Ben Smith throws no-hitter to advance No. 1 Catholic past No. 2 Fair Grove in state quarterfinal

Two days before the game of his life, Ben Smith was told he would be on the mound when the Catholic Fightin' Irish took the field against Fair Grove.

It was all Smith, a Class of 2023 Mizzou-bound righty, could think about. All he could do was take on the adrenaline and walk around waiting for the moment.

When the lights were on and the top two teams in Class 3 took the field in Fair Grove on Friday night, Smith pitched to near-perfection as he held the Eagles hitless in a 5-0 win for the No. 1 Fightin' Irish.

"It was awesome," Smith said after the dogpile at the mound settled. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."

Smith finished the game with a sensational seven innings pitched, 11 strikeouts and no hits or runs allowed.

The Big 8 East Player of the Year showed why he was the heart and soul of a program that's fought to get back to the state semifinals since it won it all in 2014.

"He's just our leader and when he goes, we go," Irish head coach Courtney Spitz said. "Ben is special. When he's on the mound, we're one of the toughest teams in the state and he just does an electric job out there. He just has a different mindset where he wants that moment and we tried to line it up that way and praise God that it worked out."

Smith wouldn't have gotten the win if he didn't get the run support from his teammates along the way.

Four walks in the bottom of the first gave the Irish an early lead. In the second, the Eagles decided to walk the bases loaded with two outs to skip Smith in the order to get to Coleman Morrison, another 2023 Mizzou-commit. Morrison made them pay with a three-run double for the 4-0 advantage in the second.

"That got me fired up," Morrison said of Fair Grove's decision to walk the batter in front of him. "I know they didn't mean anything by it but when that happened, I saw an opportunity and it got me excited, man. I just tried to hit the ball solid and score some runs."

Morrison followed in the sixth with another base-knock to drive home a run. He finished his game 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI.

"I see these kids every day in practice and they come with the right mindset and intensity," Spitz said. "They don't just want to be the best team on the field but they also want to be the best team when this is a team game. It's nine, 10 guys working together. And then with that one-to-two punch (of Smith and Morrison), it's pretty special."

Speaking to the team after the game, Spitz spoke about the legacy the Fightin' Irish will leave behind. Now that they're in the state semifinals, they'll be remembered. With two wins at US Ballpark in Ozark, they'd be remembered forever as champions.

They thought about the teams since the 2014 state championship and how all the hard work by many has led up to this moment. The journey will continue on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Valley Park in the state semifinal.

"It's been a long time in the making," Smith said. "Coach Spitz comes out here and he works us hard and he puts all his time and effort into it. I give all props to him for tailoring this team into what it is today."

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: High school baseball: Catholic beats Fair Grove in state quarterfinal