Springfield Catholic comes up short in state championship loss to Father Tolton

OZARK — Springfield Catholic head coach Courtney Spitz told the Fightin' Irish that sometimes baseball is beautiful and reminded them that it can also be cruel.

The beauties of Catholic's 2022 season included phenomenal pitching performances, many wins over some of the best teams in the state and a run-rule win in the state semifinal to put the program in the championship for the first time since winning it all in 2014.

After Thursday night's 8-4 loss to Father Tolton in the Class 3 championship game, the Fightin' Irish experienced the game's cruelty. The ultimate goal the Irish felt they were capable of achieving escaped their grasp and ended in heartbreak.

"I told the guys that being in this game means something and losing hurts," Spitz said. "You want to finish the year on top but just being in this program makes our program and our kids better. They brought a lot of energy to our school and our community and they'll be better for the moment."

More: Catholic baseball didn't need to celebrate its state semifinal dominance. It only 'did its thing.'

Tears were shed and there was a moment when it looked like the Fightin' Irish players weren't going to leave the field. The brotherhood formed through the ups and downs of playing one of the toughest schedules in the state brought them closer than before.

"Right now, it definitely doesn't feel great but I think tomorrow morning, we'll start seeing the sunshine that comes out of these clouds," senior shortstop Cole Leonhart said. "I think it'll start feeling better as the years go by but these guys will use it as fuel to get back next year."

Leonhart is one of three Catholic seniors. The Irish will return some of the best players in the state including Mizzou commits Ben Smith and Coleman Morrison for one more season.

The sunshine that Leonhart looks forward to includes being that senior leader for a group of younger players. The bonds he created will last a lifetime and the wins along the way weren't so bad either.

"Making it here was just one of the better feelings that we've had," Leonhart said. "The feelings we have right now might not be the best feeling but I think we'll realize that second place isn't so bad."

Second-place comes after Father Tolton scored eight of the final nine runs of the game.

Catholic got out to a quick start with a 3-0 in the top of the first thanks to a Morrison two-run double and an error that led him to cross home plate. The Trailblazers tied it in the second after back-to-back walks and a bases-clearing triple by Justus Martin on a play he ultimately scored on after a throwing error gave him the little league home run.

The Irish retook the lead in the bottom of the third after Smith doubled and was driven in by Ben Ruter with a double of his own. It was the last time Catholic scored this season.

Tolton took the lead and never gave it back in the bottom of the third when Martin drove in two with a single to left. The Blazers added two more in the fourth with Logan Thompson's two-run single. J.C. Putnam gave the Blazers one last bit of insurance with an RBI single in the sixth.

"You work so hard to get to the pinnacle of high school baseball in the state championship game," Spitz said. "We just talk about life as a young man and how things impact you and how they can hurt. You gotta be able to deal with adversity sometimes. This is just a bump in the road for more future success for all these kids on the field."

Father Tolton piled on at the pitcher's mound after one last groundout to third to win the championship. On the other side of the field, the Irish quickly went into each other's arms.

Tears were shed but smiles were still to be had. The temporary pain will go away once the sunshine is found.

For those leaving, they'll realize the foundation they left behind will lead to more success.

For those coming back, it will only motivate them more to win it all next year.

"It's going to be a tough road, it always is," Spitz said. "That's the thing about being here — it's an awesome moment because it's so tough to get here. For the kids coming back, I think they'll have some fire in their belly next year and try to repeat."

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: Father Tolton beats Catholic in championship