May 26, 2008                        Check Out previous Blogs

The Final Four teams of all 4 classes have been set....each arrived on a different route using different tools to reach the finals...some are familiar faces and some haven't been there in a generation...read about these exciting baseball teams and their journeys....

Happy Memorial Day to All! As we enjoy this annual Holiday, let's not forget the heroes of the past who have given their lives for us to enjoy the freedoms, pleasures, family activities in the way that we do.

STATE tournament action in Baseball brings a variety of story lines.

For example, In Class 4 action, Francis Howell Vikings had their first two batters of the first inning get on base and score runs against the Parkway South Patriots. Big scoring game...hardly. The final score was 2-0...yes, those first two batters were the ONLY runs of the game. Despite the lack of scoring, it was an exciting game. Howell turned two traditional 4-6-3 double plays, each catcher threw out runners trying to steal, Howell threw out one runner at home and then alertly nailed the batter attempting to go to 2nd base on his hit for a 8-2-6 double play. The pitchers were excellent on both sides as they threw strikes, batters hit the ball early in the count, defenses made all the plays ! High School baseball at a very high level. Listen to replay on www.prepcasts.com.

Scott City (21-1)of Class 2 was on the ropes! Trailing 5-4 in 7th inning with 2 outs to Clearwater, their outstanding All-Stater Ryan Modglin was intentionally walked with the tying run on 3rd base. Cody Carlyle delivered one of his three hits to tie the game for the Rams. Scott City scored 2 runs in the 8th for the 7-5 win and to notch their first trip to STATE since 1990 (many of these players were born in that year!). It points out a couple items that we've touched on previously--1) You MUST have a prodigious hitter (Modglin) 2) Others on the team MUST deliver a key segments of the game; 3)The really good teams can RALLY at any point of the game.

Oak Park Northmen pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the Class 4 tournament as they upended Blue Springs South (23-4) by a 7-2 score. Oak Park had been beaten twice this season by the Jaguars 4-0 and 4-2 but Scott Bradbury kept the Jaguars at bay for 6 innings and southpaw Danny Deis struck out the side in the 7th. Coach Richard Wood, the only baseball Coach in the history of South, will now officially retire after having the best W-L record in the school's history! Many fans and relatives greeted the retiring coach and he was showered with many accolades from his team. The team kept using the words like "it was so much fun". Usually we hear the words from younger amateur players in grammar school. Congrats to Coach Wood on a magnificent career that has clearly left an impact not only for his expertise in baseball but for the way that he's developing youngsters !

Is that Sandy Koufax & Don Drysdale out there ?  Well I don't know but Conway(20-7) beat Mansfield 2-0 in the sectionals and edged Blue Eye 2-1 in the Quarterfinals. IIt's safe to say that if you give up just 1 run in two games, you'll probably be advancing in the high school baseball tournament. Hurlers, Mike Eyman and Kelby Radar will lead this Class 2 team against a very talented Barstow (17-1) team in the semifinals.

The sweet taste of revenge!  The Oran Eagles were knocked out of the STATE Class 1 tournament last year by the Valle Catholic Warriors as the Warriors rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the last 2 innings to win 5-4. That lesson wasn't forgotten by the Eagles. This year Oran scored early and often as they handled the Warriors 13-3 in 5 innings. This trip to STATE will be the 5th in 7 years as Coach Mitch Wood has his Eagles soaring again as they face Stoutland, a team that they shutout 3-0 on April 27.

Ozark Tigers (22-5) stopped the Holt Indians (21-8) from returning to STATE in class 4 play. Ozark scored 4 times in first 3 innings and rode the strong pitching of Ethan Mather who struck out 9 in the complete game effort. The journey to the Final Baseball Four is the 3rd since 2004 for the Tigers.

A very familiar face in the STATE tourney is the Webb City Cardinals (23-5)-who will again join the party after trouncing Rogersville 14-3 in the Quarters. The Cardinals beat Rogersville 7-0 in the same quarterfinal round of 2006 and hope that their fortunes will have the same result as 2006. Names from the Cardinal 06 roster include 08 pitchers, Chance Sossamon and Jared Swarens, who were the winning pitchers in the sectionals and quarters this year.

Is the 3rd time a charm ? Already hoisting soccer and basketball championship banners for this year, Notre Dame (Cape) shoots for title number 3 in baseball. The Bulldogs used the 1 hit pitching of Mark Himmelberg to win sectional 3-0 over DeSoto. Finally exploding for 8 runs in the top of the 7th,the Bulldogs pulled away from a feisty, youthful Pacific team 12-2. The final score is one of those really misleading scores--it was 4-2 going into the 7th ! This is first appearance for Notre Dame in baseball Final Four since 2002.

Bringing a loaded lineup, a team and coach brimming with confidence and 21 wins under their belt, the Boonville Pirates of Coach Tim Edwards move further down the road. Beating Excelsior Springs 8-6 in the sectionals had its moments as the Pirates held off an last inning rally to grab the win. In the quarters, Boonville came from behind and closed the door with Chuckie James  as he struck out two in the 7th and post a 8-6 win over the Harrisonville Wildcats. 

This week, Prepcasts will be the voices of the MSHSAA Internet Network as we bring you all 16 of the baseball Finals on Wednesday through Saturday from Springfield, MO. Meanwhile, from St Louis, the finals of the Girls Soccer may also be heard. Come to www.prepcasts.com -- we'll get you to the game link as we always do throughout the entire year !

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