How Hickman baseball's win over top-ranked Rock Bridge proves the Kewpies are a force

Of all the ways Hickman baseball could have beaten Rock Bridge on Wednesday night, it didn't seem likely the Kewpies would win with a towering, 340-foot home run.

Rock Bridge's Payton Messer and Hickman's Braden Hemmer were locked in a pitching duel for six innings. The two were dealing and shook off everything that could have kept them off their groove.

That left the seventh inning, the lone frame without Hemmer and Messer pitching, as a small window of opportunity for both teams in the crosstown matchup. Tyler Stine took full advantage, hitting a three-run home run with two outs in the top of the seventh to push Hickman (19-9) to a 4-2 win over the host and No. 1-ranked Bruins (26-5).

The win showed that Hickman is a contender in the upcoming Class 6 District 5 Tournament — which features four teams with at least 18 wins — where the Kewpies could clinch their first district title since 2018, when Hickman finished second in state.

"Let's play hard and expect to win, and that's what we did," Hickman coach Mason Mershon said.

Wednesday's game featured two talented teams boasting college-level talent playing for bragging rights. It was the kind of game that felt like it had implications more significant than just a regular-season rivalry contest.

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"All the guys know those rankings don't mean anything, especially when you're playing a team as good as Hickman is," said Rock Bridge assistant coach Jeff Bazat, whose team currently has top billing from the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. "It's a district-type atmosphere. That's good. Our boys need that."

Until the seventh, the Bruins and Kewpies traded defensive gems and combined to score only two unearned runs. The Bruins took the lead on a passed ball, and the Kewpies tied on an error.

Hemmer made a diving catch for Hickman on a Dane Gray bunt that Hemmer turned into a double play. Rock Bridge's Justus Poppa made a diving catch in center to rob a hit that could've turned into an extra-base hit.

Hickman's season-long struggle of consistently plating runs played a factor Wednesday. Hickman stranded six base runners in the first three innings, including a bases-loaded situation.

But when the Kewpies needed it most, Stine came through in the most clutch way possible.

That was the perfect complement to the Hickman pitching staff, which started with Hemmer and was closed by Jackson Forck.

"Pitching-wise, we were on point tonight," Mershon said. "We were getting runners on, we just couldn't get them over or get them in."

Hemmer said he knew Stine's home run was gone the second it left the bat. Stine said he didn't know until he was heading for second base.

Stine's homer was an example that Hickman has a clutch gene, one that can arrive at the most opportune moments.

The district-like feeling played into the Hemmer-Messer showdown, where neither starting pitcher allowed the opposition's bats to earn a run.

"It was fun," Hemmer said. "I like that pitching duel, but we found a way to get some runs and get some hits."

Both starters adjusted when they could have easily been thrown off. The game started a half-hour later than scheduled due to the umpires arriving late, and rain made the ball slippery.

Without a tight grip, it was difficult for pitchers to consistently throw strikes and for defenses to deliver accurate throws to get runners out on the base paths.

On the mound, Hemmer and Messer didn't let the rain sink them.

"You've just got to push through it," Hemmer said.

Hemmer pushed to the seventh before allowing a hit when Mershon took him out of the game. Mershon didn't know if Hemmer would have stayed in even if he had gotten the first out, but Hemmer had taken Hickman more than far enough with his arm and his bat.

Hemmer smacked a double and scored the first run of the game on an error after he was intentionally walked.

After Stine's three-run homer, Rock Bridge plated a run on an RBI triple by Austin Stewart. It was a quick reminder the game wasn't over and how talented Rock Bridge's lineup is.

Forck ended the game by striking out Messer on a full count with a runner on third, as Messer, who is also a talented hitter, represented the tying run.

Getting the strikeout earned Hickman a key Central Missouri Activities Conference win, as the Kewpies are undefeated in conference play at 5-0. A win against Battle next Tuesday would cement Hickman's second consecutive CMAC title.

"That's why I coach, games like that," Mershon said. "We got the hit when we needed it. Tyler Stine came through."

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Wednesday represented a rivalry game of the highest order, and it was the main event on any diamond in Columbia. Missouri baseball coach Steve Bieser was in attendance, as were Missouri baseball players, and local alums, Tre Morris, Drew Garrett, Trae Robertson, Kyle Brown and Parker Wright.

Missouri softball players and Rock Bridge alums Maddie Snider and Alexis Burks were in attendance, too.

With the stage set and the pressure of a high-profile game, Wednesday's win was proof Hickman has the talent and mentality to win that game again and more come districts.

Two of the four teams with at least 18 wins in Class 6 District 5 are Hickman and Rock Bridge.

The postseason could include a rematch.

"It's just a good boost," Mershon said of Wednesday's win. "We got it done."

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How Hickman's win over Rock Bridge proved the Kewpies are a force