By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
Kyle Kiely began the Class 3 championship baseball game where he left off in St. Dominic’s 25-8 semifinal thumping of Notre Dame Cape Girardeau Friday.
Kiely pitched a scoreless inning in the Crusaders’ 17-run win over the Bulldogs, and added seven more scoreless innings in Saturday’s 8-0 championship win over Webb City. Through eight innings, in relief and as a starter, the right-hander didn’t allow a run and gave up five hits while walking just one batter in the Class 3 final four.
Kiely’s performance wasn’t perfect. He did have to pitch himself and the Crusaders out of trouble in the third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings to preserve the shut out. But you can’t argue with the results.
“He’s just clutch,” Will Mulligan told the St. Louis Post Dispatch of his teammate following the eight-run championship win. “There’s not much more you can say about that. You always expect the best from him, and he always delivers the best. Whatever he’s got, he gives it.”
Mulligan was on his game in the semifinals and in the championship, as well. The third baseman was credited with eight runs batted in, a pair of home runs and 11 total bases in the two games.
The senior started Saturday’s championship game with a two-run double in the first inning and added an RBI single in the sixth inning.
The Crusaders scored three runs in the opening inning, one more in the second, one run in the third, two in the sixth and one in the seventh in securing the school's first baseball championship.
Class 4 Championship
Ozark rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to jerk a Class 4 state championship out from under Francis Howell Saturday.
For the Tigers it was the second rally in as many days as Ozark won its second baseball title and the first one since winning the Class 3 title in 2004.
Corey Wiley’s line drive double into the right field corner scored Justin Johnson, who was pinch running for Ryne Armstrong in the decisive sixth inning rally. Wiley then came home on Matt Jordan’s two-out bloop single to short left field to erase Francis Howell’s one-run edge and seal the win 3-2.
“Just like in the semifinals, we knew that it was coming,” Ozark senior Derek Harwell told the Springfield News Leader of the late rally. “It wasn’t a matter of if we were going to do it, it was a matter of when we were going to do it.”
Johnson, who became only the third player in state history to hit 1.000 in a championship series after going 5-for-5 from the plate during the final two games, also threw a complete game from the mound. He was credited with six strikeouts.
Francis Howell caught a tough break when Preston Aldridge pulled a hamstring in the bottom of the first inning and had to leave the contest. The center fielder had a double, a home run and three RBIs in Friday’s 8-5 rally over St. Louis University High in the semifinals.
Class 2 Championship
Scott City had five players pound out multiple hits and a total of nine players get at least one hit, as the Rams scored runs in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings in a 13-3 win over Barstow in Saturday’s Class 2 state baseball championship game.
Scott City, who finished the season with a 23-1 record, took the lead for good in the second inning.
Shae Simmons led the attack after going 3-for-4 and scoring three runs. Josh Henson, Ryan Modglin, Cody Carlyle and Cody Page were all credited with two hits each.
Barstow’s offense was led by Corey Wacknov , who went 2-for-3 from the plate and scored a run. T.J. Jarvis, Broc Knapp and Jamie Levin each had a hit in the contest for the Knights.
The Knights tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the first inning, but didn’t score again until the fifth inning.
Class 1 Championship
Santa Fe capped a perfect season with a Class 1 state baseball championship after out-scoring Stoutland 12-7 Saturday.
Taylor Wesley, Kenzie Thorp and Matt Lovercamp all had three hits in leading Santa Fe’s 15-hit attack. Wesley and Thorp scored two runs a piece for the Chiefs. The trio accounted for half of the Chief RBIs.
Santa Fe took a 2-1 advantage after the first inning, but separated itself in the fourth inning when the Chiefs put together five runs. Santa Fe also scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning. Stoutland scored three runs in each of the fifth and seventh innings.
Stoutland’s offense was led by Brock Chaffin’s 2-for-2 outing. Chaffin scored a pair of runs and knocked in another one.
State Baseball Results
Class 4
Sectionals
Francis Howell 8, Jackson 3
Parkway South 12, Oakville 5
St. Louis University High 3, Chaminade 2
Parkway Central 8, Hazelwood West 4
Holt 9, Columbia Hickman 3
Ozark 10, Springfield Kickapoo 3
Blue Springs South 15, Lee’s Summit 5
Oak Park 14, Winnetonka 3 (5 innings)
Quarterfinals
Francis Howell 2, Parkway South 0
St. Louis University High 9, Parkway Central 4
Ozark 7, Holt 2
Oak Park 7, Blue Springs South 2
Semifinals
Francis Howell 8, St. Louis University High 5
Ozark 7, Oak Park 3
Championship
Ozark 3, Francis Howell 2
Class 3
Sectionals
Notre Dame Cape Girardeau 3, De Soto 0
Pacific 17, Affton 7 (6 innings)
Westminster Christian Academy 16, Trinity Catholic 0 (5 innings)
St. Dominic 7, St. Francis Borgia 3
Logan-Rogersville 3, Clinton 0
Webb City 4, Branson 2
Boonville 9, Excelsior Springs 6
Harrisonville 8, Savannah 2
Quarterfinals
Notre Dame Cape Girardeau 12, Pacific 2
St. Dominic 3, Westminster Christian Academy 0
Webb City 14, Logan-Rogersville 3 (5 innings)
Boonville 8, Harrisonville 6
Semifinals
St. Dominic 25, Notre Dame Cape Girardeau 8 (6 innings)
Webb City 14, Boonville 3 (5 innings)
Championship
St. Dominic 8, Webb City 0
Class 2
Sectionals
Scott City 10, Portageville 6 (8 innings)
Clearwater 8, Bourbon 2
Orchard Farm 8, Whitfield 2
Hallsville 3, Carrollton 2
Blue Eye 19, Purdy 6 (5 innings)
Conway 2, Mansfield 0
El Dorado Springs 8, Cole Camp 4
Barstow 11, Plattsburg 4
Quarterfinals
Scott City 7, Clearwater 5
Hallsville 5, Orchard Farm 1
Conway 2, Blue Eye 1
Barstow 6, El Dorado Springs 2
Semifinals
Scott City 10, Hallsville 0 (5 innings)
Barstow 3, Conway 2
Championship
Scott City 13, Barstow 3 (6 innings)
Consolation
Conway 7, Hallsville 3
Class 1
Sectionals
Oran 12, Cooter 4
Valle Catholic 17, Winona 2 (5 innings)
Norwood 12, Miller 6
Stoutland 14, Walnut Grove 0 (5 innings)
New Haven 10, Paris 4
LaPlata 5, Northeast Cairo 2
Archie 9, Lakeland 5
Santa Fe 7, Wellington-Napoleon 1
Quarterfinals
Oran 13, Valle Catholic 3 (6 innings)
Stoutland 7, Norwood 0
New Haven 8, LaPlata 7 (8 innings)
Santa Fe 6, Archie 5
Semifinals
Stoutland 7, Oran 4
Santa Fe 7, New Haven 4
Championship
Santa Fe 12, Stoutland 7
Consolation
Oran 5, New Haven 2
