Seniors lead charge as Scott City baseball secures season opening win

One thing can be said about the 2025 Scott City Rams baseball team: If things look dire, the Rams can lean on their seniors to lead the charge.

Seniors Kobe Watson and Lane Holder each hit a home run as the Rams rallied from a two-run deficit to defeat Van Buren 4-2 in the season opener Friday, March 21, in Scott City.

Holder’s homer broke a 2-all tie in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was the leadoff hitter’s only knock of the day as he went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

"I actually kind of called my shot," Holder said. "So a big moment in my high school career, probably the biggest moment. That is the first time I've ever hit a home run."

Watson tied the game at 2 with his solo shot in the fifth inning, highlighting a 2-for-4 performance at the plate.

"Everybody dreams about hitting home runs, and I kind of wanted to get it out of the way," Watson said. "He hung a slider to me, and I just saw it out early, saw it out of his hand. So I was just thinking, ‘Just turn on it and hit it hard somewhere’, and thankfully, I got underneath it."

Watson also started the game on the mound, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks with six strikeouts over five innings pitched.

The wind was an advantage for the batters but a challenge for the pitchers. Watson walked one batter and hit another to put Van Buren in position to score two runs on a pair of wild pitches in the second inning.

"You're always working against something, whether it's the weather, arm pain, whatever," Watson said. "You always got to find a way to work through it and not let it dictate how you play."

Van Buran sent its best pitcher on the mound to start the season and short of two hanging sliders, Brady Smith lived up to the billing. The Bulldog junior struck out 10 batters over 5 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits with two walks.

The Rams are coming off a 29-4 season last year, but were a game short of their third straight district title. Scott City now shares a district with East Prairie, which finished last year in the Class 3 quarterfinals, led by SIU Edwardsville commit Noah Johnson.

Scott City's season-opening homestand continues at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22, with a matinee against Clarkton.