By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
HOLLISTER – Top seeded Clever downed Springfield Catholic 13-6 Wednesday to capture the Class 2 District 5 championship.
The title game marked the fourth meeting between the two teams this season, with Clever winning the first two (16-5, 8-7), and Catholic the most recent matchup (4-3).
For Clever head coach Cheryl Grant, the three previous contests allowed the Blue Jay hitters to become increasingly familiar with Catholic standout pitcher Brianna Scott.
“When you see a pitcher multiple times – especially when you have good hitters like i have – after they see them a couple, two or three times, they kind of get their timing down,” Grant said. “That allows them to hit the ball more. We didn’t have any huge home run hits or anything like that, but we had some good bunts, and everybody kind of played a part.”
Familiarity typically works both ways, and both teams traded blows back and forth early on in the matchup.
Through three innings, Clever held a slim, 3-2 lead, with each team unable to produce a big inning at the plate.
Part of the problem, at least for Catholic, was the looming presence of Autumn Thrasher patrolling the outfield for the Blue Jays.
The junior centerfielder posted a pair of highlight-worthy catches in the first two innings, the first of which was a leaping, over-the-shoulder snag at the wall.
“There’s so much adrenaline,” Thrasher said of the big play at the wall. “The ball gets hit, and I think it’s gone, but I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I knew that Ava needed me. So I go back to the fence, and I have my left fielder telling me I’m right by the fence. I just track it, I go back and I fall into the fence with the ball – and it was the best feeling.”
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Grant wasn’t surprised by the result of Thrasher’s high-risk, high-reward attempt at the wall.
“She’s just really, really smart with a high IQ,” Grant said of her centerfielder. “Can’t say enough about her. She hit really well tonight and played great defense. She just has a feel for the game – where to go with the ball and what to do.”
As is the case with close games, momentum can play a big role, and Clever got its first opportunity in the top of the fourth after a heads-up defensive play at third base caught a Catholic runner off the bag and ended the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Blue Jay bats went to work.
RBI singles from Thrasher, Savannah Cheney and Piper Steele scored Ava Mittag, Thrasher and Izabel Hudak to give Clever a 6-2 lead and a little breathing room.
True to their name, the Fightin’ Irish responded in the fifth inning.
Following a single and a walk by Jalyn Smith and Hadleigh McCue, both baserunners scored on a Clever throwing area to cut the lead to a mere two runs at 6-4.
In the sixth inning, it was deja vu all over for the Fightin’ Irish.
With two outs and Catholic looking to cut into the Clever lead, once again, a play at the plate killed the Irish momentum and ended the inning.
Clever wasted little time responding.
The Blue Jays plated seven runs in the bottom half of the inning.
RBI from Hudak, Maycee King, Bailey Gaulding, Mittag and Thrasher broke the game open and pushed the Clever lead to 13-4.
Facing the end of its season with a mere three outs remaining, Catholic again rallied.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
Fueled by an energetic dugout, the Irish scored a pair of runs on back-to-back home runs from Taryn Stuhlsatz and Smith.
Catholic head coach Madison Orr praised her team for continuing to fight through adverse conditions.
“We’ve always told the girls – you don’t stop fighting,” Orr said. “We’re the Fightin’ Irish for a reason. Once you stop fighting, then it’s just kind of like you’re giving up, and we’re not a team that gives up. It’s not fun to just give up, lay down and let somebody kind of roll over you. We’re going to fight you all the way until the end.”
Following the pair of home run balls, Mittag took a few steps to calm herself down and get back to the task at hand.
“I was chilling, because we’re up, what, seven runs and then they got two,” Mittag said. “And I was like, that was their four and five batters. That’s all right if they get home runs, because we had the rest.”
The rest, in this case, concluded with an appropriately placed pop-up to the circle.
After calmly making the out, Mittag was swarmed by her teammates.
The junior right-hander allowed two runs on nine hits and four walks with one strikeout.
Following an ice water bath courtesy of her players, Clever’s longtime coach – who is retiring after the season – spoke on the significance of this particular district championship.
“This is the last dance for me, yep – 13 years,” Grant said. “And I couldn’t ask for a better way to end it. I’m really proud of these girls.”
Next up for Clever is a May 20 quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 Diamond. The Wildcats downed No. 4 Mt. Vernon in the District 6 title game.
Class 2, District 5 Championship FInal: Clever – 13, Catholic – 6
CATHOLIC 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 | 6 9 4
CLEVER 2 1 0 3 0 7 x | 13 16 7
