an end one win shy of a regional title.

The Tigers 15-11 win over Flora saw both teams combine for 24 runs on 19 hits, 18 walks, and four errors.

Krutsinger was charged with the loss.

The Wolves end the season with a 14-13 record, but did finish the season as Little Illini Conference Champions with a 6-2 record.

Three seniors played their final game Saturday with Cody Brubaker, Jeremy Edwards, and Josiah Adams all finishing their baseball careers at Flora High School.