CLICK HERE TO BUY A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OF THIS VIDEO
By Tyler F. Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
FAIR GROVE, Mo. — Springfield Catholic’s Ben Smith lived up to the title ace in a state quarterfinal matchup with Fair Grove on Friday. Smith threw a no-hitter and struck out 11 to lead the Class 3 No. 1 Irish past No. 2 Fair Grove, 5-0.
The win has a level of added sweetness to it as the Irish fell to Hollister 6-5 in last year’s Class 4 quarterfinals round.
Smith threw high heat, mixed in his 2-seam and, at times, had the Eagles expanding the zone.
“My whole plan was to go out there and throw strikes,” the University of Missouri commit said. “My scouting report was that they all were tough at-bats. They all are solid hitters, and they all expand their at-bats as long as they can to get the pitcher out of the game.”
Like anything in life, consistency was vital.
Added Smith: “I knew if I was just consistent and threw strikes, eventually I was going to get them out.”
Well, there wasn’t an “eventually,” as Smith struck out the side in the first inning.
He added two more strikeouts in the second and three more in the third: Giving him 7 in three frames.
Smith works extremely quickly and extremely efficiently, even snapping his glove forward when receiving the ball from his catcher, Logan Ripper.
In short, the hurler prescribes to the “bulldog” mentality.
“All my coaches call me bulldog. It is just something that I do,” Smith said. “I try and get in a rhythm. When I am in that rhythm, I just feel as good as I will ever be. When I go out there and am consistent with throwing strikes, I like to stay in that rhythm for the whole game.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The Irish have not won a state championship since 2014.
What would it mean to Smith and company to bring the hardware back to Springfield Catholic?
“I have been thinking about this the whole off-season, training,” Smith added. “Working to get here … so now that we are here, we are finally moving on to the Final Four. I am just ecstatic.”
Catholic offense
The offense was led by Coleman Morrison, who channeled his inner Smith in the sectional round as he shut down the Hartville offense.
On this night, though, Morrison’s 6-4”-ish frame loomed large at the dish as he drove in four of the Irish’s five runs.
All in a day’s work for Morrison, who also is slated to suit up for the University of Missouri in the spring of 2024.
“I was really confident,” Morrison said. “Going into this game, I knew they were going to break off a lot of off-speed. We know their pitchers. We know they all have really good curveballs. I made sure [to] sit back. [The] fastball I got; I drove in three runs in the second.”
For his fourth RBI, Morrison teed off on the heater, showing his intelligence in pitch recognition and ability to adjust.
“You always want that fastball, but you have to sit back, stay patient at the plate,” he said.
The quick-strike offense is something in which Irish fans have come to see night in and night out.
Three days ago against Hartville, the Irish plated three early runs.
For Smith, it just makes his aforementioned “rhythm” that much more intense.
“It takes off the pressure,” he said. “Going out there, knowing that we have a lead, it allows me to do my thing and not have to worry about spotting up [pitches].”
For the Eagles, Garin Geitz took the loss, going 3 1/3 innings and allowing four runs.
Final Four
The Irish now prepare for the Valley Park Hawks (19-4) in the Class 3 semifinals at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, at U.S. Ballpark in Ozark.
