By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Ethan Taylor didn’t begin the school year as a Nixa Eagle.
But on Friday night, he was the starting pitcher for Nixa baseball’s biggest game in 50 years.
Taylor and the Eagles pushed defending Class 6 state champion Liberty North to the brink, but ultimately fell short in a 2-1 loss in the Class 6 state semifinals at Sky Bacon Stadium.
“The outcome wasn’t what we wanted, but we still had a great season,” Taylor said. “I left everything on the mound, did my best, nothing much more I could do. I love this team.”
A two-out error in the first inning proved costly for Nixa. Liberty capitalized with a pair of unearned runs, including Bo Jonas’s RBI single that made it 2-0.
Nixa had to play catch-up over the next six innings against one of the state’s premier pitchers.
Liberty North senior Tate McGuire, an Arkansas commit, entered the game with a 9-0 record, 0.15 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings pitched on the season.
But Nixa’s lineup was ready to swing, and drew five hits off McGuire. Nixa finally broke through in the fifth inning, when Wyatt Vincent sparked a rally with a one-out triple.
Two batters later, Caeden Cloud gave Nixa its lone run of the game with a two-out RBI double to bring home Vincent.
“That’s a really good pitcher we faced,” said Nixa coach Logan Hughes. “But we got in the box and attacked.”
Nixa couldn’t cash in on some early scoring opportunities against McGuire. Nixa stranded five runners over the first three innings.
But Taylor’s workhorse performance and improved defense behind him kept Nixa close. Taylor allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings; he threw 90 pitches.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“Ethan Taylor, holy smokes,” Hughes said. “He got better as the game went along. Liberty North is a really good offensive team, and he shut them down for the most part and we played really good defense the rest of the game.”
Taylor, whose family moved to the area from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho last fall, said he got more confident and in-tune as Friday’s game progressed.
“I was starting to find it in the later innings,” Taylor said. “Early on, it was a little bit of a struggle with my off-speed. But I kept throwing it, kept trusting it, and the curveball was starting to work. Same with the changeup, even if it was a little low at times. My fastball was really on tonight.”
McGuire went six innings for Liberty North, allowing five hits, two walks and recording 11 strikeouts. Ty Wisdom, who had two strikeouts in relief, picked up the save.
Liberty North (33-7 overall) will play Francis Howell (31-10 overall) in the Class 6 championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark.
Nixa (32-7 overall) will try to end its season with a win on Saturday. The Eagles play Jackson (33-7 overall) in the Class 6 3rd place game at 4 p.m. at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” Hughes said. “They’ve (battled) since Day One.”
This weekend marks just the second-ever state final four appearance for Nixa baseball. The Eagles were Class A runner-up in 1974.
A sizable Nixa crowd made the short drive to Ozark on Friday night and filled Sky Bacon Stadium with red.
“It definitely gave me chills the first time I saw everyone out here,” Taylor said. “I’ve never had this before. It was a night to remember. This will definitely stay in my mind forever.”
