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Baseball heads into postseason with high hopes for pitching

SLUH wrapped up the regular season with a 2-2 split over the past week, adding two wins to a record that has seen significant improvement this year. At 18-14, the Jr. Bills now prepare to host the District tournament next week. Despite struggling at the plate at times, they feel confident that their stellar pitching can push them deep into the District bracket next week.

SLUH started with a doubleheader at Troy Buchanan this past Saturday. The bats started a little slow, but SLUH was able to scratch across four runs. Sophomore Charlie Isom-McCall, senior Patrick Mooney, senior Alex Shelton and junior Henry Zenor each contributed multi-hit games en route to scoring four runs, which is all the pitching staff would need. 

Senior Jack DuMont hurled a quality start, throwing 5 frames and allowing two runs on three hits while striking out seven batters. Senior Coby Spratte relieved in the sixth inning, and held the fort down with a 1-2-3 inning. Junior Parker Guthrie came in the seventh and picked up the save as he struck out the side to end the game. The Jr. Bills won 4-2. 

The second game of the split did not go as well for SLUH. They mixed up the lineup and gave some guys opportunities in spots they don’t usually find themselves. Junior Garret Shearer hit a double and scored while freshman James Unwin picked up a hit and scored. Both eventually made it home courtesy of RBIs from junior Dillion Ramella, the only two of the game for SLUH.

Junior starter Michael Baudendistel tossed 4 innings, surrendering four runs and walking none. Junior Max Adelman got some action on the mound as well afterwards, allowing one run in one inning pitched. Senior Johnny McArthur closed it out with a scoreless sixth inning, but the offense lacked run support, and the Jr. Bills fell, 5-2. 

The next game was not originally supposed to be played. The Jr. Bills added a game to their schedule against Timberland this Monday, but the addition ended poorly as SLUH lost 9-2. 

Shearer started the game, but allowed five runs in 3 innings, and the Jr. Bills never rebounded. Spratte entered the game and gave up another four runs, three of which were unearned. Senior Tucker Thomas closed out the game with 3 shutout innings, but by that time it was all but over. 

The Jr. Billikens then traveled down to Rockwood Summit for their final regular season contest of the season. 

McArthur got the nod on the rubber, and he threw 3.1 quality innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out four Falcons. With runners on first and second, sophomore Andrew DuMont came in to finish off the fourth inning. He only needed five pitches, as he picked off the runner of second base and struck out the batter. 

Sophomore Henry McDaniels pitched the next 2 innings, striking out three and holding the score at 1-0.

The offense finally sparked to life, and they knotted the score at one. Mooney came up with runners on the corners and one out, and he placed a perfect safety squeeze bunt past the pitcher for the soon-to-be game-winning RBI. 

The bats stayed hot in the seventh, as Shelton blasted a fastball to the wall for two RBIs to put the Jr. Bills on top 4-1. Guthrie slammed the door in the seventh for his fifth save of the season, and SLUH concluded the regular season with an 18-14 record, notching twice as many wins as they did last season. 

SLUH earned the No. 1 seed in Class 6 District 3. They will host the entirety of the District playoffs, which begin next Monday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. against No. 8 Hazelwood Central (5-7). If they can advance past the Hawks, they will play the winner of No. 4 Pattonville (13-8) and No. 5 Francis Howell North (11-17). The other side of the bracket features No. 2 Francis Howell Central (19-12) against No. 7 Ritenour (6-8), and No. 3 De Smet against No. 6 Hazelwood West (10-12). The District semifinals will be played on Tuesday, May 17, and the championship is set for Thursday, May 19. 

The Jr. Bills are confident they have the tools to not only win Districts, but to make a deep run into the playoffs. 

“We know our pitching is some of the best in the state,” senior Tommy Etling said. “So if we can be consistent in our offensive approach and string some clutch hits together then it’ll be hard to beat us.”

 

 


 

 

 

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