ST. ELIZABETH – -
story
by: Dave Roberts
The top-seeded
Stoutland High School baseball team will meet second-seeded St. Elizabeth in the
championship game of the Missouri Class 1 District 8 Tournament after posting
lopsided semifinal victories on Tuesday.
On Tuesday Stoutland pounded Crocker 23-3 while St. Elizabeth drilled Tuscumbia
21-5 in semifinal action, setting up a district title game between a pair of
state-ranked teams.
The district championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at St.
Elizabeth.
Stoutland is ranked No. 3 in the latest Missouri Class 1 state poll while St.
Elizabeth is ranked No. 8.
Against Crocker the Stoutland Tigers belted 21 hits and hit five home runs.
Brock Chaffin had two homers, a double, four runs scored and seven RBI for the
Tigers while Tyler Wrinkle had a homer, triple and double; Cory Kyle a homer and
two doubles; Daniel Hernandez a homer and two other hits, and Seth Burns and
Blane Willard both had three hits.
Hernandez was the winning pitcher.
Stoutland 4, St. Eliz. 1 (District Championship)
story by: Dave Roberts
In the Missouri Class 1 District 10 championship game Saturday night at St.
Elizabeth, Stoutland recorded a hard-fought win in a battle of state-ranked
foes. The game had been slated for last Thursday but was backed up due to
weather and field conditions.
St. Elizabeth, ranked No. 8 in the latest Missouri Class 1 state poll, ends the
season with a 17-4 mark. It was the second time this season that Stoutland has
beaten the St. Elizabeth Hornets.
“It was really a good game,” Scott White said. “It was on their field in
front of a big, big crowd. They’re fundamentally sound, so you’re going to
have to beat them. And they were on top of their game on Saturday.”
Stoutland’s offense produced two runs in each of the first and third innings.
In the first frame Smith and Kyle both scored on Chaffin’s two-run single. In
the third Kyle belted an RBI double and, after a walk to Chaffin, Wrinkle
smacked an RBI single.
Kyle worked six innings to gain the victory on the mound, fanning eight and
allowing six hits. Senior lefty Scotty Breeden came on in the seventh to record
the save.
Stoutland outhit St. Elizabeth 8-7. Nolan Wansing and Caleb Kemna each had two
hits for St. Elizabeth.
Tyler Holtmeyer was the starting and losing pitcher for the Hornets.
STOUTLAND 14 Walnut Grove 0 (Sectional)
Walnut Grove’s
Derrick Morris was supposed to be one of the top aces in the Missouri Class 1
State Baseball Tournament.
Someone forgot to tell that to the Stoutland Tigers.
Stoutland banged around Morris during a wild first inning and went on to easily
post a 14-0 victory over Walnut Grove Monday in Class 1 Sectional action.
The Stoutland Tigers, 19-2 and ranked No. 3 in the Missouri Class 1 state poll,
advance to quarterfinal action against Norwood today at Norwood.
Norwood, 14-11, advanced by stopping Miller 12-6 on in sectional play Monday.
The winner of the Stoutland-Norwood matchup moves on to Class 1 Final Four
action, to be held Wednesday and Thursday, May 28-29 at Meador Park in
Springfield.
Stoutland is trying to advance to the Class 1 Championship Game for the third
consecutive season. The Tigers have been state runner-up the past two years.
Walnut Grove, which ends its season at 16-5, was given a fighting chance against
powerful Stoutland due to starting pitcher Morris, who has already signed to
play baseball next season at Crowder College.
However, Stoutland reached Morris…and reached him in a hurry.
The Tigers unloaded for a whopping 11 runs in the top of the first inning to put
the game away early.
Adam Smith started things off by reaching base and stealing a pair of bases for
Stoutland. Daniel Hernandez had an RBI fielder’s choice and Cory Kyle belted
an RBI double. After Brock Chaffin reached on an error Tyler Wrinkle and Seth
Burns each had RBI hits followed by walks to Blane Willard and Justin Wasmer.
And the rout was on.
Stoutland later plated two runs in the fourth inning. Kyle put icing on the cake
with a massive solo home run to right-centerfield in the fifth, estimated by
Tiger head coach Scott White to have traveled between 425-to-450 feet.
“I’m telling you, Morris is a bona-fide No. 1 pitcher,” White said. “He
had some problems because he couldn’t throw his fastball by us; I think that
shook him a little and he got a little wild.
“We made some really good base-runner decisions. I’m really proud of how we
ran the bases. And that homer by Kyle…I don’t know if that one has come down
yet. That’s the longest homer I’ve seen this year and it may be the longest
homer I’ve ever seen in Stoutland.”
