FARMINGTON
Second-seeded Farmington was looking to win its first
conference-tournament championship in nine straight tries. Top-seeded
Ste. Genevieve was hoping to win it for the first time since
claiming the title in 2000.
But
one bad inning for Ste. Genevieve meant the Black Knights became
the undisputed Mineral Area Activities Association champions
Friday night, winning the battle of the large-schools divisional
season co-champions, 5-3, at Wilson-Rozier Park.
The
ninth time is the charm, evidently, and it comes at the expense
of the Dragons, who battled tough to the end but couldnt
overcome a five-run , second-inning debacle that ultimately
cost them the undisputed league title among the 12 teams. It
also snapped the Dragons seven-game winning streak.
Farmington
(11-8), which has won three straight games and four of its last
five, finally won the conference-tournament crown for the first
time since 1995 with a little frustration due to being seeded
behind the Dragons (13-4) after beating them 7-1 at Yanks Field
on April Fools Day.
Already
pushed back an hour because of rain, the chaos all came in the
top of the second frame, starting with pitcher Josh Meyer allowing
three walks.
Then
the defense botched a double-play that allowed for two runs
to score, and bad luck saw a routine pop fly drop behind the
infielders who couldnt get to the ball because they were
playing in with the bases loaded.
Next
thing Ste. Genevieve knew, it was down 5-0. Meyer and the Dragons
settled down from there and creeped back into the game.
The
Dragons finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth when Chad
Greminger tripled, then scored on a passed ball.
Ste.
Genevieve got its final two runs with two outs in the fifth
when Greminger singled in courtesy runner Brock Meyer, then
Josh Meyer doubled in Greminger for what would be the eventual
final score.
After
going down 1-2-3 in the sixth, the Dragons threatened again
in the seventh, but the Knights wrapped up the title on a double-play.
Meyer
suffered the complete-game loss despite nine strikeouts, allowing
two earned runs on four hits and four walks.
Catcher
Tyler Thomure finished with a double and a single, while Aaron
Wehner also had a hit.
Farmingtons Nick Baker earned the win in 4-2/3 innings
of work.
After
losing to North County in the title game six straight years,
the Knights then lost in the finals last year to Park Hills
Central, a No. 7 seed that had finished 0-5 in seasonal conference
play.
Ironically
under similar scenarios, the two schools met for the MAAA tournament
championship during the boys basketball season a few months
ago.
Like
in baseball, the Dragons hadnt been to basketball finals
in a long while, and the several-time finalist Farmington won
the title at their expense.
The
Dragons visited Herculaneum Monday to start a very busy week.
They will begin MAAA interleague play the rest of the week,
starting at West St. Francois County Tuesday, and at home against
both Arcadia Valley Thursday and Valle Catholic Friday
each set for 4:30.
For
the first time in town history, the Old Settlement matchup with
Valle will be a battle of MAAA divisional champions. Ste. Genevieve
team, but its both squads Senior Night.
Ste.
Genevieve then returns to Wilson-Rozier Park beginning Saturday
and continuing all next week to compete as the No. 2 seed in
the MSHSAA Class 3 District 2 tournament.
(1)
Dragons 3, (5) Potosi 2 (8 inn.): It took a little longer than
its last game, but top-seeded Ste. Genevieve advanced to the
championship finals of the MAAA tournament for the first time
since they won it in 2000 thanks to a game-winning single by
senior catcher Tyler Thomure.
Trying
to avoid another semifinal meltdown, the Dragons (13-3) again
capitalized on five errors, but needed eight innings to beat
the fifth-seeded Trojans (10-9) last Wednesday evening at Wilson-Rozier
Park in Farmington.
Having
reached the semifinals for the third time in four years, the
Dragons rallied from a 2-0 early deficit to prevail for the
eighth time in nine games, including seven straight. Potosi
saw its two-game winning streak stopped.
Thomure
smashed a single past the left fielder to score Aaron Wehner,
who had singled and then was moved into scoring position on
Jeremy Vaeths mishandled bunt.
That
was good enough for Caleb Whitworth to overcome a shaky start
for the complete-game win.
