Missouri Class 3 baseball semifinals: Father Tolton Catholic to play for first state title after rallying for 6-3 win; Springfield Catholic rolls past Valley Park
By Cody Thorn
Photos courtesy of Ron and Lisa Rigdon, Cheap Seats Photo
OZARK — The winner of the second Class 3 semifinal game at the Missouri state baseball championships would establish a little bit of history.
Neither Father Tolton Catholic nor Lawson had ever been in a state championship game, and this final four berth was the first for both schools.
Lawson jumped ahead early, but the Trailblazers rallied for a 6-3 win at U.S. Ballpark to close out Wednesday’s game, day three of the weeklong championship event.
Father Tolton Catholic (17-3) ran its win streak to 13 in a row thanks to scoring all of its runs in the bottom of the fourth.
“They kicked in gear themselves, however we do it doesn’t bother me,” Tolton coach Ehrich Chick said. “Whatever gets us over the hump like we did in the fourth inning on.
"You look at them, you can’t tell if we are winning or losing, but in the right moments they come through.”
Lawson, ranked No. 7 in the final regular season poll by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, jumped ahead 3-0 in the third inning.
The Cardinals had doubles in the first and second inning but left the runners stranded. In the third, shortstop Broxton Cole hit the team’s third double and drove in two runs to break the scoreless tie.
A throwing error on a stolen base attempt set up Kota Triplett’s groundout to make it 3-0.
Lawson kept the 3-0 lead intact despite giving up a two-out triple to Cameron Lee in the bottom of the third.
The Trailblazers finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth with five straight hits — three of them going for extra bases.
Logan Thompson tripled to left to open the frame and scored on John Putnam’s double to center. Lucas Wietholder tripled to center to make it 3-2.
“The first AB (at-bat), I was a little off, trying to get a feel for the environment,” said Wietholder, a freshman shortstop and No. 5-hole hitter. “The second AB, I was feeling myself. I saw the ball right in the middle and took advantage of it and hit it over the center fielder’s head.”
Justus Martin’s single tied the game for the No. 10-ranked squad.
Andrew Green’s one-out, two-run double provided the game-winning hit for Tolton. Jacob Hoernschemeyer’s RBI on a fielder’s choice provided the final margin in the contest.
Lawson ended the fifth and sixth with runners getting thrown out on the base paths, first trying to stretch a double into a triple and a caught stealing at second base in the sixth.
Jake Ryan went the entire distance for the Trailblazers, scattering nine hits over seven innings, while giving up two earned runs.
“I probably won’t sleep much (Wednesday), I’m very excited,” Chick said. “These guys deserve all the credit, I’m very proud of them.
"I’m ecstatic. Anxious. Happy. That’s how I feel.”
Springfield Catholic 11, Valley Park 0 (5 innings)
The top-ranked team in Class 3 needed only two trips to the plate to storm into the championship game.
The Irish scored eight of the 11 runs in the fourth inning to blow open a game against the St. Louis-area school in the first Class 3 semifinal of the day.
Ben Smith tossed a two-hit shutout for the Irish, striking out 11. The junior, who has committed to Missouri, needed only 59 pitches to buzz through the Hawks.
One of the two hits he allowed came in the first inning, a leadoff double to Will Geary. Smith got out of the jam with two strikeouts and a grounder.
Three batters into the bottom of the first, Smith hit an RBI triple to give his team the lead and himself all the run support he needed.
Coleman Morrison hit a sac fly to score Smith and an error allowed Catholic to score another run.
Then in the fourth, Cole Leonhart had a two-run triple, while Ben Ruter, Hans Kaiser and Colton Galligos all had RBI singles in the frame. Valley Park also gave up runs on an error and a balk with the bases loaded.
Valley Park (19-5) saw a 12-game winning streak come to an end with the loss, the first since April 21.
The only other hit for the Hawks was a single by David Rose in the second inning. Smith responded by retiring the next 10 in order to close out the win.
Catholic is in the championship game for the sixth time in the eight trips in the state semifinals. The Irish have won only two titles, in 1997 and 2014.
