By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It might have been the season opener, but Seth Hotze looked to be in mid-season form.

The tall, lanky lefthander pounded the strike zone Tuesday afternoon. He struck out nine and made just one bad pitch.

He also helped his own cause by delivering a two-run single.

That strong pitching and timely hitting helped the St. Anthony Bulldogs open their spring season with a 3-2 victory at home over Mt. Zion.

“Seth did exactly what we needed him to do,” said St. Anthony coach Tony Kreke. “He was our leader today. He got ahead of most of the batters. We stress the importance of having command of his fastball and he certainly showed that. We saw how good Seth can be and it was just start No. 1.”

Hotze threw 85 pitches and allowed just three hits over 5.1 innings of work. The only mistake he made came in the sixth inning. Cohen Leach led off with a walk. With one out, Jacob Bailey then hammered a two-run homer over of the left-centerfield fence to get the Braves within one run.

Colton Fearday then came on in relief. The first two batters he faced reached on a base hit and an error. But St. Anthony catcher Angelo Mendella threw out a runner trying to steal second and Fearday then struck out Braxton Barnes to end the threat.

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By Steve Raymond

The Sports Report

Coach Tony Kreke referred to Logan Antrim as the “energy catalyst” for his team.

When the St. Anthony left-hander struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh, everyone attending the game Wednesday afternoon saw that energy when his teammates exploded out of the dugout and surrounded their pitcher.

It was their response to how Antrim, after giving up five runs in the third, buckled down and allowed just one more run over the final four innings.

That gave the Bulldogs the opportunity to come back, erase a one-time three-run deficit and post an 8-7 victory over South Central in a semifinal contest of the National Trail Conference Baseball Tournament.

The No. 3 seeded Bulldogs will now face top-seeded Altamont for the tournament championship at 4 p.m. Friday. The game will be played in Altamont.

 “In that fourth inning, he could have just given up. He did allow some hard-hit balls,” Kreke noted. “But he settled down and got the job done. This team feeds off him and I’m really proud of how he performed today.”

St. Anthony jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but behind home runs from Chase Dodson and Aiden Dodson, the Cougars came back to take a 6-3 advantage.

Antrim responded by setting the next seven South Central batters down in order. And the one additional tally he allowed was an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth.

Then in the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Cougars sent the top three hitters in their lineup to the plate, Antrim responded by fanning all three batters to complete his 106-pitch performance and clinch a spot in the championship game for the Bulldogs.

It was a back-and-forth contest from the beginning.

And the Bulldogs jumped out in front first.

Facing South Central’s ace – hard-throwing Chase Dodson – St. Anthony struck quickly. Antrim led off with a walk and Kennan Walsh followed with a base hit. After the next two batters were retired, Will Hoene delivered a key base hit to right that drove in both runners. Back-to-back singles by Connor Roepke and Eli Levitt produced another run and made it 3-0.

“That first inning was big for us,” Kreke said. “We applied what we’ve been teaching. We had good at-bats and battled. We have a team process index that we talk about a lot. We want to score first, we want to have a big inning and we never stop battling. We saw all that tonight.”

Chase Dodson lined a home run in the bottom of the first to trim the lead to 3-1.

Then in the bottom of the third, the Cougars put together a five-run inning. Sebastian Cowger tied the game with a bases-loaded single and Aiden Dodson followed with a long three-run homer that sailed over the left-centerfield fence to give South Central a 6-3 edge.

“When we fell behind, I told the guys to keep battling,” Kreke said. “I told them if they did, good things were going to happen. I knew we had it in us and the guys were able to get it done.”

And that started in the fourth.

Josh Blanchette led off with a double into the right-centerfield gap and Beau Adams and Walsh walked to load the bases. Colton Fearday then hit a hard ground ball to short that was misplayed. That error allowed two runners to cross the plate and cut the margin to 6-5.

An inning later, Levitt walked and then with two outs, Adams, just a freshman, lined a pitch into right field. The South Central outfielder made a dive, but the ball glanced off his glove and rolled away. Levitt circled the bases and Adams ended up at third base with a game-tying RBI triple.

“We actually had three freshmen in our lineup tonight,” Kreke noted. Part of that was due to starting shortstop Eli Moore not being available because he is in quarantine. He does not have the virus, but had been around someone that did. He will not be available for the championship game either.

“These young kids really came through for us today,” Kreke said. “Beau Adams was in left field, Connor Roepke was at second base and Max Koenig was at third. This experience will really help them down the road in their career.”

The Bulldogs took advantage of some wildness to push across the two runs that put them ahead to stay. With two outs in the top of the sixth, Brody Niebrugge and Hoene received back-to-back walks. Both runners eventually scored after Aiden Dodson, who was pitching in relief, uncorked a series of six wild pitches that allowed both Niebrugge and courtesy runner Brock Jansen to cross the plate.

