By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
ASH GROVE – Kyler Reece was built for moments like this.
After a heartbreaking loss in the district final last season to Miller, the Ash Grove senior returned the favor in a thrilling, 2-1 victory Wednesday evening.
Originally slated for Monday, the game was paused after one-half inning due to severe weather and restarted at the bottom half of the first.
Locked in another pitching duel with Mizzou commit Jace Wilkinson, Reece more than held his own with a complete-game three-hitter in the win.
Even better?
The multisport standout racked up a gaudy 15 strikeouts on the evening and retired the final 12 Miller batters in a row.
“I wanted to do as much as I could to win this game,” Reece said. “I remember last year – last year hurt. We were on the losing side of the same score last year. I knew I had to go the whole distance to come out with the win.”
The Pirates jumped on the board early in the first inning as Wilkinson struggled to find his control.
After walking the first two batters, a wild pitch from Miller’s ace allowed Sawyer Brooks to score from second on an obstruction call.
The Cardinals answered in the top of the third when Paul Nunez’s single into center field scored Owen Weiss.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
From there, baserunners were few and far between as both pitchers settled in for the long haul.
In the sixth inning, Miller – No. 2 in Class 2 – was forced to lift Wilkinson due to pitch count restrictions, and Ash Grove seized the opportunity.
After Joseph Jolivette was hit by a pitch, a Toby Barnes single – the only Ash Grove hit in the game – moved Jolivette to third.
With only one out and runners at the corners, Ash Grove found itself in an ideal situation.
Enter Hunter Heffernon.
With the game on the line, the junior third baseman turned on a 2-2 fastball to deliver the game-winning RBI.
“I went up there with an approach to just get anything – a sac or a base knock – to get Joe in and get the dub for this team,” Heffernon said. “I was just doing anything I could at the plate to walk it off.”
“That’s a pitcher’s momentum there,” Reece said. “That’s straight momentum. I just knew after we scored; I’m just like, this game is over. I’m going to go out here, and I’m shutting them down because Hunter gave me a lead and a chance to go win this game, and that’s all I needed.”
True to his word, Reece took the one-run cushion and delivered with three-straight strikeouts to seal the victory for the Pirates.
Wilkinson finished with no hits, 7 walks and 13 strikeouts through five innings of work.
Ash Grove head coach Berrah Brown praised his team for its resilient nature following the big win and Reece for stepping up in the biggest of moments.
“You’ve got good baseball players on a team, and you’ve got good athletes on a team,” Brown said. “Then you have competitors, and that kid (Reece) competes. He competes as hard as he can in everything he does. He just knows how to buckle down, take control and lead a team that, to be honest with you, was a little shaky on defense the first couple innings. He just kind of took control from there and led us to a win.”
The victory also vaults Class 3 No. 10 Ash Grove (18-3, 4-2) into a favorable position in the Southwest Conference standings just behind Diamond (11-9, 5-1).
For Reece, an opportunity to chase down the first place Wildcats is all that matters.
“We need another team to come up big against Diamond,” Reece said. “They’re the main threat right now. Whoever lost tonight was basically eliminated from conference because it would have put us at three losses, but to go out and win? It just gives us a chance, and all we need is that chance.”
Final: Ash Grove – 2, Miller – 1
Miller 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 | 1 3 1
Ash Grove 1 0 0 0 0 1 x | 2 1 2
