By Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
WILLARD — When Willard senior reliever Hayden Larson came in to pitch with a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on Saturday, it wasn’t a surprise to him at all.
It was, in fact, exactly what Tigers’ coach Scott McGee had envisioned all week long.
Leading 1-0 in the Class 5 state quarterfinal against St. Francis Borgia, Larson relieved senior starter Cameron Jennings and closed out the Tigers’ sixth trip to the Final Four in the last 12 seasons for the one-run victory.
“McGee had a plan and prepared me for this,” Larson said. “He wanted Jennings to go through the lineup twice and then I would be in.
“He told me it was going to be close, maybe a one or two run ballgame. I prepared myself for that all week.”
Larson gave up a one-out double to junior Drew Eckhoff and then hit a senior Reagan Kandlbinder with two outs, but didn’t buckle under the pressure.
“When I let two runners on, I was a little worried, but I still had the confidence to throw strikes,” Larson said.
Larson then struck out senior Noah Hendrickson for the third out to end the sixth.
“He has the confidence in himself to execute pitches,” McGee said of Larson.
“He did a great job of making pitches when he had to and he never lets an inning snowball, because he’s able to remain focused.”
Larson faced four hitters in the seventh and closed out the 1-0 victory.
“After that last out, I got goose bumps all over my body,” Willard senior Hayden Rakestraw said.
“We’ve had a lot of dog piles with this team over the past couple of years and we had another one of those and it’s always great. We’re not done yet.”
Willard won the state title in 2021, finished third in 2022, and will make its third trip to the Final Four in four years to face Fort Zumwalt South May 31 at U.S. Ballpark in Ozark at 7 p.m.
With two outs in the top of the fourth, Rakestraw singled past shortstop and reached third on a double off the wall in left from Willard senior Jacob Hearon.
“(St. Francis Borgia senior pitcher Jack) Nobe really only made one mistake to a right-handed hitter all day and that was the ball that Hearon drove off the wall,” McGee said.
Rakestraw soon scored on a wild pitch for the game’s only run.
“As soon as I saw it go by, I knew I had to take off, and I had to make the most of it,” Rakestraw said.
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“I hustled as hard as I could and made it without a throw. It was awesome to move on with the W.”
Willard improved to 32-5, while Borgia dropped to 22-9 for the year.
Rakestraw pointed to Willard’s depth as key to their consistent playoff success.
“Everyone comes through on this team when we need to, there’s not always just one guy carrying us,” Rakestraw said. “It’s a different player every game. And our pitching has been consistently dominant all year.
“Our bats are finally rolling again. We had a little slump, but we’re all back and ready to go for the Final Four.”
Jennings pitched five innings, gave up just two hits and struck out seven while earning the victory.
“I think we have one of the best defenses in the state,” Jennings said.
“I’m not worried at all about the defense making the plays behind me. I’m just focused on throwing the ball over the plate. When I get into trouble is when I start walking people.”
McGee said business as usual would be the plan moving forward as the Tigers prepare for the state semifinals in Ozark on Friday.
“We just have to continue to play team baseball, continue to not give away any outs on offense, and be as mentally checked-in on defense as we’ve been all year,” McGee said.
“Simple as that.”
Willard will play Ft. Zumwalt South in the Class 5 state semifinal round at 7 pm on Friday, May 31 at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex in Ozark.
