Braden Cox's gem leads Scott City baseball team to Class 3 championship game

O'FALLON, Mo. -- Scott City baseball coach Jim May made a request before his team's Class 3 state semifinal Monday.

May asked starting pitcher Braden Cox for a five-hit shutout of the Warsaw Wildcats, who were countering with all-state senior left-hander Joey Cooner and had not lost since April 10.

"No worries," May jokingly told his sophomore ace.

Cox came remarkably close to fulfilling his coach's request. He allowed just five hits but one run in the Rams' 4-1 victory over Warsaw at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

May said after the game Cox asked him if, "Will that work?"

"Absolutely," May replied.

The Rams (21-12) will face Fatima for the state championship at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"It's everything I've ever dreamed about, honestly -- in any sport," Cox said.

Scott City's Trent Pobst celebrates after scoring in the first inning against Warsaw during a Class 3 semifinal Monday, June 1, 2015 in O Fallon, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

Scott City took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Jordan Kluesner struck out on a wild pitch. The ball rolled into the expansive backstop area, allowing Trent Pobst, who had singled earlier in the inning, to score from second with two outs.

"We talked about that right before the game started with as deep as this backstop is, I said, 'If you're paying attention, you can get two bases on a passed ball,'" May said. "Boom, first inning, there it was. It was a big run for us to get on the board."

Warsaw (22-3) tied the game in the top of the fourth on an RBI-double by Cooner.

"It was a fastball inside," Cox said. "That was exactly like last game when the kid hit the home run. I missed my spot. The next two at-bats he had he didn't see any pitch inside."

"I knew I made a mistake," Cox added later. "And I figured it out."

He stranded runners at second and third in the fourth by striking out the Nos. 5 and 6 batters. He said he mostly used his slider in the situation, counting on it to keep the Wildcats off balance and prevent them from hitting the ball to the right side.

"That's Braden," May said. "Whenever things get tight, he's going to bow his neck and he's going to go to work. I couldn't be more proud of what he accomplished. He gave up one run, and he basically did that to himself by over-throwing first base on the bunt. That was a great job."

Cox did not allow another hit in the game. He retired the final 14 batters he faced and finished with 10 strikeouts and no walks.

Scott City's Braden Cox swings and flies out to right field in the first inning against Warsaw during a Class 3 semifinal Monday, June 1, 2015 in O Fallon, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

"This is pretty much what you get," May said about Cox's performance. "He kept the ball down really well, and he had three pitches working. When he's got three pitches working and he's working down in the zone, he's tough to hit.

Scott City regained the lead on sophomore right fielder Dylan Keller's RBI double in the fourth off Cooner, who entered the game with a 0.79 ERA.

"I was just going to get my pitch," Keller said. "I was looking for something on the inside part of the plate. I knew if I got that hit that was going to be game."

He got an inside fastball and deposited it just over the center fielder's outstretched glove to drive home Drew Short.

Perhaps the biggest moment of the game came in the fifth when Cox retired the top of the Warsaw lineup in order, assuring himself he wouldn't have to face the Wildcats' premier hitters again.

"That was awesome," May said. "I told him after that, 'Now I want six up, six down.' I said, 'The four and five hitters are tough, and I know they are,' but I said, 'Not another baserunner. Let's go.' And he met the challenge. What can you say?

"That was enormous at the time because we didn't have to see them again. Those three were killing the baseball."

The Rams added a run in the fifth when Cox, who led off the inning with a single, stole home. He intended to break for the plate the moment the catcher threw back to the mound, but there was an unexpected twist.

"I read the catcher every single time, and he was just picking it up and throwing it back to the pitcher every time," Cox said. "He's a left-handed pitcher, so he's not looking at me. He's not facing me at all. He wasn't even glancing over there. It just so happens -- my luck -- [the catcher] fiddles with the ball. He was about to throw it back, but he fiddled with it, like 'Oh, he's coming.' But luckily he dropped it. It was pretty dumb, but in my head on third it sounded pretty good."

Scott City players talk with each other in the dugout during a Class 3 semifinal Monday, June 1, 2015 in O Fallon, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

Scott City got its final run in the sixth on sophomore third baseman Caden Hillemann's RBI double.

Hillemann, who was sporting the coon hat he purchased earlier in the day after the game -- "You can't pass up a coon hat," he explained -- was relaxed at the plate despite striking out in his previous two at-bats thanks to a message from May before he stepped into the batter's box.

"He said just picture them wearing a coon hat and in Bass Pro Shops with toy guns running around shooting each other like we were earlier today," Hillemann said. "It got me laughing. I basically went up there not caring, kind of. I was just ready for a strike to swing at."

Cox finished the game by getting two strikeouts and a weak groundout in the seventh.

"He's just been in those situations all throughout life," Hillemann said. "We've been playing baseball for about 13 years now, and he's always been one of the best pitchers. He's always been in those situations."

Warsaw 001 000 0 -- 1 5 1

Scott City 100 111 X -- 4 0

WP -- Braden Cox (8-2). LP -- Joey Cooner (6-2). 2B -- Cooner (W), Dylan Keller (SC), Caden Hillemann (SC). Multiple hits -- Warsaw: Bailey Jelinek 2-3; Scott City: Tyler Rogers 2-3.