The Cougars did take advantage of a St. Anthony error to score a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it a one-run game, but Antrim refused to allow any more drama in the seventh. He struck out Chase Thompson, Chase Dodson and Beau Jolliff on 13 pitches to end the game.

“It was nice to see us complete a game,” Kreke said. “I hope we keep what we had tonight against Altamont. We’re excited about being in the championship game.”

The Indians advanced to the finals by posting a 9-6 win over North Clay Wednesday afternoon. It will be the second consecutive year these two teams have met for the conference tournament championship. Last year, the Indians posted a 3-2, eight-inning victory.

This is the eighth consecutive year that St. Anthony has played in the tournament championship contest.

By Steve Raymond

The Sports Report

It was simply another fantastic baseball game between St. Anthony and Altamont.

Whether it’s for a conference win or to advance in the post-season, these two teams always battle each other to the very end.

And Friday’s contest was no exception.

Both teams led in the game, but the Indians put the final surge together, scoring single tallies in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game and set the stage for a dramatic eighth-inning finish.

That came off the bat of Jared Hammer, who sent a blast down the left-field line. There was never a doubt if it was far off. The only question was would it stay fair?

It did and the celebration in the Altamont dugout erupted. Hammer’s solo home run gave the Indians a walk-off 5-4 victory and also secured their second consecutive National Trail Conference Tournament title.

“You just come to expect this type of game,” St. Anthony coach Tony Kreke said. “It was two good teams; two rivals going at it. It just didn’t work out for us.

“I hurt for our boys,” Kreke added. “We were just one pitch away from winning this thing. But give credit where credit is due. Coach (Alan) Whitt always has his team ready to play every game. And give credit to Hammer. He put a good swing on it and delivered the big hit.”

The Bulldogs were, indeed, one strike, one pitch or one out away from bringing the championship plaque back to St. Anthony High School. But Brayden Stuemke’s clutch single brought home the tying run in the bottom of the seventh that sent to game to extra innings.

It appeared as if the Bulldogs might escape that seventh-inning jam. Kaden Eirhart led off with a ground ball up the middle. SAHS shortstop Eli Levitt made a nice play to field the ball, but the speedy Eirhart beat the throw to first for an infield single.

The Altamont senior, who started on the mound and pitched the first seven innings, went to second on a wild pitch and then thought about scoring when Logan Cornett singled to right. But Eirhart got caught in a rundown between third and home and was tagged out.

Cornett advanced to second on the throw home and went to third on a wild pitch. The next Indians’ batter struck out, but Stuemke kept the game alive, lining a base to left to bring in the run that knotted the score 4-4 and set the stage for Hammer’s eighth-inning heroics.

St. Anthony took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Kennan Walsh reached base on a bunt single and came all the way around to score when Colton Fearday’s fly ball was misplayed for an error.

The Bulldogs had a chance to add to their lead in the top of the third. Beau Adams led off with a single, went to second on a balk and to the third on a wild pitch. Logan Antrim then laid down a bunt along the third base line. It appeared as if Adams would score on the play, but Eirhart bounced off the mound, gloved the ball and made a perfect throw to the catcher, who tagged out a sliding Adams.

The host Indians took a 2-1 lead in the third. Eirhart walked and Cornett singled to get things going. A wild pitch accounted for the first run and two more runners came across on an error.

The Bulldogs regained the lead with a big fifth inning. Josh Blanchette led off with an infield single that glanced off Eirhart’s glove on the mound. Beau Adams grounded out, but only because of a sensational play by Altamont shortstop Bradin Baucum, who went deep into the hole to field the ball and then made a strong throw to first.

But with one out, Logan Antrim walked and Walsh then lined a base hit into left-centerfield. His single drove home Blanchette. On the throw back into the infield, Antrim and Walsh advanced to second and third base. Fearday then ripped a pitch down the right-field line for a two-run double that put SAHS on top 4-2.

“We got that two-run lead and gave ourselves a shot,” Kreke noted. “But Altamont made some winning plays today. On that safety squeeze in the third, Eirhart made a phenomenal play that saved a run. And then that play by Baucum was unbelievable. They are good players and they made some outstanding plays that made a difference in this game.”

And as Altamont baseball teams tend to do every year, they refused to quit and began their comeback in the bottom of the sixth. An unearned run narrowed the gap to 4-3 in the sixth and the Indians completed their rally with decisive runs over the next two innings.

Baucum, who relieved in the eighth inning, got credit for the win. Seth Hotze pitched the final 3.1 innings for St. Anthony and took the loss. Fearday pitched the first four innings for the Bulldogs and also went 3-for-4 at the plate.

“I couldn’t be prouder of how our team finished the season,” Kreke said. “We have five underclassmen in the lineup today. At the beginning of the year, if you had told me we’d be in the championship game, I might not have believed you. But we’ve come a long ways. I thought we really came together and were playing our best ball at the end, which is what every coach wants to see.

