Scott County falls into losers bracket with 17-2 loss to Festus

ELLISVILLE, Mo. -- The Scott County American Legion team came into the Zone 4 tournament with a goal of finishing the job it fell just short of at the junior level two years ago.

After Thursday's 17-2 loss in seven innings to defending state champion Festus, Post 369 will have to work hard just stay alive in the tournament.

Scott County will play 10 a.m. today at the Ellisville Athletic Association in an elimination bracket game against Anheuser-Busch, a 5-4 loser in 10 innings against Eureka on Thursday. The winner of this morning's game will play again at 5:30 p.m. today.

"It's a good experience for the kids, win or lose," Scott County coach Tom Dirnberger said of the zone tournament. "I think they thought they could play with Festus. I still think we can. Hopefully we get a chance to prove that."

Scott County's junior team, with many of the same players, had lost 1-0 in the zone championship game two years ago. Last year, the program played its first season at the senior level, and this year it won its first District 14 championship after entering as the No. 2 seed.

Festus, a perennial zone tournament guest representing District 13, flexed its muscles early with a two-run first inning against Scott County starter Jon Simpher. Post 253 scored three more in the third for a 5-0 lead.

Scott County scored two runs in the bottom of the third on three hits, but disaster struck in the fourth.

After Simpher retired the first two hitters, Festus pitcher Ryan Stagner singled, and Simpher walked the leadoff hitter. Third baseman Shane Menz botched a grounder off the bat of Scott Johnson to load the bases, and Simpher hit the next batter to force in a run. Simpher then dropped a pop fly on the infield to allow another run, and John Lyons ended the scoring with an RBI single for an 8-2 lead.

"After the third inning, you think you're in the game down 5-2, but then all the sudden it's 8-2 and everyone's down on themselves; and it was evident with their bats," Dirnberger said.

Simpher was chased in the fifth following four hits and two runs.

Festus tacked on seven runs off reliever Alex Orr along with eight more hits.

Matt Stites and Brad Buehler each had three hits, and Buehler reached base five times. Sean Wilkey blasted a three-run home run and had two hits, Shane Neel had two hits with a two-run home, and Lyons and Cody Stites added two hits apiece. Cody Stites had three RBIs.

"We work awfully hard at what we do," Festus coach Pat Bone said. "We work very hard at hitting all pitching, preaching adjustments. We preach coming in here prepared."

Festus needs to win just two more games in order to secure a return trip to the state tournament. Post 253 will play in the winner's bracket game 8:30 tonight against either top-seeded Ballwin or the winner of the Anheuser-Busch and Eureka game. The winner of tonight's late game advances to Saturday's championship round, awaiting a team from the losers bracket.

"This is the way we wanted to start out," Bone said. "We wanted to get the first game. This is what we call the 'easy-go game.' If you win this you have to potentially play two more to win. So it's pretty crucial to win this game."

Scott County will have to win five straight games to make its way out of the zone, including two today, two on Saturday and a winner-take-all game Sunday.

Left-hander Andy Stephens will make the start for Post 369 today. Stephens beat Dunklin County twice in the district tournament to help secure Scott County's spot in the zone.

"We'll come back with Andy. We're still in pretty good shape with our pitching," Dirnberger said. 'It's not like we don't have the players to come back in this tournament."

Scott County will have to find some hitting following a seven-hit performance on Thursday. Stagner allowed six hits and struck out six in six innings for the win.

Jacob Essner led Scott County with three hits.

More importantly, Scott County will have to play better in the field to survive.

"It wasn't as much a butt-kicking as we fumbled it around," Dirnberger said of Thursday's game. "They hit the ball; I'm not taking anything away from them. This time of the year if you fumble it around like that you have to expect a game like that."