Hicks' no-hitter leads Bell City baseball past Bismarck in extras to advance to Class 1 semifinals

BISMARCK, Mo. -- Bell City starting pitcher Austin Hicks felt like he had his good stuff from the get-go for a second straight playoff start Wednesday afternoon in a Class 1 quarterfinal against Bismarck.

"I felt great," Hicks said. "Like I said last week, I felt like I could throw any pitch at anytime and get hitters out."

Hicks having his best stuff on the hill turned out to be a necessity in a classic pitcher's duel at Bismarck High School.

Bismarck left-handed starter Logan Dunn almost matched Hicks. Dunn allowed only four hits and pitched out of three bases-loaded jams without allowing a run in eight innings of work.

Bismarck finally went to its bullpen and turned to right-handed reliever Hunter Drake in the top of the ninth inning. The Cubs broke through with three runs on three hits in the top of the ninth inning to build a 3-0 lead.

Bell City starting pitcher Austin Hicks throws out Bismarck No. 2 hitter Malcolm Hawkins at first base.Dustin Ward

Hicks finished what he started a few minutes later when he retired three of the four hitters he faced in the bottom of the ninth inning to secure a no-hitter and a 3-0 victory.

"Just a great battle between two teams," Bell City coach Justin Simpher said. "We put some pressure on them, and they handled it. Both teams battled like it was their last game, which is what you have to do this time of the year."

Bell City's No. 9 hitter, Taylor Ogden, provided the offensive spark his team needed when he legged out an infield hit after he hit a ground ball to second base with one out in the top of the ninth.

"I went up there and was ready to hit, but I didn't really get the hit I wanted," Ogden said. "Once I knew I hit it on the ground, I took off running as hard as I could."

Ogden quickly moved himself into scoring position when he stole second base without a throw during leadoff hitter Cole Nichols' at-bat.

Bell City starting pitcher Austin Hicks smiles in the middle of the pile after throwing a nine-inning ho-hitter against Bismarck in a Class 1 state quarterfinal Wednesday.Dustin Ward

Nichols capitalized on the Cubs' scoring opportunity shortly after when he hit a ground ball between second and third that skipped into left field without being touched by an infielder. Ogden easily scored on the play to put Bell City on top 1-0.

The Cubs loaded the bases later in the frame after the No. 2 hitter, Hicks, reached base on an infield error and cleanup hitter Peyton Maddox drew a two-out walk. Bobby Wright followed with a two-run single to shallow right field to set the final score.

Hicks retired 15 straight hitters before the streak ended when he hit Malcolm Hawkins with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

"That's the first I've heard of 15 in a row," Hicks said. "I was just cruising and got in a zone. I knew I needed to hold them to as few hits as possible and just went out there and threw the ball."

Hicks got No. 3 hitter Grant Latham to pop out and struck out Drake for the final two outs of the game.

Bell City right fielder Brandon Abner races after a fly ball.Dustin Ward

Hicks allowed four base runners. Hawkins reached base on a one-out error in the first and drew a leadoff walk in the fourth. Drake reached base on a one-out error in the fourth.

Hicks struck out 14, walked one batter and hit another.

"He went out there and threw another gem," Simpher said. "That's what we've come to expect out of him. We needed him to be exceptionally good today because their pitcher kept us off balance. He went and did what we had to do to keep us in it and give us a chance. Just a tremendous job and tremendous effort by him today."

Dunn allowed four hits, walked six and struck out seven in eight scoreless innings of work. The Cubs stranded the bases loaded in the first, sixth and eighth innings without scoring a run.

"That's just baseball," Hicks said. "We are not always going to score. I just had to keep pitching. That's all I could do."

No. 3 hitter Nate Finney was the only hitter with multiple hits. He finished 2-for-3 for Bell City.

"We haven't seen a whole lot of lefties this year," Simpher said. "We got a few hits but were never able to break through with a run. They finally made a change, and we were able to get a little better swing on the ball."

Bell City (22-3) continues its quest to repeat as the Class 1 state champion when it takes the field for a state semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Monday at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri.

"It's the same mentality going in," Hicks said. "It's awesome. I just want to thank God for the opportunity to go back to state."

Bell City awaits the winner of a state quarterfinal between New Franklin (23-1) and Silex (13-6).

"It's great," Simpher said. "We hoped to play good enough baseball to make it back up there after winning it last year because you don't ever know when it could happen again. It's great to get the opportunity to go back after playing a good baseball game today. Hopefully today's game helped get us ready to go up there and compete again."

Bell City 000 000 003 -- 3 6 2

Bismarck 000 000 000 -- 0 0 1

WP -- Austin Hicks. LP -- Hunter Drake. Multiple Hits -- Bell City: Nate Finney 2-3.