“We did have some ups and downs this fall, but we gained some valuable experience,” Kreke added. “I’m already excited about what this team can do next spring. We’ve got a lot of talent here and I think they’ll be ready to go.”

The Indians, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, finished the fall season with a 16-7 record. The Bulldogs, the No. 3 seed, were 10-10.

By Steve Raymond

The Sports Report

After the first inning was over, the proverbial “fat lady” wasn’t singing yet.

But she was certainly starting to warm up.

As it turned out, she had a rather long wait.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs erupted for eight first-inning runs to grab a big early lead Monday and appeared headed to an easy win in an opening-round game of the National Trail Conference Baseball Tournament.

But somebody forgot to tell Neoga the game was over.

The Indians battled all the way and managed to tie the game in the top of the seventh inning.

But thanks to freshman Connor Roepke, the Bulldogs managed to survive and advance. Roepke lined a 1-1 pitch up the middle for a two-out, walk-off RBI single, sending SAHS into the semifinals with an 11-10 victory.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we lived to play another day,” said St. Anthony coach Tony Kreke. “My hat’s off to Neoga. They really battled tonight. I knew they would continue to compete.”

After the Indians got an RBI single from Kaden Young and scored a second run when that base hit got past the St. Anthony outfield, their comeback from a one-time seven-run deficit was complete.

But that just set the stage for Roepke’s heroics in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colton Fearday led off the inning when he lined the firsts pitch he saw into centerfield for a base hit. Freshman Beau Adams went in to run for him. After the next two batters were retired, Adams stole second base.

That brought in Roepke, who responded with the game-winning hit. Neoga centerfielder Adam Fearday made strong throw to the plate, but Adams was able to avoid the tag and slide across the plate.

“I couldn’t be happier for Connor,” Kreke admitted. “I felt good when he was coming up. He’s just a freshman, but he’s been one of our better hitters the last half of the season. He’s really worked hard. Connor is just a good ballplayer.”

It ended a game that most thought would be over much sooner, especially after that opening inning.

Neoga scored a single tally in the top of the first, but the Bulldogs wasted no time in responding.

Lead-off hitter Logan Antrim got his first of four hits, lining a ball off the centerfielder’s glove for a triple. Kennan Walsh then laid down a perfect bunt for an infield single that also drove in Antrim.

But that was just the beginning.

Eli Moore then ripped a pitch to the right field fence for an RBI triple and Brody Niebrugge grounded a ball deep into the hole between short and third for an infield single that brought in Moore to make it 3-1.

Neoga’s defense then fell apart, committing four errors that allowed four more runs to score. Antrim capped the inning with a run-scoring single that plated the eighth run. All total, the Bulldogs sent 11 batters to the plate.

“That inning shows how we want to play,” Kreke noted. “We want to hit, run and steal bases. That’s fun baseball and it’s the type of baseball that brings everybody together.”

The Indians scored two runs in the top of the third, but St. Anthony came back with two tallies of its own, and it all started after two were out.

Josh Blanchette walked, Antrim ripped an RBI double and Walsh followed with a blast that sailed over the rightfielder’s head for a run-scoring triple, giving SAHS its seven-run lead back, 10-3.

But over the next four innings, the Indians continued to hit the ball and have runners all over the base paths.

They started with a three-run third that featured  a two-run single by Isaac Walk and a run-scoring base hit by Will O’Dell. Neoga scored two more in the sixth and had the bases loaded with just one out when Bryar Hennessey hit a soft liner back to St. Anthony pitcher Colton Fearday, who then threw to third base for a double play that ended the threat.

Then in the seventh, the Indians tied the game and had the potential go-ahead run on third base with just one out. But Antrim, St. Anthony’s fourth pitcher of the game, got a strike out and pop up to end the threat.

Neoga finished with 13 hits in the contest, but left 14 runners stranded on base. St. Anthony had 11 hits. The first four batters in the Bulldogs lineup accounted for eight of those, plus combined for six RBI and five runs scored.

“Offensively, the top of the order did a great job, but we’ve got to clean some things up defensively,” Kreke said, referring to the four errors that accounted for five unearned runs.  “We have to field the ball better.

“Pressure is a privilege,” Kreke added. “Nobody is going to back down when they play us. Since they left that many runners on base, we were able to get some timely outs. But we have to be able to close the door on the mound and in the field.”

The Bulldogs, who improved to 9-9 and are the No. 3 seed in the tournament, will travel to Kinmundy Wednesday and face the South Central Cougars, the no. 2 seed. Game time is 4 p.m.

The two teams met a little over a week ago. St. Anthony jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but South Central came to win 7-4.

Other Opening-Round Scores

Altamont 11, Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City 1

South Central 10, Dieterich 0

North Clay 2, Windsor/Stew-Stras 0