“Andy was in the right spot for us and came through,” Fleener said. “I knew he would battle at the plate.”

But the Bulldogs weren’t about to just give up.

Colton Fearday greeted reliever Hayden Ruholl with a home run that sailed over the rightfield fence to close the gap to one run. With one out, Brody Niebrugge dropped a single into leftfield, but was forced at second on a ground ball by Hoene.

That brought in Kennan Walsh. He sent a 2-1 pitch deep to centerfield. Some of the fans felt like it had a chance to be a walk-off, game-winning two-run homer.

What did Coach Fleener think?

“When I saw it come off the bat, I thought ‘oh mercy,” he said.

But centerfielder Evan Addis hauled it in right at the fence to end the game and secure the win.

St. Anthony took a 1-0 lead in the first. Angelo Mendella walked with one out and courtesy runner Beau Adams went to second on a wild pitch. Eli Moore then lined a two-out RBI double into the right-centerfield gap.

The Shoes tied the game in the third. Dylan Pruemer led off with a double and eventually scored on an error.

The Bulldogs came right back in the bottom of the third with two runs. Eli Levitt and Logan Antrim both walked and moved up a base when Mendella laid down a sacrifice bunt. Fearday then grounded a base hit through a drawn-in infield to put SAHS ahead 3-1.

T-Town then used the long ball to tie the game in the fifth. First it was Addis, who blasted a pitch well over the centerfield fence. It was his third home run in the last two games.

“Evan is starting to get hot at the right time of year,” Fleener noted. “He’s really giving us some quality at-bats. He led us.”

Then two outs later, it was Derek Deters turn to go deep. He ripped a 1-0 pitch over the 315-foot sign in leftfield to tie the game at 3-3.

It stayed that way until the eighth.

“They put together some timely hits and we didn’t,” Kreke said. “We just didn’t do enough things at the plate.”

Addis got the win for the Shoes. He pitched the first seven innings and allowed five hits and three runs. He walked three and struck out six while throwing 101 pitches. Ruholl pitched the seventh to earn the save.

“Evan did exactly what we needed done to give us a shot,” Fleener said. “He kept the ball down in the zone and forced contact. He really battled and did a great job controlling a very good lineup.”

“I thought Evan really settled in, especially during the late innings,” Kreke added. “In fact, I thought both starting pitchers showed a lot of poise and did a good job.”

Antrim was the starter for the Bulldogs. He also went seven innings and threw 103 pitches. He allowed five hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out eight. Fearday pitched the eighth and took the loss.

“Logan is able to throw different pitches and can do so in any count,” Kreke explained. “Whether it’s 1-0 or 2-0, he finds a way to battle his way back into the count. He gave us a chance to win. We just couldn’t get anything going with our bats.”

Teutopolis improved to 14-6 on the season. The Shoes will return to action Saturday with a home game against Taylorville. It’s also an Apollo Conference contest. Game time is scheduled for 11 a.m.

“I’m really happy with our team. We’re starting to come together,” Fleener said. “These kids are fighters. They stay focused and always play to the end.”

The Bulldogs dropped to 14-3. They will play today (Friday) at Shelbyville.

Thursday’s game was another opportunity for Fleener and Kreke to coach against each other. Kreke used to play for Fleener at THS.

“I am so proud of Tony,” Fleener said. “He’s doing a great job with that program. His team is always prepared and I really like the way he talks with his team.”

“I’m just a by-product of my former coach,” Kreke added. “It’s not uncommon to coach just how you were coached. I have looked up to Jason for a long time. He’s been a role model and a mentor and I’m proud to call him my friend.”