JOPLIN, Mo. — The first two meetings between Aurora and Carl Junction this season proved them to be equal opponents.
The Bulldogs won the first by a 1-0 final. The Houn' Dawgs used five runs in the seventh inning to take Game 2. When it comes to sectional experience, however, Carl Junction has a slight edge. Still, it was Aurora who looked at home at Missouri Southern on Tuesday.
After falling behind 1-0, the Houn' Dawgs scored seven unanswered runs and junior Zach Shoemaker pitched a complete game as Aurora won their first sectional game in 18 years, 7-1.
The victory sets up Aurora to host Helias Catholic in the Class 4 quarterfinal on Thursday at 5 p.m. It marks the program's first appearance in two decades.
"They're just having fun. They make a mistake, so what?" head coach James Hoffman said. "They're going to throw it out the window and roll. They're having a blast and it makes my job a little easier."
Aurora (27-3) sent Carl Junction senior pitcher Justice Hylton packing after just 2 1/3 innings, despite his four strikeouts. Coming off a one-hit shutout of Monett in the district championship, he fanned two batters in the opening frame, having already inherited a 1-0 advantage.
Ethan Frack scored on a fielders choice to get things started, taking advantage of a difficult ball hit to second.
Aurora did not rattle, plating three runs in the next inning starting with an RBI single from Wyatt Sparks. Hylton followed that with a wild pitch and a wayward throw on a pickoff move to second, allowing the Houn' Dawgs to grab a two-run lead.
"That's what we've done all season: step on them as fast as we can and don't let off," Shoemaker said. "This is definitely the team to do it with."
The team collected six more hits off Frack in relief, adding one run in each of the next two innings. Kaleb Baker and Gage Singer drove collected two RBIs apiece.
"It just goes back to the resiliency of our hitters and our team all around," Hoffman said. "They just flat-out get after it. People can talk about confidence all day long, but these kids are confident because they're prepare for basically any situation they come across."
Carl Junction (26-9) had their best chance to swing momentum in the fourth, loading the bases with one out. Shoemaker picked up one of his two strikeouts and induced a groundout to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
"I just had a feeling that we were going to be alright," he said. "I had more trust in my defense than any defense I have ever played with."
Shoemaker walked the first batter he faced, but did not allow a free pass the rest of the evening, scattering four hits along the way.
"He was pretty good. That's putting it mildly," Hoffman said. "I would compare this to his Willard performance earlier in the year where he was dominant. His composure on the mound, I mean he got out of a bases-loaded situation early that could've change the whole outcome of the game."
The junior credited another strong outing to a simple approach from his pitching coach.
"He's been telling me it's all about my intent. As long as my intent is good I'll pitch the way I want to pitch. I believe that help me out in this game and I was able to get in my zone very quickly."
And that type of resilience has the Houn' Dawgs on the doorstep of the final four.
