Tolton falls short of comeback, loses late-night state semifinal
OZARK, Mo. (KMIZ)
Fr. Tolton Catholic nearly made some midnight magic at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex.
The Trailblazers (22-7-1) pulled within one run of erasing a six-run deficit, but ultimately, the team suffered an 8-6 loss to Chillicothe (22-12) in the Class 4 State Semifinals.
Tolton's second-ever appearance in the MSHSAA Baseball Championships was pushed back from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. due to three different weather delays which knocked the tournament off-schedule. The contest did not conclude until nearly 1 a.m.
Chillicothe scored six unanswered runs over the first four frames of the game, courtesy of three RBI singles from three different players, an RBI double from Howie Donoho, a fielder's choice and a passed ball. The Hornets forced a pitching change after just three innings, ending Sam Ryan's start on the mound with three earned runs allowed on three hits and five walks.
However, once the clock struck midnight, the momentum began to shift in the ballpark. After Lucas Wietholder scored on a fielder's choice to claim Tolton's first run of the contest, Kaden Schremmer delivered an RBI single into left field to cut the deficit down to four runs in the fifth inning.
The Hornets added another run in the home half of the frame on a questionable obstruction call at third base that allowed Cooper Robinson to score, but the Trailblazers rallied again on their next turn at the plate. Six straight batters reached base safely, resulting in four runs on a two-RBI double from Wietholder and a two-RBI single from Karter Ball to make it a 7-6 score. The tying run stood 180-feet away with zero outs, but Tolton could not drive it in.
Wietholder powered Tolton's seven-hit effort at the dish, finishing 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. He also pitched three innings in relief of Ryan, giving up three earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.
Ball, Schremmer and Myles Putnam each accounted for the team's remaining three hits.
Up next - Tolton will play Sullivan for third place in the Class 4 State Tournament on Thursday, June 5 at 4 p.m. in Ozark, Missouri.
