By Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Midway through the fourth inning of the Class 1 state semifinal at the Ozark Mountain Sports Complex on Monday, Wheatland High School had a two-run lead, momentum, and was clearly in the driver’s seat.
But it was the Mules’ usually stellar pitching and defense that ultimately let them down, as Sacred Heart (of Sedalia) scored 12 unanswered runs and came back to win 16-6, leaving Wheatland one win shy of making the state championship game.
“Generally we’ve had pretty good pitching, and not a lot of walks, all season long,” Wheatland coach Pat Dougherty said.
“Along with good pitching, we’ve had some really good defense, but those two areas kind of fell apart on us tonight.”
Wheatland gave up 16 runs on 10 hits, walked 14 batters, threw eight wild pitches, and committed five defensive errors.
“We couldn’t throw a strike and one error led to another,” Wheatland junior Brock Mendenhall said.
“We got down on ourselves and we didn’t pick each other up. We just didn’t come out ready to play.”
Wheatland trailed 4-1 in the top of the third inning and exploded for four runs in the inning on three hits, including a two-run RBI double by Mendenhall, to take a one-run lead.
“That inning felt awesome,” Mendenhall said. “I truly thought we were going to win the game after that.
“We battled back, but we just gave them too many opportunities.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The Mules added another run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by sophomore catcher Brett Dougherty, for a 6-4 lead.
“If you would have told me that we were going to score six runs going into the game, I would have thought that we would be in good shape,” Pat Dougherty said.
“We hit the ball hard and got a lot of momentum, but then went right back out the next inning and the opposite happened.”
Sacred Heart regained momentum, and the lead, for good in the bottom of the fourth inning, where they sent 11 batters to the plate.
The Gremlins scored seven runs, thanks largely to senior outfielder George Bain’s three-run inside-the-park homerun, for an 11-6 lead.
Mendenhall went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Brett Dougherty finished 2-for4 with an RBI, and junior Tucker Shaddox went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs in the loss.
Senior Carter Rice led Sacred Heart going 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs, then pitched the final four innings in relief without giving up a run.
Sacred Heart improved to 25-4 overall and will play Oran High School for the state title at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Wheatland fell to 26-10 overall and will play Green City High School for third place at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex Tuesday at 4 p.m.
“It’s important to get back out there and try and bounce back,” Pat Daugherty said about getting the opportunity to play for third place and end the year with a win.
“We want to show what we are made of and put on a good showing. We want to leave here on a positive note.”
