Second-seeded St. Vincent built an early 4-run lead and carried an advantage into the late innings, but third-seeded Meadow Heights rallied for 6 runs over the final 2 frames to hand the Indians an 11-9 loss in the Class 2, District 4 semifinal on May 16 at Veterans Memorial Field in Perryville.
The loss ended St. Vincent’s season despite a strong offensive performance that saw the Indians collect 11 hits and score in 5 different innings.
St. Vincent jumped on the Panthers early, plating 1 run in the first inning and adding 3 more in the second to build a 4-0 lead.
Andrew Hotop led off the bottom of the first with a double and later scored, while the Indians added to their advantage in the second behind timely hitting throughout the lineup. St. Vincent added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and appeared poised to advance before Meadow Heights surged late.
“We got up early, took a 4-0 lead,” St. Vincent coach Corey Sauer said. “We scored a run in the first, scored a couple in the second and really knew within their lineup they had good hitters up and down. We knew we couldn’t let the Hayes kid beat us, and he beat us.”
Meadow Heights answered with 2 runs in the third inning before erupting for 6 in the sixth and 3 more in the seventh to erase the deficit.
Panthers catcher Kamden Hays delivered the biggest blow, going 4-for-4 with 2 runs scored, 3 doubles, a home run and 7 RBI to fuel the comeback. Riley Smith added 2 hits and 2 RBI, while Caidyn Byrd scored twice and drove in 3 runs. Mason Mayfield chipped in 3 hits and Isaiah Long added a triple and an RBI.
“We gave up 6 baserunners with 2 strikes on them, and if I’m thinking correctly, all 6 of those scored,” Sauer said. “The pitching was there — we just couldn’t finish the event. Honestly, that’s kind of been the story of our season.”
Sauer said the defeat marked the Indians’ fifth loss of the season in games they led after the sixth inning.
“That was our fifth loss leading after the sixth inning,” Sauer said. “We had some trouble finishing our ballgames. We didn’t play a bad game. We hit the ball well. We were right there with them the whole time. Late in the game, we just couldn’t execute pitches.”
The Indians finished with 9 runs on 11 hits.
Andrew Hotop paced St. Vincent, going 2-for-5 with 3 runs scored, an RBI and a double. Gus Unterreiner finished 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI, while Andrew Schumer went 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and 2 runs scored. Tyler Hennemann added a double and 2 RBI, and Quinton Whistler drove in 2 runs. Austin Unterreiner contributed a hit and RBI, while Trenten Welker added an RBI single.
Andrew Schumer started on the mound and allowed 7 runs on 7 hits over 4 1/3 innings while striking out 3. Levi Schilling took the loss in relief after striking out 5 over 1 2/3 innings, while Cain Clifton worked the final inning.
Despite the district setback, Sauer said the season included several positives for a program that reached double-digit wins for the first time in more than 2 decades.
“Offensively, I won’t complain at all,” Sauer said. “The bats are going to eat up what the weather does, and it did. We finished the regular season hitting the ball well. The good news is we’re returning most of the arms next year, so we’ve got a lot to build on.”
St. Vincent finished with its first double-digit win season since 2003 and saw several young contributors emerge while continuing to improve offensively late in the year.
