STE. GENEVIEVE — Fifth-seeded Perryville battled back after an early deficit but could not overcome a big inning by fourth-seeded Park Hills Central, falling 10-6 in the opening round of the Class 4, District 2 Tournament on May 16 in Ste. Genevieve.
The Rebels jumped in front early and used a 7-run fourth inning to build separation, ending the Pirates’ season despite a competitive effort from a young Perryville squad. Perryville finished with 10 hits and stayed within striking distance late, but Central matched nearly every offensive push.
Central wasted little time taking control, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by a 3-run home run from catcher Triton Crocker that gave the Rebels a quick advantage.
Perryville chipped away at the deficit in the third inning when Bryce Weber delivered a solo home run to left field, trimming the margin to
3-2. The Pirates later added 2 runs in the fifth and 2 more in the sixth, but Central’s offense proved too much to overcome.
“We gave up a 3-run homer in the first inning, so that didn’t help, but we kind of fought back after that,” Perryville coach Drew Korando said. “They were just mining barrels all over the place. We played decent defense, they just barreled the ball where we weren’t. We couldn’t keep up with them after the big inning.”
The Pirates finished with 10 hits. Weber led the offense, going 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBI and a home run. Bryce Schmidt went 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Gideon Stueve finished 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and a double. Eli Deckerd added 2 hits and an RBI, and Waylon Huber doubled and drove in 2 runs. Parker Shelton contributed an RBI, while Barrett Wheeler added a hit.
Perryville scored 2 runs in the third inning, 2 in the fifth and 2 in the sixth to remain in contention, but Central answered with timely offense throughout the afternoon.
The Rebels collected 12 hits and were paced by Crocker, who went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 5 RBI, including the early home run. Brady Schweiss finished 2-for-3 with 3 hits and 2 RBI, while Kale Dreier scored twice and added a double. Ryder Kozemski and Jaxen Burns each had 2 hits, and Connor Mills and Liam Harrell scored runs for Central.
Weber started on the mound for Perryville and took the loss after allowing 10 runs on 8 hits over 3 1/3 innings while striking out 3. Huber settled things down in relief, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts while allowing 4 hits.
“Waylon kind of shut the door down,” Korando said. “But by that time, we weren’t able to get enough runs to keep playing.”
Despite the first-round exit, Korando said he was pleased with the growth of a team that replaced 7 seniors from last season and relied heavily on younger players throughout the spring.
“We’re really young,” Korando said. “Our 3 seniors stepped up and a lot of our sophomores and a couple of juniors were able to step up. We weren’t too far off from last year, and that’s really positive considering how much young talent we have.”
Korando credited seniors Weber, Huber and Wheeler for leading the Pirates at key positions throughout the season and said their leadership helped stabilize the club.
“The 3 biggest positions on the diamond, those are our 3 seniors,” Korando said. “They stepped into that role and were leaders of the team. There are some big shoes to fill, but I think we have the younger guys who can make that jump.”
Perryville closed the season after winning 3 conference games and competing in one of the area’s tougher schedules.
“Overall, I’m happy with how the season went,” Korando said. “Obviously not the last game — you always want to keep playing — but as a whole, I’m pretty happy with it.”
