Chance to clinch state title eludes Squirrels following 9-3 loss to Boonville

sports@standard-democrat.com

CHARLESTON -- If the Charleston Fighting Squirrels are to win their seventh championship in eight years it will come a day later than hoped.

Unable to find an answer to Boonville starter Josh Judd, the Squirrels fell 9-3 Tuesday in the first of two Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State championship games in the double-elimination tournament.

Charleston batter Ty Householder swings at a pitch Tuesday during the Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State Championship game at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. (Chris Pobst photo)

Charleston batter Ty Householder swings at a pitch Tuesday during the Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State Championship game at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. (Chris Pobst photo)

"He just got stronger as he went on," Charleston head coach Michael Minner said of Judd. "He was tremendous. He had everything to do with why we didn't play well tonight. It just comes down to we've been winning ball games because we get guys on and we get them in.

"Tonight we didn't get them on and we played from behind."

Boonville certainly took the hard way to the championship game after falling into the loser's bracket with Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Squirrels. Ironically, it was Judd taking the fall in that contest that left Boonville one loss from elimination.

Wins over Poplar Bluff and Potosi on Sunday and Monday respectively allowed them to advance to Tuesday's loser bracket final against the SEMO Pirates.

Boonville took down the Pirates 4-1 to earn the privilege of facing Charleston just 30 minutes later.

"We've been in this position before," Minner said. "Tonight the roles were totally reversed. They were free and easy and relaxed. That happens a lot of times when you come out of the loser's bracket.

Boonville's Jacob Francis runs toward third base Tuesday during the Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State Championship game at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. (Chris Pobst photo)

Boonville's Jacob Francis runs toward third base Tuesday during the Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State Championship game at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. (Chris Pobst photo)

"You're playing well and hitting the baseball well. They continued to do that tonight. Mix it in with a few errors and few walks and things just didn't go our way."

Mistakes by Charleston gave Boonville a helping hand on Tuesday as they committed six errors and continued to put runners on the base paths. A hit batter in the bottom of the first allowed Zach Nixon to drive in the first run of the game.

A balk in the second inning put runners on first and third before an error on a squeeze play brought another two runs in to make it 3-0. A fielding error in the third to load the bases was followed by an RBI single from Travis Kion to give Boonville a 4-0 advantage.

"They came out and threw the first, second and third punches," Minner said. "Before we started punching the game was pretty much in hand for them. We just have to be better."

A two-run double by Colton Hampton in the top of the fourth kept Charleston in contention, 4-2, but Boonville once again responded. They scored a run in the bottom of the frame before capping their night with a four-run rally in the sixth.

With his offense behind him, Judd held the Squirrels to three runs, two earned, on six hits and four walks while striking out six.

"He worked the strike zone low, kept us alive and got a lot of ground ball outs," Boonville head coach Eric Rhorer said. "Our defense played really well behind him. We actually played our game.

Charleston starter Jason Mattison delivers a pitch to a Boonville batter Tuesday during the Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State Championship game at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. (Chris Pobst photo)

Charleston starter Jason Mattison delivers a pitch to a Boonville batter Tuesday during the Senior Babe Ruth Missouri State Championship game at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. (Chris Pobst photo)

"I think (last time we played them) we were worried more about the jersey than playing our game. We've come a long way."

Of Judd's six hits allowed, two came from Charleston's No. 3 hitter Luke Haines, who has had at least two hits in each of the Squirrels' five games in the tournament. He was 2 for 4 Tuesday with a double and an RBI while reaching in 3 of 4 appearances.

Hampton doubles and walked with Tim Fox, Blake Wolferding and Chandler Young providing a single each.

For Boonville, who out-hit Charleston 9-6, Jalen Poindexter, Zach Nixon and Travis Kion had two hits each with both Poindexter and Nixon driving in two runs.

The Charleston loss sets up a winner-take-all championship game tonight at 5:30 p.m. at Hillhouse Park in Charleston.

After five games in six days, Charleston plans to ride the hot hand in Wednesday's contest among hurlers who still have innings to give.

"We're going to piece together a pitching staff," Minner said. "We'll start somebody and if they get in trouble we'll go to the next guy. We're not going to let them battle out of jams tomorrow. Guys are going to be short rested.

"Potts will be on three days of rest and Sandlin will be on two days rest. Tomorrow would be his normal bullpen day and Matt Ulrich is on four days rest. We have three guys that are rested well enough to where we should be able to get seven innings out of them."

Charleston 000 200 1 - 3

Boonville 121 104 x - 9

WP -- Josh Judd. LP -- Jason Mattison. Multiple hitters: (C) Luke Haines 2-4; (B) Jalen Poindexter 2-4, Zach Nixon 2-4, Travis Kion 2-3. 2B -- (C) Haines, Colton Hampton; (B) Dalton Bealmer.