Missouri Class 6 baseball championship: Hot start lifts Liberty North to 11-5 win against Blue Springs South
By Cody Thorn
Photos courtesy of Ron and Lisa Rigdon, Cheap Seats Photo
OZARK — There was no need for extra innings or a walk-off hit this time around for Liberty North.
After three straight games ending in that fashion, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 6 used a hot start to set the stage for an 11-5 win against Blue Springs South in the state championship game on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Baseball Park.
The championship is the first for the Eagles and came in the first-ever showdown of two Kansas City-area schools for the championship in the state’s largest class.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but once we step on the bus I’m sure it will go crazy, but it doesn’t seem real now,” said Liberty second baseman Ty Wisdom, who was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, coming on a single during a five-run second inning, of winning the title. “When you get the early jump, you have the crowd behind you and you can play free and easy.
"It’s a good feeling. It is finally relaxing to be up in a game, but you gotta love those come-from-behind victories; nothing better in baseball and in sports, actually.”
Landon McGinness had a two-out double to score Tate McGuire for the first run in the second inning. The Eagles (33-9) loaded the bases on a hit by a pitch and walk, before that same sequence led to two more runs.
Shortstop Trey Snyder was hit by a pitch to force in a run and Matthew Hutson, a football signee for Missouri S&T, drew a walk with the bases full.
The left-handed hitting Wisdom then ripped a shot up the middle to plate two runs and expand the lead to 5-0.
That set the stage for a third win this season for the Eagles over the Jaguars, a divisional rival within the same conference.
“Our mindset was to go get them again,” said Snyder, Liberty North’s leadoff hitter and Tennessee pledge.
After Blue Springs South (26-11) got a run back on a single from Diego Rodriguez in the second, the Eagles posted three more runs - thanks to three straight doubles.
Frankie Palma, Jackson Downing and McGinness all had hits down the third-base line. The latter two had RBIs.
McGinness then scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-1.
The No. 9-ranked Jaguars trailed 10-2 following four innings of play, but outscored Liberty North over the final three innings.
Grant Hollister, an all-state as a freshman last year, had a two-run triple in the fifth and scored on a wild pitch. The Jaguars had eight hits but only Liam Bryan - who went 2-for-3 - had multiple hits.
On the mound, McGuire tossed five innings for Liberty North and secured the win. He scattered six hits, striking out five and giving up five runs.
Zach DeFreese tossed the final two innings and after the final out was recorded on a pop-up to first base, the right-hander did a backflip near the mound to celebrate the monumental win.
Class 6 Third Place
Francis Howell 11, Lindbergh 5
The Vikings scored multiple runs in three of the first four innings to roll past the Flyers in an all-St. Louis third-place game early Saturday morning.
The first inning featured back-to-back triples from Brysen Nepute and Brett Norflett to help spark a three-run inning.
Brady Wilson had a two-run single in the five-run third inning and the Vikings (32-10) tacked on three more runs in the fourth.
Nepute was 3-for-3, while Donald McCutcheon, Norfleet and Ayden Rogers all had two hits. Wilson had a team-high three RBIs for Francis Howell, ranked No. 6 in the final regular season poll of the year.
The Flyers (19-17) were held to one hit - by leadoff hitter Chris Ammons.
Tyler Rausner went four innings and struck out five to pick up the win on the mound for Francis Howell.
