St. Elizabeth baseball captures fourth state title in six seasons

OZARK, Mo. (KMIZ)

Winning championships has become a familiar feeling for the St. Elizabeth baseball team. On Tuesday, the Hornets won their fourth state title in six seasons with a 5-2 win over Faith Christian Academy High School.

St. Elizabeth entered the home half of the first inning already down by one, after Knights plated a run on an error. However, head coach Caleb Heckemeyer's team responded quickly, with a three-run bottom of the first.

With two outs on the board, Carter Reinkemeyer and Sam Luetkemeyer both provide the jolt their team needed. Reinkemeyer got the Hornets started with an RBI single to tie it up. That was followed up by a Luetkemeyer's two-RBI double to take the lead, which St. Elizabeth never gave up.

Heckemeyer's group put the game out of reach in the fifth inning, courtesy of a Gavin Williams RBI triple and a sac fly off the bat of Brady Kemna.

The Hornets' clutch performance at the dish was complimented by an excellent outing on the hill from Eli Kemna. He pitched a complete game and only allowed one earned run on three hits, while fanning 10 Faith Christian Academy batters.

The state championship win continues a historic run for St. Elizabeth. The program has now won six state championships, which ties them up with Oak Park for the second-most baseball titles in the state of Missouri. New Bloomfield still holds the most, with seven.

The win also marks the fourth championship that the Hornets have won under Heckemeyer's leadership.