The Tigers outhit Walnut Grove 12-4. Kyle was 2-for-3 while Wrinkle and Chaffin
also had doubles.
Stoutland’s pitching made all that hitting stand up. Senior starting pitcher
Daniel Hernandez got the victory. Burns relieved him in the fourth inning and
later Smith in the fifth.
The game was stopped after five innings due to the run rule.
Stoutland now braces for a Norwood team which upset Miller in the sectionals.
Miller, which lost to Stoutland in the quarterfinals last year, ends this spring
with a 21-3 record.
“I know absolutely nothing about Norwood,” White said Monday night. “I
know if they beat Miller they’re pretty good. We’ll have or work cut out for
us.”
Scott White says he wasn’t sure who would be his starting pitcher in the
quarterfinal game, although he said it would likely be either Kyle or Josh
White, both senior right-handers.
NORWOOD Stoutland 7 Norwood 0 (Quarterfinal)
Scott White has
learned to listen to his ace.
Senior right-hander Cory Kyle gave the Stoutland High School baseball team a
complete-game win in the district tournament title game over St. Elizabeth on
Saturday. He was then given the ball, with a little apprehension by Coach White,
for Wednesday’s Class 1 Quarterfinal matchup with Norwood.
As it turned out, White had no reason to worry.
Kyle was again dominating, posting a 7-0, complete-game shutout win over Norwood
last night to send the Tigers back to the Class 1 Final Four.
Stoutland will be in the state semifinals for the third consecutive season. The
Tigers will meet Oran at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 28 in the semifinals at Meador
Park in Springfield. In the other Class 1 semifinal game defending state
champion New Haven will play Sante Fe at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The Class 1 third-place and championship games will take place on Thursday, May
29. Stoutland has been state runner-up the past two seasons.
Last night Kyle tossed a one-hitter, walking none and fanning a dozen.
“This is the first game in the three years I’ve been back that Cory has
pitched a full game and come back on five days rest,” White said. “The plan
was to pitch him three or four innings. But the zip was still there on the
fastball.
“I kept asking him, ‘Are you all right? Are you all right?’ He kept
telling me, ‘Coach, I’m fine. Leave me in.’”
Stoutland, 20-2 and ranked No. 3 in the Missouri Class 1 state poll, got one run
in the bottom of the first inning when Adam Smith walked, stole a base, moved to
third on a passed ball and scored on Brock Chaffin’s RBI sacrifice fly.
The Tigers plated five runs in the third. Scotty Breeden walked and Smith
followed with a RBI, line-drive double down the left-field line. After Kyle
walked, Chaffin belted a three-run home run. Tyler Wrinkle later walked and
scored on Seth Burns’ sacrifice fly.
Stoutland added a run in the fifth when Josh White doubled and scored on
Breeden’s RBI single.
Stoutland outhit Norwood 10-1. Norwood ends the season 14-12.
Now Stoutland braces for Oran, which defeated Valle Catholic 13-3 in the
quarterfinals last night.
Oran, 23-4, topped Stoutland 3-0 in the championship game of the Stoutland
Tournament earlier this seaso
Springfield, Mo. - Preview of Semi-Final game
Stoutland
baseball head coach Scott White says watching Oran play is like watching a
mirror of his own team.
The Tigers will be trying to crack that mirror image today.
Stoutland makes its third consecutive trip to the Missouri Class 1 State
Tournament Semifinals this morning – weather permitting. And the Tigers will
have their hands full, as they are to meet the Oran Eagles at 10 a.m. at Meador
Park.
In the other Class 1 Semifinal game today at Meador, defending state champion
New Haven takes on Santa Fe at 1 p.m.
The winners of those games are to advance to the Class 1 Championship Game at 1
p.m. Thursday at Meador Park. The semifinal losers are to play in the
third-place game at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
In Class 2 Semifinal games today Scott City is to play Hallsville at 4 p.m.
while Conway takes on Barstow at 7 p.m. On Thursday the Class 2 Championship
Game is set for 4 p.m. and the third-place game for 7 p.m.
Cost is $7 per person per day (one entry).
The previous two seasons Stoutland has advanced to the Class 1 title game, only
to play shaky defense and finish as the state’s runner-up.
White hopes this season is different. However, before getting to the
championship game the Tigers are going to have to figure out a way to beat one
of only two teams to defeat them during the regular season.
Stoutland enters the game with a 20-2 record – the losses coming to Class 4
20-game winner Rolla and Oran. Oran, now 23-4, clipped Stoutland 3-0 in the
championship game of the Stoutland Tournament in April.
