Eagles Secure Final Four State Trophy
Eagles Secure Final Four State Trophy… The Holden high school baseball team ended the season with a fourth-place finish in the Class 3 Baseball State Tournament Thursday, June 5. The team is pictured with its fourth-place state trophy and medals at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex in Ozark at the conclusion of the state tournament, front row, left to right, Jordan Andes, Garrett Stoyko, Ryan Hough, Trace Angell, Kale Tryon, Vance Davis, Tyler Barker, and Blake Naumann; back row, assistant coach Trent Pritchard, Hunter Carpenter, Lane Spoor-Wright, Brody Graves, Chasen Hall, Wes Brown, Justin Brown, Cohen Drake, Tucker Kauffman, Drake Gard, Destry Powell, Skyler Willis, Von Wehmeyer, and head coach Jeff Smith. Photo by Steve Edwards
Playing in the Holden baseball program’s second-ever Class 3 State Baseball Tournament third-place game, the Eagles fell to Portageville by the final score of 7-4 on Thursday, June 5, at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex in Ozark.
With the fourth-place finish, the Eagle baseball team secured the second state tournament final four trophy in the Holden baseball program’s history after Holden played to a Class 3 third-place state trophy finish in the 2017-18 season.
Versus Portageville, Holden took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning which held until the bottom of the third when the Bulldogs plated two runs to collar a lead which they would not release.
Portageville added two runs in the fourth inning and two runs in the fifth to go ahead 6-1 before the Eagles chipped into the Bulldog advantage in the final two innings.
“I think the biggest challenge was just the experience,” said Holden baseball head coach Jeff Smith. “They’ve been here three of the last four years. They’re comfortable being here, no nerves…well, I say that, but the last kid who came in and pitched had some nerves. I think the experience of just being here and knowing what they needed to do to get a win in this type of game is valuable. I hope we can be here next year. They just strung a couple things together and they got runners in scoring position, they found ways to score them. I think it was nerves and everything we’re going through.”
The Eagles played the third-place game without the services of junior left fielder Wes Brown who started on the mound for Holden in the state semifinal game the day prior, and who left that game with arm discomfort. Senior outfielder Ryan Hough roamed left field in Brown’s absence.
Taking to the hill for Holden in the third-place game was junior pitcher Cohen Drake who started on the mound for the Eagles in Holden’s state quarterfinal shutout win over West Platte one week earlier.
With Drake on the mound, Eagle senior utility infielder Tyler Barker shifted to shortstop after playing second base in the state semifinal game. Junior Skyler Willis filled the second base spot versus Portageville after not playing in the field, but making a pinch hit appearance in the semifinal game against Fatima. Eagle junior catcher Drake Gard overcame some arm discomfort that hindered him in the first inning as he played through his 29th game of the season. Gard was one of six Eagle players playing in their 29th game of the season, the number that represents the total number of games played by the team this season. Four other players played in 27 or more of Holden’s games this year.
With Holden playing as the visitors in the contest, the game started on a positive note for the Eagles when senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Kale Tryon drew his second game-opening walk in two days and his fourth walk in two games.
Tryon swiped second base on a successful steal attempt and advanced to third on a passed ball before Barker drew a walk to put two Eagle runners on.
Holden struck first on the scoreboard when Drake pushed Tryon across home plate on a ground out.
A strikeout and a line out left Barker stranded at third to end the inning.
Drake and the Holden defense held the Bulldogs scoreless through two innings of play before Portageville made an appearance on the board in the bottom of the third on a two-RBI single…
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