Advance's Eggimann celebrates 18th birthday with winning, two-run double

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Advance catcher Zane Eggimann already was having a fantastic day before heading into his quarterfinal matchup against Woodland in the Stoddard County Activities Association baseball tournament.

The senior turned 18 on Monday.

Then he went out and celebrated his new adulthood with a game-winning two RBI double that sent Advance into the semifinals.

Eggimann lined a two-out double into left field to provide the only runs of the game and the fourth-seeded Hornets knocked off the fifth-seeded Cardinals 2-0.

Advance (8-7) faces top-seeded Bernie at 4:30 p.m. today in Bernie, Mo.

Advance second baseman Austin Miller watches his throw to first base along with Woodland’s Devon Ritter as he completes a double play during the seventh inning Monday in Advance, Mo. The Hornets advanced to the semifinals of the Stoddard County Activities Association tournament with a 2-0 victory. (Fred Lynch)

"I just turned 18 and last Saturday at Malden I didn't hit the ball very good," Eggimann said. "I spent a lot of time in a cage yesterday and came out here and I noticed that he was throwing fastball, fastball. I didn't see a curveball to our lead-off batter, and I just went up there later and happened to find the one I wanted and drove it down the line. I was so excited, I almost tripped over first base."

It was the only hit that mattered in a game that featured dominant pitching performances from the Hornets' Brian Whitson and the Cardinals' Ben McCormick.

McCormick's only hiccup came in the bottom half of the third.

He sat down the first two batters before hitting Whitson, the No. 9 hitter for Advance.

It was the first baserunner allowed by McCormick.

Advance starter Brian Whitson pitches to a Woodland batter during the second inning Monday. Whitson allowed just two hits in throwing a shutout.

Courtesy runner Brendan Crader swiped second and third to enhance the threat and Garrett Walker walked and stole second to make it runners at second and third with two outs.

The left-handed hitting Eggimann came to the plate and lined a fastball down the left-field line to plate both runs.

"He pitched well," Woodland coach John Craig said about McCormick. "Hitting the nine hole with the two outs let them get it going and let them score the two runs, but overall he pitched well enough to win. He has been like that all year, he's been giving us a chance to win every time out."

Woodland fell to 6-4.

McCormick hurled six innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He walked a batter, hit a batter, and struck out 10.

The Hornets had trouble hitting his fastball.

"He's a good pitcher," Advance coach Chris Asmus said. "I'm going to give him credit on that, but as a coach I am sitting over here looking at him throwing straight fastballs the whole game. We have to sit back and get timing on that. If somebody can throw straight fastballs by us then we are in trouble.

"I don't think he was overpowering, but you have to give credit to him -- he was overpowering us, and maybe we are just not great hitters. That's part of it, too, but you have to give credit to him, he's been doing it all year long."

Whitson was equally dominant for the Hornets.

The sophomore didn't have the overpowering fastball, but Whitson changed speeds and hit corners to silence the Cardinals.

"Today I just felt like I had a rhythm going," Whitson said. "I just had a good rhythm going. Getting ahead of batters is pretty important."

Whitson tossed all seven innings, allowing no runs on two hits. He hit a batter, walked a batter, and struck out three.

"Brian always does a good job on the mound," Asmus said. "He's not a normal sophomore. He's calm, cool, collected. He's like that in every sport he plays. That's why he's so good at everything he does."

Whitson didn't allow a runner to reach second base until the sixth inning.

Devon Ritter reached base in the first when his fly ball to left field fell, but Eggimann gunned Ritter down attempting to swipe second.

In the second, Woodland's Bryce Crites reached on an infield single, but Whitson coaxed a double play.

The sophomore hurler then retired nine straight before walking the leadoff batter in the sixth.

JD Jenkins led off the sixth with a walk for Woodland and advanced to third on two ground outs, but Whitson got Garrett Reynolds to fly out to center field to end the threat.

"It's just a tough one because I felt like we should have hit [Whitson] a little bit better, but he did a good job," Craig said. "He really mixed it up and kept us on our heels, and we couldn't stay back long enough and kept rolling over and hitting weak ground ball after weak ground ball. Hat's off to that kid."

The Hornets defense backed up the right-hander.

Eggimann gunned down a runner, first baseman Dawson Mayo made a lunging play to steal a hit, and third baseman Brandon Sokolowski started two double plays behind Whitson.

"Defense is huge," Asmus said. "We preach every day: Defense and pitching are going to win games, and today our defense was good. We made plays. You have to give credit to them, they put the ball in play; they just didn't get balls in the holes where they needed them."

Woodland 000 000 0 -- 0 2 1

Advance 002 000 X -- 2 3 0

WP – Brian Whitson. LP – Ben McCormick. 2B – Zane Eggimann 2 (A). Multiple Hits – Advance: Eggimann 2-3. Records – Advance: 8-7; Woodland: 6-4.