Willard baseball's shot at repeating as state champs comes up short in semifinal loss
OZARK – Owen Bushnell knocked in a pair of runs in the first inning as Willard made an early statement about grabbing its second consecutive title in Class 5 Missouri baseball.
But, the junior slugger — and Tigers head coach Scott McGee — knew better than to think the Tigers could deliver a quick knockout against Festus, a team that had won 10 consecutive games.
“We came out with a ton of energy and they answered,” Bushnell said. “I figured he’d settle in.”
The he was freshman left-hander Mason Schirmer — and Bushnell was prescient.
Schirmer allowed only two more hits and another run – and reliever Nate Moore then pitched 2.2 innings of no-hit ball — as Festus took a 4-3 extra-innings victory on Friday evening in their semifinal matchup.
“We just couldn’t score,” McGee lamented about the missed opportunity for another championship at U.S. Ballpark.
Besides the quiet bats, it also didn’t help that Festus’ first run scored on a wild pitch strikeout.
Wild might be the best way to describe the final half-inning in which every Festus runner got aboard via walk. Willard followers expressed great displeasure at many of the ball calls — with several of them extending at-bats on 2-2 or 3-2 counts and leading to walks.
The final pitch was clearly low and outside before Festus pinch runner Tyler Phillips skipped home. He had originally gained third base as Willard coaches argued one of the ball calls.
The ending was frustrating for another reason for Willard’s coaches. They argued that two Festus runners didn’t touch their advancing bases (because of the team celebration) on the final walk, which could have resulted in the run being negated.
“It’s pretty tough,” Bushnell admitted about the tight loss. “There’s a reason nobody’s repeated in Class 5 baseball.”
McGee said the loss was a letdown but expects Willard to continue its state-leading tradition. “It’s a gut-wrenching loss,” he said. “We played well, but not as well as Festus.”
The hitting woes confounded Bushnell, who has 44 hits and 44 RBI coming into Saturday’s third-place game. “The offense has been close to being the best in the state all season,” he said. “We just didn’t get it going.”
Hayden Bates went 3-for-3 and scored twice for Festus, which rose to 26-8. Schirmer had two of Festus’ eight hits, while Phillips stole three bases.
Two walks from Schirmer, paired with a couple of fielders’ choice outs, set up Bushnell for his hard grounder into centerfield and a 2-0 advantage in the first inning.
Festus countered with a pair of runs after one-out hits by Jackson Gross and Hayden Bates. One scored on the wild-pitch strikeout and another on an RBI flyout by Tyler Bizzle.
In the third inning, Willard took the lead again at 3-2 on a one-out single by Kyden McMain.
Festus then tied in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI flyout by Moore.
Willard pitcher Cooper Wilken struck out seven and Kade Biellier six, while Schirmer had five strikeouts for Festus.
McGee alternated bringing in Wilken and Bellier to gain favorable matchups in the final innings. “I was doing what I thought would give us the best chance to win,” said McGee, whose team is 31-8.
Expect another big winning season in 2023, Bushnell said: “I easily see us being back here again next year.”
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: High school baseball: Festus beats Willard in MSHSAA state semifinals
