Sikeston wins a classic

Sunday, May 30, 2004

Derek James

FARMINGTON - Only two words are needed to describe Friday's baseball game between Sikeston and North County -- "instant classic."

In a game that seemed to have it all, the Sikeston Bulldogs defeated the North County Raiders 4-3 in a Class 3 sectional game at Farmington's Wilson-Rozier Park.

Sikeston (25-1) played Herculaneum on Saturday in a quarterfinal game but results were not available at press time.

Friday's victory against the defending state champion Raiders (20-4) came in dramatic fashion. Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Sikeston all-stater Blake DeWitt came to the forefront yet again, blasting a grand slam over the right centerfield fence to take the lead, and eventually, the game.

DeWitt's titanic home run, his 14th of the season, came on an 0-1 curve ball from Raider lefty Shea Brady, who was virtually untouchable up to that point.

DeWitt said the first pitch called strike was a curve ball and Brady made the mistake of throwing the exact same pitch.

He even admitted that he wasn't even thinking home run at the time, but just put the ball in play.

"We were down 3-0 and it looked like everybody was kind of down coming into the inning, but there we go, get three runners on and I come up and I know I've just got to put the ball in play and make something happen," said DeWitt.

"Fortunately enough I got the job done. I was thinking put the ball in play and maybe score a run here and just kind of chip away. But it happened for the better. I knew I got all of it. I didn't even feel it. The adrenaline was pumping."

Said Sikeston coach Kevin Self, "(Brady) threw him back to back pitches -- the same exact pitch, and you just can't do him that way. He can see one, but that second one he's going to recognize it and he's going to hit it. I'm telling you, if you get some guys on and you give Blake a chance and he's going to come through. They had to pitch to him. They had no place to put him."

The one run lead held up for DeWitt, who won his 27th consecutive high school decision against no losses.

DeWitt threw a scoreless sixth and worked his way into the seventh inning where he faced North County star Adam Howard with two outs and the game on the line.

"I felt in control once we got that fourth run," said DeWitt. "I felt my stuff was pretty good and I was pretty pumped up."

But the first pitch Howard saw he launched into left field for what appeared to be a game-tying home run. But left fielder Eric Chappell moved underneath the ball and was able to make the difficult catch while falling against the fence.

Chappell then raised his glove in the air, signaling the out, sending the Bulldog players and fans into celebration.

The players rushed onto the field, mobbing DeWitt on the infield, then making the dash to left field to mob Chappell.

DeWitt said he thought Howard's shot would leave the yard.

"It scared me a little bit -- I thought home run all the way," he said. "I thought I threw a pretty good pitch on him, but he's a great hitter and he just went down and got it. Another two or three feet and that ball was gone. Eric Chappell made a great play on it."

Sikeston coach Kevin Self said he thought it the ball was going to be a home run as well.

"I was thinking, 'it looks like we're going 12 innings again,'" said Self, referring to Sikeston's 2-1, 12-inning sectional victory against the Raiders two years ago.

"When he touches that one off he's off on his front foot but he got it on the good part of the bat and I knew he hit it pretty good. I knew it had a chance. The ball really carries here."

The final out was simply an appropriate ending to a game played between two baseball powers.

"I thought it had a chance, but I just didn't think he got it all," said North County coach Steve Pasternak. "The kid made a nice play going into the fence. It was a tough one to lose on and a tremendous one for Sikeston to win."

The game started off in spectacular fashion as well as leadoff batter Wes Foshee lined a sure single into centerfield only to see Nathan Eaves make a tremendous diving play.

It set the tone for the rest of the game.

"I really don't know what is in the air when these two teams get together," said Self. "They know how to entertain some fans."

After retiring North County in order, Sikeston seemed to be in business with a runner on first and DeWitt batting, but a ground ball to shortstop Howard led to a nicely turned 6-3 double play.

In the top of the second, North County's Dusty Aubuchon lined a two-out single into centerfield. One batter later, Dan Harris blasted a double over Scotty Keenan's head.

Running all the way, Pasternak decided to try to score Aubuchon. But Keenan tracked down the ball, fired a bullet to second baseman J.R. Bizzell, who turned a fired a perfect throw to catcher Jacob Priday to easily nab Aubuchon at the plate.

"I sent the player and I knew it was going to take a good play to get him," said Pasternak. "When Dusty didn't slide, it took the chance of scoring out because he almost landed in Priday's arms, you know he's a big old strong kid. But I sent him and we've played aggressive all year."

Sikeston got runners on first and third in the bottom of the second but couldn't plate any runs.

After both teams went down in order in the third, North County started a two-out rally in the fourth as the inning was kept alive on an error by first baseman Cullen DeHart.

Ryan Blankenship then blooped a single into centerfield to put runners on first and second for Aubuchon, who quickly atoned for his out at home plate by lining a home run over the left field fence to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead, which would stand until the fifth inning.

The Bulldogs got things started in the fifth on an infield single by Bizzell with one out.

Ross Merideth then hit a ground ball deep in the hole between shortstop and third base.

Howard made a nice play to field the ball, but lost the handle when he tried to get the force at second.

The error, which looked to be a sure double-play, kept the inning going. Brady then walked Keenan for the second time to load the bases. The lefty was able to get Lance Rhodes swinging, but he then served up the grand slam to DeWitt.

"One of the things I told the players before the game was you've got to make every play like it's the last out in the seventh game of the World Series," said Pasternak. "We unfortunately didn't do that on a couple plays. Any time you've got a good team and you open that door just a little bit, then sometimes they can walk through it. We knew Sikeston was a good team and DeWitt was a good hitter and he just got something to hit. It was a very tough ballgame for us to lose but that's baseball."

Prior to the inning, with the way Brady was mowing down Sikeston's hitters, a comeback by the Bulldogs didn't look promising.

"I'm not really surprised," said Self. "But still, just to focus in and relax and execute and play as well as you can play under those circumstances. It's just amazing. That's called guts. That's called figuring out a way to win. We scrapped enough to where we got the right guy up in the right situation and he got the right pitch to hit. And he didn't miss it."

Brady was saddled with his first loss of the season, throwing six innings and allowing four unearned runs off six hits. He struck out seven and walked three.

DeWitt got the win in all seven innings, allowing three unearned runs off six hits. He struck out eight and walked two.

DeHart made up for his error as the only Bulldog to have two hits in the game.

Aubuchon and Harris each had two hits for North County. "I thought we hit the ball pretty good from the very first, but it just so happened we hit balls at people," said Pasternak.

"I thought DeWitt did get better after they went up 4-3. Probably the best two innings he threw were the last two innings."

Self said the game ranks among the greatest victories in Sikeston history.

"This one's got to be up there," said Self. "You're playing at their park against the defending state champion with the pitching that they've got and you're down 3-0 in the fifth inning and things are not looking very good. "But this bunch just figured out a way to win it. They've always done that."