By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Flock is family, and family never quits on each other.
The Glendale Falcons certainly didn’t quit in Tuesday night’s Class 5 District 10 tournament title game.
Quiet through five innings, Glendale erupted with four runs in the bottom of the sixth and pulled off a 4-2 comeback victory over state-ranked No. 1 Nixa.
“I love Glendale,” said Falcons junior Tim Glenn, who threw 2 and 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. “We do it for our teammates. It’s a family thing. That’s why we all say, ‘Flock is family.’”
The victory gives Glendale its first district championship in baseball since 2005.
“We’ve had good teams come through. That just shows you how hard it is to win a district championship,” said Falcons coach Jim Julian, who played at the school in the mid-1990s. “Especially in a district, typically, where you have really quality programs like Nixa, Ozark, Kickapoo and Branson.
“I’m happy for (our) guys.”
Glendale (21-7 overall) plays at Camdenton (17-9 overall) on May 21 in a Class 5 sectional matchup. Glendale beat the Lakers 7-2 in the regular season.
The Falcons, trailing 2-0, were down to their final six outs against Nixa.
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Then, Glendale put together a season-saving rally.
Pinch hitter Zach Beatty, a sophomore, drew a leadoff walk. He got to third base after a passed ball, and scored on a sac-fly by 9-hole hitter Gaetan Martino.
“When Gaetan got that run in, we knew, ‘This is our game. This is our time. We’re going to win this,’” Glenn said.
Cleanup hitter Thomas Brand tied the game, 2-2, with an RBI single. The Falcons added two more runs on a pair of Nixa errors.
Glenn retired the Nixa side in order in the top of the seventh.
Glenn, in relief of starter David Wells, also pitched the Falcons out of a two-on, one-out jam in the fifth that kept Glendale within 2-0.
“Coach Julian said, ‘Clear mind. Act like no one’s on (base). It’s a 0-0 ballgame,’” Glenn said. “‘Game’s in your hands now, so do what you can do. You control this game now.’
“I’ve done it all season. I try to do it for my brothers and coaches.”
Nixa didn’t put a runner on base until the fourth inning. But the Eagles went up 1-0 in that frame thanks to a Glendale error and Kinson Michel’s RBI single. The Eagles made it 2-0 in the fifth on Isaiah Engelman’s RBI single.
Nixa starter Jake Uber, a senior, threw all six innings for the Eagles. Nixa, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 5 in the final state coaches’ poll of the season, finishes 23-3 overall.
