Cut down: Rams lose 2-0 in extra innings to end season

Offensive woes and two late runs doom Scott City

sd_sports@yahoo.com

FESTUS -- With both starting pitchers in Monday's sectional contest between Scott City and Crystal City throwing seven scoreless innings, things came down to an eighth and final frame.

Unfortunately for the Rams, Crystal City would score two runs off relief pitcher Corey Speakman, without getting a hit to end Scott City's post-season run 2-0.

"We make a play for (Speakman) we're out of the inning," Ram's coach Lance Amick said. "We field a bunt we're out of the inning."

"That's just the nature of the beast. Baseball is a game where one simple play can really influence the outcome of a game and it bit us today."

That eighth and fateful frame started with Speakman hitting lead-off hitter Nathan Kaminski.

Next up to bat was the Hornets' No. 3 hitter Daniel Rothweiler. Rothweiler laid down a bunt looking to get Kaminski in scoring position. Instead with the Ram's third baseman forced to make a hurried throw, he threw the ball just out of first baseman Justin Modglin's reach, allowing the ball to roll all the way to the fence, scoring Kaminski and leaving Rothweiler at third.

"It was just barely over Justin's head," Amick said. "Corey Rodgers is backing it up and it goes over his mitt.

"We had two guys backing it up and it got by both of them plus our first baseman."

Crystal City added the final insurance run when the next batter Logan Jett hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Rothweiler from third.

With one last chance to start a rally the Rams wouldn't have any better luck figuring out Crystal City starting pitcher Gary Doyle in the eighth than they did in the first seven innings.

Though Brett Dirnberger would hit a bloop single to left with two outs, Doyle got No. 5 hitter Chris Limbaugh to strike out swinging to end the game and the Rams' season.

"That kid is a good pitcher and we didn't come up with a big hit," Rams starting pitcher Jamie Scholz said. "We had runners in scoring position (throughout the game) and we never could get them across."

Though Scholz had pitched well in all seven innings, Amick said with a high pitch count and the heat baring down all day it was time to make a change.

"We were just seeing some things that we thought made it the time to make the move," he said. "The bigger thing is we really felt like Speakman could get the job done."

Although he takes the loss, Speakman allowed no hits and no walks while striking out one.

As for Scholz, in his seven innings of work he allowed three hits and four walks while striking out nine.

"He couldn't have thrown the ball any better than he did," Scott City senior Skylar Cobb said. "It looked like he was ready to go.

"He was throwing harder than I've seen him. His breaking ball was good. He threw a heck of a ball game. It was unfortunate we couldn't get him the win."

With the season now at a close Scott City finishes the year with a 17-5 record and the Class 2, District 3 championship.

Though he would have liked to see his team extend the season a little longer, Cobb was pleased with his team's performance this year.

"It's not the way you want to go out, but if you look back we had a great season," he said. "We were way over the expectations that people had for us. I think overall it was a success.

"You want to go further, but there was a lot of young guys that stepped up and was huge this year."

Though the Rams will return the majority of their lineup next season, they're losing four seniors, three of whom saw regular playing time, in Cobb, Speakman, Wyatt Martin and Zach Pobst.

Amick said it's a hard group of players to see go.

"We're graduating a senior class that's been a lot to this school," he said. "In the four years all they've done is win 70 ball games and lose 23.

"They've won three district titles out of four years, brought home a state championship and had a perfect game. They've done a lot of things you just don't see very often in the four years they've been here."

Crystal City 000 000 02 - 2

Scott City 000 000 00 - 0

WP -- Gary Doyle. LP -- Corey Speakman. Multiple hitters -- (SC) Justin Modglin.