No. 1 Warriors rebound in time for district baseball
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BY MICHAEL BOYD JR.
HERALD SPORTS EDITOR
STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. — No. 1 Valle Catholic wrapped up the regular season by avenging an earlier loss to North St. Francois County with a 10-8 home victory last Tuesday (May 9) this time at Valle Alumni Field.
The Bonne Terre-based Raiders upset the state-ranked Warriors during the semifinals of the Mineral Area Activities Association conference baseball tournament just a week earlier. It was one of the top wins of Jake Donze’s coaching career.

Valle Catholic Warriors
The Raiders (8-8) scored three runs in the top of the second inning, only for Valle to match it in its half of the frame.
Valle (28-4) has won four straight and eight of its last nine. They took a 4-3 lead with a run in the third, but North County scored three again in the fourth make it 6-4.
The Warriors doubled that in their fourth to retake the lead,10-6. But the Raiders scored twice in the sixth to keep it interesting. That would be the final score. Both teams committed three errors.
Clayton Drury was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. He finished 3 for 4 with a triple, double, a run scored and four runs batted in.
Isaac Viox (Walk two stolen bases, three runs, two RBI) had two hits.
Chase Fallert (RBI), Carson Tucker (stolen base) and Aaron Eftink each had one hit.
Leadoff batter Rylan (sacrifice fly, walk, run, RBI), designated hitter Jackson Fowler (two walks) and A.J. Basler (stolen base) each contributed to the win.
Preston Lurk earned the win, allowing eight runs (two earned) seven hits, a walk and hit two batters, while striking out three in 5-2/3 innings of work.
Kooper Kekec (walk, three runs, RBI) and Jobe Smith (double, stolen base, two runs RBI) both had two hits.
Grant Mullins took the loss, allowing seven runs (all earned) on five hits and five walks, while striking out four in three innings of work.
Donze is a Ste. Genevieve High graduate who went on to pitch for NCAA Division I Murray State University, then professionally with the Gateway Grizzlies independent minor league club. He threw a no-hitter for the Dragons in the 2000s.
Warriors 15, Dragons 2
STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. — No. 1 Valle Catholic knocked Ste. Genevieve’s Aiden Meyer off the mound before the first inning was finished and run-ruled the Dragons from there during the Old Settlement baseball showdown at Valle Alumni Field late last Monday night (May 8).
The game was a makeup from the rainout back on April 28.
The state-ranked Warriors (27-4) scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back.
The Dragons (7-15) cut their debt to 6-2 with a run in both the second and third frames, but Valle pushed across four more runs in the third and added five more in the fourth to put the 10-run mercy rule on alert.
It was the second game of the night for Valle, which has won three straight and seven of their last eight. Ste. Genevieve saw its two-game winning streak snapped.
Valle’s Isaac Viox (sacrifice fly, two stolen bases, run scored, three runs batted in), Grant Fallert (double, two stolen bases, walk, run, three RBI), Carson Tucker (two runs, two RBI) and Aaron Eftink (RBI) all had two hits.
Chase Fallert (double, walk, stolen base, run, three RBI) and catcher Alex Viox (walk, two RBI), each had a hit.
Rylan Fallert (four walks, three runs), designated hitter Jackson Fowler (two walks, run) and pinch runner Noah Bauman (stolen base) each contributed to the win.
Chase Fallert earned the win, allowing both runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks, while striking out three in four innings of work.
Mason Nix (walk), Bryant Schwent (RBI), Justin Schweigert and Luke Ferranto (run) each had one hit.
Meyer (run) also contributed. He suffered the loss, allowing six runs (all earned) on three hits and five walks, while striking out one in just 2/3 of an inning.
Warriors 10, Cape Central 1
STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. — No. 1 Valle Catholic scored the only runs it would need in the bottom of the first inning, cruising to a victory over the Cape Girardeau-based Tigers last Monday (May 8) at Valle Alumni Field.
The Tigers answered back with a run in the second frame, but the state-ranked Warriors (26-4) scored six runs in the second and two more in the sixth. Valle was outhit 9 to 5.
It was the first of two games for the Warriors, who have won two straight and six of their last seven games.
Clayton Drury (double, stolen base, three runs batted in) had two hits.
Isaac Viox (walk, stolen base, three runs scored, RBI), designated hitter Jackson Fowler (walk, run, two RBI) and winning pitcher Grant Fallert (walk, three stolen bases, two runs, two RBI) each had one hit.
Leadoff batter and relief pitcher Rylan Fallert (walk), Chase Fallert (two walks, two runs), Carson Tucker (stolen base), pinch hitters Noah Bauman (run) and Patrick Schilly (hit-by-pitch), and pinch runner Cannon Wolk (walk) each contributed to the win.
Grant Fallert earned the win, allowing the unearned run on seven hits and a walk, while striking out nine.
Rylan Fallert earned the win, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out two in two innings of relief work.
Catcher Carter Crosnoe had two hits for Central, while losing pitcher Morgan Diamond had a double and a walk.
Diamond allowed suffered the loss, allowing three runs (all earned) on four hits and two walks, while striking out five in five innings of relief.
Warriors 11, West County 3
PARK HILLS, Mo. — Despite being outhit 9 to 5, No. 1 Valle Catholic took advantage of three errors by third-seeded West St. Francois County for a 11-3 victory during the third-place finals of the Mineral Area Activities Association conference baseball tournament at the Park Hills Sports Complex on Saturday, May 6.
The top-ranked and top-seeded Warriors had two home runs scored all the runs they needed in the bottom of the first inning and cruised from there.
The Bulldogs (15-4), who have lost two straight after winning 10 in a row, jumped out to a 2-0 lead by mid-first frame, but the Warriors plated three runs in the first, five in the second, two in the third and four in the fourth to prevail.
The “purple pups” added their final run in the fifth.
Catcher Alex Viox (homer, walk, run scored, three runs batted in), had two hits.
Chase Fallert (homer, walk, three runs, two RBI), designated hitter Jackson Fowler (double, two runs) and Carson Tucker each had one hit.
Rylan Fallert (walk, hit-by-pitch, two runs), Isaac Viox (sacrifice fly, RBI), Clayton Drury (walk, hit-by-pitch, two runs), Isaac Basler (run) and Aaron Eftink (hit-by-pitch, run, RBI) each contributed to the win.
Preston Lurk earned the win, allowing two runs (both earned) on five hits, but no walks, while striking out two in four innings on the bump.
Cannon Wolk also pitched for three innings.
Hudsen Dunlap (run) had three hits, while catcher Julian Thebeau (run, RBI) had two hits.
Lance Monroe suffered the loss, allowing 10 runs (eight earned) on four hits, three walks and hit three batters, while striking out two.