Pitching has always been there for Nixa, but the new-found clutch offense and web-gem worthy defense has yielded an unlikely postseason run.
Nixa, which was 11-18 overall and playing in its district tournament as a 6-seed just 10 days ago, got a complete-game performance from starting pitcher Parker Dent to defeat Webb City 4-0 in the Class 5 sectional round Tuesday night at Joplin High School.
Nixa is now one win away from a trip to O’Fallon and the Class 5 Final Four.
“Everybody knows that the season starts over in district play,” said Nixa coach Howard Greenwood. “You can preach that to them and whether they believe that or not, I don’t know. But they’ve taken it to heart. They really have.”
Efficiency carried Dent against Webb City. After laboring through the first inning, Dent allowed one base-runner – on a 2-out double in the fifth – over the next six frames.
In going the distance, Dent allowed 2 hits and struck out four while inducing 10 ground-ball outs. With an aggressive Webb City lineup swinging early in the count, Dent threw just 71 pitches – 55 of them for strikes.
“In my book, that’s domination,” Greenwood said. “That’s total command.”
Nixa scored twice in the third inning, getting a 2-out RBI double from Luke Hauswirth and an infield RBI single from Hayden Crabtree. The Eagles added some insurance in the fifth, when Crabtree drilled a full-count pitch to the left-center gap, bringing across two more runs.
The Eagles did their damage against one of the area’s premier pitches in Webb City senior Calem Nutting, who threw a seven-inning perfect game in the Cardinals’ district semifinal win over Joplin last week.
“Mindset,” said Dent about the change in Nixa’s performance of late.. “Once districts started, we all got together and were like, ‘Hey, we’re talented enough, let’s do it.’ We put it together at the right time and it’s working out well.”
At one point between the third and fourth inning, Dent needed just seven pitches to record six outs. Dent said that since Nixa played Webb City twice this season, and he made a start against the Cardinals last season, he had a pretty good scouting report.
“They were free swinging, so I had to take advantage of it,” Dent said. “I knew they were going to come out swinging.”
Nixa backed up Dent with stellar defense throughout the game, including a diving stop at third base and throw over to first that was picked by first baseman Dustin Buckner to end the game.
“It’s amazing how he can make (Webb City) hit it right at our fielders,” Greenwood joked.
While Nixa’s record is 15-18 overall, the Eagles have several close losses against premier local teams on their resume, including: Glendale (5-2), Willard (5-3), Ozark (1-0) and Kickapoo (5-3, 9 innings).
Nixa and Webb City split a pair of regular season meetings.
“If we would have had the timely hits earlier in the year, there’s no doubt our record would be better,” Greenwood said. “The seniors know there’s no tomorrow. We’re kind of playing that angle.”
The Eagles will host a quarterfinal game on Thursday against either Jefferson City or Willard, who play a sectional matchup at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Willard.
“It’s unbelievable,” Dent said. “We’re playing as one. I couldn’t do it without these guys. They’re awesome. I love being a part of it.”