“We’ve got to win this one before we can win the (state title),” White
said. “We have to pull out all the stops to win this game.”
That means that White plans to pitch his staff ace, senior right-hander Cory
Kyle, against Oran today. It was Kyle who Oran defeated in April. No one has
ever beaten Kyle twice in the same season.
The two teams certainly have similarities. Both have had murderous offensive
attacks this spring. And they both have a talented and deep pitching staff.
“I said that the other day…them and us really mirror each other,” White
said. “I think Cory is probably as good as it gets at the Class 1 level. But
they’ve got a couple of guys who throw extremely hard. And I don’t care what
level baseball it is; a high-caliber fastball is tough to hit.”
Mum On Starter
Whose fastball Stoutland will see is the question.
In the Eagles’ win over Stoutland earlier this spring fireballer Jayden Pobst
was on the mound. Pobst, a junior right-hander, has a fastball clocked in the
90s. He has a 7-1 record, has allowed 10 runs – four earned – with a 0.87
ERA and has allowed 21 walks, 12 hits and has fanned 61 in 32 innings.
Also for the Eagles senor right-hander Alex Chasteen has a 5-2 mark and a 1.62
ERA. In 39 innings Chasteen has allowed 20 runs – nine earned – 24 hits, 19
walks and has fanned 44.
Senior right-hander Steven Dooley is a third option, with a 5-0 record and a
1.71 ERA for the Eagles, having allowed 15 runs – 10 earned – and 27 hits
over 41 innings and has 77 strikeouts.
Oran head coach Mitch Wood is not tipping his hand as to whom Stoutland will
see.
“It’s something we’ve always been blessed with, good pitching,” said
Wood, who has led the Eagles to six semifinal berths (three 3rd-place finishes,
three 2nd-place finishes) in his 16 years as head coach. “Stoutland is a great
ball club. The pitching they’ve had is phenomenal.”
White said the loss to Oran has been good for his club. Since that setback
Stoutland has scored 11 or more runs in all but two games.
“We’ve had our jayvee pitchers throw to us from about 40 feet,” White said
of the Tigers’ preparation for a possible rematch against Pobst. “After that
first Oran game we went back to the drawing board and changed some swings. We
made them shorter and quicker, hoping to get to the point we can face him
again.”
Oran will have a batting lineup of senor Cody Campbell at first or third base;
Dooley at pitcher, first or leftfield; senior Caleb Seyer at catcher; Chasteen
at pitcher or third base; Pobst at pitcher or leftfield; junior Jake Carter in
rightfield; senior Tyler Beardslee at shortstop; senior Cody L. Dirnberger in
centerfield, and senior Alex Daniel as the designated hitter. Playing second
base will be sophomore Cody W. Dirnberger.
Pobst is hitting .385 with nine homers and 37 RBI while Beardslee is batting
.393 with eight homers and 40 RBI; Seyer .485 with seven homers and 36 RBI;
Campbell .535 with seven homers and 34 RBI; Dooley .398, and Chasteen .363.
The Tigers will counter with a batting lineup of senor Adam Smith at third base;
senior Daniel Hernandez at second base; Kyle pitching; senior Brock Chaffin
catching; senior Tyler Wrinkle in centerfield; senior Josh White in leftfield;
junior Seth Burns at shortstop; senior Blane Willard at first base, and senor
Scotty Breeden in rightfield.
Kyle is batting .672 with seven homers, 42 RBI and 39 hits while Chaffin is
batting .631 with 41 hits, 17 doubles, five homers and 45 RBI; Wrinkle is
batting .522 with 38 RBI, 35 hits and three homers; Hernandez is hitting .525
with 31 hits, 29 RBI and two homers; Josh White is batting .448 with 26 hits, 22
RBI and three homers, and Smith is hitting .429 with 27 hits, 22 RBI and two
homers.
On the mound Kyle has a 5-1 record, three saves and a 0.18 ERA. In 38 innings he
has allowed seven runs – one earned – 18 hits, eight walks and has fanned
74.
Also for Stoutland Josh White has a 3-1 record. In 20 innings he has allowed
seven earned runs, has walked 15, has 37 strikeouts and has a 2.67 ERA.
Hernandez has a 6-0 record with a 0.84 ERA. In 25 innings he has allowed three
earned runs while walking five and fanning 32.
“Our kids came back from last year with one focus – getting back to this
point,” Scott White said. “They all realize where we’re at. They realize
three Final 4s, from a Class 1 team…that’s unbelievable. I also believe they
understand we have to go down there and play our best baseball. If we do that, I
think we’ll be okay.”