Good coaching can be difficult to recognize at times but, occasionally, it hits you over the head.
Case in point, Catholic coach Jason Daugherty's fifth-inning sledge hammer. A decision that broke open a tight game en route to a 7-3 Fighting Irish victory over Reeds Spring.
With two on, two out and his team nursing a 3-2 lead, Daugherty called for a pinch hitter.
Hayes Hutter walked to the plate, took a few practice cuts and then ripped a first-pitch fastball over the left-center wall.
Immediately following the contact, the sophomore catcher knew his stroke was clean.
"It felt really good coming off the bat," Hutter said. "I just went through my normal routine. I get up there and he gives me a fastball right down the middle. I see it and hit it out."
The three-run bomb broke a tight game open for the Irish, and Hutter made his coach look pretty smart in the process.
Daugherty downplayed the decision, as a swap for Hutter had already been planned at some point during the game. With starter Tristan Gumucio feeling a bit ill, the timing just made sense.
"I really had no reason not to play Tristan behind the plate today," Daugherty said. "Hayes has just been hitting the ball really well. I was looking to get him into the game at some point, anyway. Honestly, straight up, I pictured that happening. I could see him going up and cranking one. I didn't know it was going to be a homer, but I actually pictured a home run going out. I really did."
Not to be outdone by Hutter's fireworks at the plate, Catholic's pitching tandem of Mason Dickemann and Austin Larson combined for three strikeouts and just four hits on the afternoon.
Realizing the road trip south was a potential trap game, Daugherty was pleased with his staff.
"Coming down here to Reeds Spring, they always swing it well," Daugherty said. "Mason's done a good job all year. He throws strikes. He's got a pretty live arm and a good little breaking ball, and Larson's been one of our better pitchers, too. He was hitting the mitt like crazy out there, and they weren't giving him anything. I'd have been frustrated if I was him out there, but he still worked through it."
For Reeds Spring and coach Chris Funk, failure to adhere to a core hitting foundation definitely played a key role in the loss.
"We knew their number one was going to attack us with fastballs," Funk said. "That was one of our things. Not really to work pitch count, but to get in fastball counts, attack fastballs and hunt fastballs. If we could do that, we felt we'd be OK. The bottom line is we didn't come with enough energy today to compete against very many teams on our schedule, much less a quality team like Catholic. With that type of mentality, we're just not going to be successful."
While the Wolves were unable to get rolling at the plate, shortstop Craig Foster did drive in a pair of runs on a 1-3 afternoon. Pitchers Noah Briley and Joe Studer combined for four strikeouts, eight hits and six walks for Reeds Spring, as well.
After a long weekend, both teams are back in action Monday. Reeds Spring (6-7) hosts Mt. Vernon, while Catholic (11-1) opens play in the Southwest Missouri Wood Bat Classic against Marionville.
Catholic – 7, Reeds Spring – 3
Catholic 1 0 2 0 3 0 1 — 7
Reeds Spring 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 — 3
