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By Stephen Buus (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Stockton—The rematch was markedly more decisive, to say the least.
The Strafford Indians held off a late challenge from the Stockton Tigers to win 9-8 during their Mid-Lakes Conference game back on April 10.
On Monday in the Class 3 state sectional, the Indians took a 4-1 lead in the top of the third inning and never looked back en route to a 10-5 victory over the Tigers.
Stockton actually drew first blood in the opening frame as Bo Walker led off with a double and came home on a pair of sacrifices.
The Tribe turned the tables in top of the third. Tony Caldwell started with a two-base error on fly ball to left field. Dillon Turner doubled home Caldwell and scored on Bryce Boswell’s single. Boswell took second base on the throw and scored as Wyatt Maples reached on a two-base error. Maples took third on Nick Oliver’s base hit and scored on an errant throw by Stockton pitcher Jake Wheeler.
The Tigers responded with two runs in the home half of the third inning. Walker singled to right field and Wheeler walked. Two outs later, Hayden Farwell drove a solid shot to left field to score Walker and Wheeler.
Strafford answered right back with three more runs in the fourth. Caldwell doubled and Turner and Boswell both singled, all on the left side as Caldwell scored. Two grounders by Maples and Dillon Hester forced out Turner and Maples, but Oliver walked to load the bases, and Drew Stoll was hit by a pitch from Wheeler to score Boswell. Mason Foley drew a base on balls to force in Hester.
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The Indians added three more runs in the sixth. Hester beat out an infield hit and was sacrificed to second base by Oliver. Stoll’s bunt single put runners at the corners. Coach Shane Pierce called for a delayed double steal and it worked as Hester came home with the eighth Strafford run. Stoll scored as Mason Foley benefited from two Stockton errors on the same play. A sacrifice bunt by Hunter Langston plated Foley.
The Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Garrett Haden singled to center field but was forced out on Clay Hoffman’s 4-6 grounder. Trenton Rains drew a walk and Tate Wheeler came in to run for him. August Foster’s infield hit scored Hoffman. Walker singled to left as Tate Wheeler crossed the plate but Foster was thrown out at third base. Jake Wheeler’s liner to second ended the threat.
The Tigers had one last chance in the seventh, but with two on and two out, Hoffman fanned to end the game.
“We did a good job,” Pierce said. “We talked a lot all year about just executing the bunts and putting pressure on defenses. We can run pretty well. I think in that [third] inning, we showed when you just put the ball in play, good things will happen.”
Turner took the win on the mound over Jake Wheeler. Turner went five-and-a-third innings, scattering six hits, striking out two and walking three. Stoll finished up.
“Dillon Turner pitched really, really well today,” Pierce said. “Dillon was probably the difference because he got us late into that sixth inning and we were able to bring Drew in. He [Stoll] hadn’t pitched in about three weeks, but it was good for him to get out there.
For Stockton, which suffered its third straight defeat at sectionals, the most glaring statistic was the uncharacteristic eight errors it committed.
“I don’t know if nerves played into it. I don’t know, we haven’t played well in this game the last couple of years,” Tiger coach Darin Henderson. “We were pretty loose, we were ready to go in the dugout. I think a lot of it is the team we’re playing. They put the ball in play, they make you make plays and that’s high school baseball sometimes. Sometimes you don’t make those plays.
“When you make mistakes, a team like that makes you pay. We typically don’t make those mistakes but today we did, and it was tough to come back.”
The Indians will host South Callaway, a 13-2 winner over Mountain Grove, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
“We played South Callaway last year,” Pierce said. “I know they’re an outstanding team. We’re just looking forward to playing one more game at home. That’s gonna be a lot of fun for us, so we’re looking forward to that.”
Strafford (24-4) 004 303 0—10 10 1
Stockton (19-7) 102 002 0— 5 7 8
Dillon Turner, Drew Stoll (6) & Wyatt Maples; Jake Wheeler, Drew Wheeler (4) & Garrett Haden
Hits: Strafford—Tony Caldwell (2B), Turner 2 (2B), Bryce Boswell 3 (2B), Hester 2, Nick Oliver, Stoll. Stockton—Bo Walker 2, J. Wheeler, Hayden Farwell, Haden, August Foster 2.
