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April 20, 2009 Check Out previous Blogs
Wet, rainy, chllly, fire-making type days and nights in mid-April may present a Weather-Whammy for some teams. The Coach must contend with several variables that have emerged during the first few weeks of the season. Some players now see their reduced roles as insignificant, pitchers may lose some of their control due to inactivity, batters may become obsessed with their batting numbers during this lull, overall energy about the season is diminished for some due to senior or prom activities. Often pitchers dominate during the first couple days "back" into action and batters may lose some confidence. The highly successful coaches deal effectively with these issues to mold their teams into highly focused, "driven" teams that look to improve and to win in May.
Walk-off home-runs aren't real common in high School. This week Prepcasts had not one, but two, walk off dingers. Lutheran South(7-3) had a 2-run poke by Jordan Stoulp in the 8th inning to win 4-2 over a very talented Hillsboro Hawk team (11-3). South is turning around their program under Steve Pfund (who won State last year as St. Dominic Coach). This game was like a post-season game in its intensity and energy. Listen to replay on www.prepcasts.com One might think that it drained both teams so much that each lost on Saturday in DuBourg Tournament.
Later Saturday night, Oakville Tigers remained unbeaten at 13-0 with a 3 run blast. Brett Holloway's shot in the 8th inning (although not a true walk off) provided the Tigers with a hard-earned 11-8 win over intra-district rival, Mehlville Panthers (6-8). Hear this replay on www.prepcasts.com.
Easter was last week but there were plenty of goose-EGG games around the State this week. Hop around with me... ....Jacob Turner, one of the hottest pitching prospects in Missouri, shut out the Whitfield Warriors 2-0 on 2 hits. Turner (2-1) of Westminster Christian Academy has 38 strikeouts in only 18 innings of pitching ! Look for Turner to be chosen in first round of MLB draft and then decide between college or pro baseball. ....In a game where neither pitcher surrendered an earned run, Union(3-4) edged New Haven(4-5) 2-1. Auston Goudeau recorded the win as he hung up 8 K's. Josh Riegel gave up 2 unearned runs while banging out 2 hits himself in the losing cause for the Shamrocks. ....Chris Pettit of Mark Twain High (6-2), scattered 4 hits on way to his 4-0 whitewash of South Shelby. At the plate, Mark Twain was led by Austin Leake (2 of 3, 2 doubles and an RBI) ....Ala Greg Maddux, Chad Faulstich would strike out only 3 but went the distance in the Seckman(8-3) 3-1 win over Parkway Central(6-3). Faustich permitted only 4 hits as the Jaguars scored 2 runs in the 1st inning and made it stand up. Still more zeroes flying your way...
....Scoreless through 4 innings, Carthage (6-7)scored a single tally in 5th and, 6th with 2 runs in the 7th to beat Joplin(5-7) 4-1. Southpaw Josh Mason, who gave up 5 hits with 3 K's, went the distance in this pitcher's dual. ....In a heartbreaking defeat, Ft Zumwalt West(11-3) led 1-0 with 2 outs in the 7th over Ft Zumwalt South. Two back-back errors opened the door and the Bulldogs walked off with a 2-1 win over the Jags. Hear this crushing, or thrilling (depending upon your team) game on www.prepcasts.com These were the only errors of the game as the Jags outhit South 9-2 for the game !! AJ Walkenhorst went the distance for the Bulldogs with 10 strikeouts ! ....after a nine day break, Mexico(2-5) made the most of the 2 hit offense and beat Centralia 4-0. The Panthers committed 8 errors making all the runs unearned. Sheldon Turek struck out 7 in 5 innings while registering the win for the Cardinals. ....Jesse Long produced the win for Woodland as they were able to sneak by Delta 2-1. The winning run scored on a SAC Fly ! How many times do you see that in high school ?
SOME RED-HOT TEAMS for the week ! ....Ladue Rams are 7-1 for the year! These Rams have outscored their opponents 85-14 for the season !! ....Eureka Wildcats have won 4 consecutive games while raising their record to 9-5. A big win over Parkway West started this streak. Often, once a team beats a really strong team, their confidence elevates and the level of their play also bounces upward. Looks like the Wildcats are in that "elevated" mode right now. ....Lafayette Lancers, under Coach Steve Miller, have chalked up 6 straight as they season mark now stands at 9-2. The Lancers have scored 38 runs in the last 4 games! By the way, Lafayette will square off with Eureka on May 5 !!
LONGEST GAME OF THE WEEK....... Vianney went 11 innings to grab a narrow 4-3 MCC win over DeSmet. The Spartans scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th to send it into extra innings.
BEST COMEBACK OF THE WEEK..... The St Charles Pirates(7-5) scored both of their runs in the bottom of the 7th to gallop off the field with a 2-1 victory over the Ft. Zumwalt East Lions in GAC action this week.
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