By Chad Hayworth (for OzarksSportsZone.com)
AURORA — Sophomore Parker Blackburn held No. 1 seed Seneca to five hits in six innings and the Houn’ Dawg bats came alive late as Aurora roared past the Indians 12-2 to capture the Class 4, District 12 championship on Tuesday afternoon.
The win avenges a district title game loss for the No. 2 seeded Houn’ Dawgs to the Indians from a season ago.
“I knew it would be competitive game against a fantastic team,” said Aurora Coach Heath Fortson. “I thought Parker did a great job overcoming some adversity early and then settling in and throwing some zeros, which gave our offense a chance to come around and see [Seneca starter Drew Sherwood] a couple of times before we broke through late.”
Tuesday’s victory is the second this season over the Indians for Aurora. Fortson credited Blackburn’s ability to throw off-speed pitches for strikes that invite weak contact and a solid defense behind him.
“We’ve been spotty defensively throughout the year, but we’ve stepped up at the right times,” he said. “And offensively, we can hit anybody, truly. I’m never super worried about our offense.”
Seneca got on the board in the first inning when lead-off hitter Jagger Wilson hit a single, stole second and then third and scored on Saul Ball’s RBI single.
Aurora would answer in the top of the third inning. Sherwood walked the first two batters he faced in the frame and after coaxing Casen Brown into a long fly ball out, faced sophomore Memphis Mooneyham.
Mooneyham dropped a bunt down the first base line that Sherwood couldn’t field cleanly. After gathering the ball, Sherwood’s throw went over the head of first basemen Brenton Crow, allowing both Keston Rook and Wyatt Stellwagen to score.
Seneca threatened in the bottom of the third, after No. 9 hitter Ryder Owens hit a double into the gap to start the inning. But Blackburn was able to induce fly outs from Wilson and Sherwood. Owens strayed a bit too far from second as Mooneyham, Aurora’s centerfielder, made the catch of Sherwood’s effort and fired the ball to second to double off the Indian junior.
Aurora strung together four-straight hits in the top of the fifth, back-to-back singles from Brown and Mooneyham, followed by back-to-back doubles from Sean Creasey and Max Holland, pushing the Houn’Dawg lead to 5-1.
Things really began to unravel for Seneca in the top of the sixth. Blackburn led off the inning for Aurora with a double, and after striking out Rook, Sherwood walked Stellwagen. Seneca Coach Chris Yust went to his bullpen, putting senior Ian Heffren on the mound, but the Aurora offense was alive.
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Brown hit a RBI single, Mooneyham reached after being hit by a pitch and Creasey drew an RBI walk. That left the bases loaded for the senior Holland, who crushed a ball over the left field wall for a grand slam.
Seneca changed pitchers again, opting for sophomore Blake McKinney, but he, too, had a hard time finding the corners of the plate, walking in Aurora’s seventh run of the inning before recording the final out. But by then, the damage was done and the Houn’Dawgs led 12-1.
Owens got his second hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning and advanced to third on Wilson’s double before scoring on Ball’s sacrifice fly. But the Indians could get no closer.
“They took advantage of their opportunities, and we had some that we didn’t,” Yust said. “That’s baseball some days.”
The loss doesn’t diminish the success the Indians had this year, winning the Big 8 Conference, or what his senior class has accomplished in their four seasons in the program, Yust said.
“They show up every day and they go to work,” Yust said. “They’ve done everything I’ve asked of them and they compete. You can’t ask for more than that as a coach.”
The Indians finish the season 19-9-1.
Blackburn didn’t issue a single walk in the game, but he did hit one batter, Sherwood, in the bottom of the sixth. He struck out four in the winning effort.
“It’s a special group,” Fortson said of his team. “The work they have put in all year has been incredible, the hitters we have been phenomenal and we’ve had a couple of guys step up on the mound, which has been huge.”
Aurora (15-15) will face the winner of Wednesday’s District 11 title game between Logan-Rogersville and Hollister on May 26.
