By Tyler Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield Catholic baseball program was itching for this season.
In 2020, the pandemic altered the players’ and coaches’ plans, which simply gave added motivation to close out the 2021 campaign with a district title.
And close it out they did, as the Irish plated three early runs, and added four more in the sixth frame en route to the 7-6 final over the Ava Bears Wednesday at Parkview High School — battling the torrential downpour that ripped its way through the Ozarks once again.
Senior and Missouri State University signee, Jeremy Rader, allowed three runs in six innings of work on the bump while converting 10 first-pitch strikes.
Rader cruised for five innings, allowing one hit.
While the offense wasn’t clicking early on, it didn’t matter.
“We fight. We fight through adversity,” said Rader. “One at a time, one at a time.”
The Irish authored a long second inning, when a wild pitch netted their first run.
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Logan Ripper used a good deal of plate discipline on his bases-loaded walk.
The Irish added another run on Caden Davis’s sac fly, sitting comfortably 3-0 in the fifth.
“We have had some [adversity] … to come out here today like this and win is huge,” added Rader. “It is super special.”
For Rader, the rain is part of the equation, no matter how uncomfortable.
“For the first three innings, I was fine, handling the ball. But then the balls got really wet, and that was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do,” said Rader. “It was special.”
The Bears tied it up after two hitters reached, and an Andrew Dalton two-run double and a passed ball turned the tide … momentarily, 3-3.
The Irish offense in the sixth, in pure fashion, drew a walk and three hits-by-pitch, giving them the 4-3 lead.
But the Irish weren’t done.
They had more work to do.
Colin Davis’s two-run double kept the momentum train running, and a Hans Kaiser sac fly plated the final run for the Irish in the bottom of the sixth.
The Bears added three in the final frame off sophomore pitcher Danny White, as Spencer Skyles cleared the fence with two on.
The Irish drew walks, took lumps on the arm, and did what they had to do to get on base.
After all, this was not textbook baseball weather.
Far from it.
“Yeah, we were disciplined. We knew they would have to come to us and throw strikes,” added Rader. “They were having a tough time doing that with the wet conditions, obviously. We were patient at the plate.”
The Irish improve to 23-5 and await the St. Claire-Salem winner (May 20) for their sectional matchup.
For Irish skipper Courtney Spitz, winning districts one year removed from a pandemic season speaks volumes on the character of the program.
This makes back-to-back district titles (2019, 2021).
“Yeah, I talked about that earlier. You never know what you have coming back after a season like last year. Everyone is in the same boat,” said Spitz. “Our guys stepped up early in the season, showed some resiliency, and that has kind of propelled us. We are always going to hit adversity, in every game, and it is never going to be easy. To stay confident is a true test to them.”