Whitworth (6-1), who matched last seasons personal win
total, struck out six and walked no one, allowing the two runs
on six hits in eight innings of work.
Once
Whitworth settled down, he retired 15 of the last 17 Trojans
he faced. He also set up the win with a game-tying single in
the seventh.
With
the win, Ste. Genevieve advanced to meet second-seeded Farmington
in the title match at Wilson-Rozier Park.
Ste.
Genevieve and Farmington currently share the MAAA large-schools
divisions seasonal crown and it will be a rematch of the
Knights 7-1 victory over Ste. Genevieve on April Fools
Day.
Farmington
beat the small-schools divisional champion, third-seeded Valle
Catholic, 4-1 in the other semifinal later in the night.
In
this game, the Trojans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of
the second inning on three hits, an RBI-groundout and a hit
batsman.
Then
Whitworths rubber arm baffled Potosi from there.
Ste.
Genevieve cut into the deficit on Chad Gremingers two-out
RBI-single.
The
score would stay 2-1 until the Dragons half of the seventh
when Whitworth singled in Greminger, who had doubled to the
gap in right-center field, to send the game to an extra frame.
Whitworths
hit probably would have been the game-winner, but prior to that
play, Cody Schmelzle singled, then was tagged out at home plate
trying to score on Gremingers double.
Making
his third appearance in as many days, reliever Chad Smith suffered
the tough-luck loss for the Trojans. He had an 11-pitch strikeout
to escape the seventh inning.
Potosi
freshman Devin Hampton earned a no-decision despite his six
solid innings in the start. He struck out two and allowed one
unearned run on just one hit and one walk.
Ste.
Genevieve reached the MAAA semifinals last season, only to fall
to seventh-seeded and eventual champion Park Hills Central,
5-4.
(1)
Dragons 10, (9) Valley 0 (5 inn.): Just one day after pulling
a minor upset in the opening round, the ninth-seeded Vikings
had no answer for top-seeded Ste. Genevieve in the 12-team MAAA
tournament quarterfinals last Tuesday at Yanks Field.
One
day earlier, the Caledonia-based Vikings (7-10) beat the eighth-seeded
Central Rebels 9-4 in eight innings in the first round at Park
Hills. But on this day, they committed five errors against the
host Dragons (12-3), who won for the seventh time in eight games,
including six straight.
The
teams with the better seeds host the first- and second-round
games. The top four seeds Ste. Genevieve, Farmington,
Valle Catholic and North County earned first-round byes.
Its the third time in four years that the Dragons reached
the semifinals.
And
for the first time in conference history, the tournament was
played with wood bats, which like in professional baseball,
to keep batters honest. It seemed to dominate the conversations
among coaches and players, as well as the media. Some folks
liked it, some didnt.
With
the win, Ste. Genevieve, also the large-schools divisional co-champions,
advanced to the semifinals against fifth-seeded Potosi, which
upset fourth-seeded North County in the quarterfinals 6-4 in
eight innings. The Vikings dropped to the fifth-place semifinals
and meet North County.
Valley
only reached first base safely five times against Ste. Genevieve
starter Jeremy Vaeth and saw its two-game winning streak snapped
by the Dragons, who had seven hits and used a six-run third
inning to take control, then scored three runs in the fourth
to eventually enforce the mercy rule.
Vaeth
(4-0) remained unbeaten on the mound, earning the win with a
dominant five innings of shutout work. He struck out four of
the 19 Vikings he faced and allowed just two hits and one walk.
At the plate, he was 1 for 2 with an RBI-double.
Josh
Meyer and No. 9 batter Curt Roth led Ste. Genevieve offensively.
Meyer
finished 2 for 3 with two doubles, two runs scored and four
runs batted in. Roth was 2 for 2 with a double, run and three
RBI.
Caleb
Whitworth (three runs) and Aaron Wehner (double, run, RBI) both
had a hit. Sean Steagall (hit by pitch) and catcher Tyler Thomure
both scored a run.
Joe
Fahland suffered the loss for the Vikings, who made just silly
fundamental mistakes, including dropping two easy fly balls
in the outfield. Only two of the Dragons runs were earned.