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Nevada Tigers fall to Carl Junction in district championship game
By Eric Wade
Herald-Tribune
SENECA, Mo. -- "Carl Junction is going to be a little fresher, probably, on the mound, having only played one game." Though Tigers head coach Kellan Foster had few words to say about his team's eventual opponent after earning a berth in the Class 3, District 12 tournament championship, that assessment proved very true as the Tigers took on the Bulldogs of Carl Junction at the Seneca Baseball and Softball Complex Friday evening.
The Tigers spent the majority of the week this week on a substantial high from winning not only their first, but also their second district tournament game in seven seasons. The Tigers began the tournament seemingly spraying the ball all over the field at will as they earned two strong victories over the East Newton Patriots and then the Mount Vernon Mountaineers.
That was not the case in Friday's championship game, however, as Carl Junction starter Jake Stevenson kept the Tigers in check throughout most of the game, allowing just six hits in a complete game shutout effort. "We hit the ball well early in the tournament. Today, the Stevenson boy, Jake, for Carl Junction is a very good pitcher and you know, kept us off balance from the top to the bottom of our order," Foster said. "We had a few hits, but weren't able to string together what we wanted.
"He's very good and mixes his pitches up well. Very good ballplayer." Carl Junction, as Foster predicted, came into Friday's district championship game much more rested as they defeated El Dorado Springs 12-2 in the semifinals after earning a first round bye as the No. 1 seed. Both teams got an unexpected day off from tournament play as the championship was originally scheduled to be played Thursday afternoon, but that proved to be of little benefit to the Tigers as Carl Junction cruised to a 12-1 victory in five innings via the run rule.
"I'm proud of the kids and their effort for the entire season. Things really came together this last week and, at times, saw a different ballclub and, you know, saw a glimmer of what we could be," Foster said. "You know, unfortunately today, Carl Junction had the better game. ... They (Carl Junction) are a very good ballclub and, you know, they'll go a long ways on through Sectionals and look forward to watching them." The Bulldogs didn't waste any time getting the offense going as the game began. Nevada starter Kohlten Wilson struggled right from the outset of the game, walking two of the first three batters he faced and hitting the other with a pitch to load the bases with no outs in the home half of the first.
The Bulldogs quickly jumped on the opportunity, plating six runs before Foster was forced to make a pitching change. Cory Kerbs took the mound with two out in the frame, but wasn't afford much success, either, as Carl Junction plated four more runs to take a 10-0 lead after just one inning.
Things only got worse for the Tigers from that point on in the game as the Bulldogs plated four more runs in the second and two in the third, looking as though they may be well on their way to a quick run-rule victory. Many mutterings could be heard about possibly using the 15-after-3 rule, but that was all the scoring Carl Junction did in the contest, taking a 12-0 lead after four.
Though the game seemed to many in attendance as all but over, the Tigers never gave up, attempting to mount one final rally in the top of the fifth inning. That attempted rally did net one run, but nothing more, sealing a 12-1 victory and the Class 3, District 12 championship for the Bulldogs.
And the season isn't all that came to and end Friday, either. Foster's career as a coach saw its final game as well, as he has elected to leave the Nevada R-5 School District to pursue a career in the insurance business.
"I'm going to miss, you know, the time I spend with these young men and just the way I see them evolve from the beginning of the year to the end and the things that we learn and the things that we talk about," he said. "And being able to see them grow a little bit and graduate high school and, you know, it's something I'm really going to miss." Along with Foster's coaching career, the high school playing careers of six Nevada Tigers seniors came to an end with Friday's loss. Wilson, Ross Wolfe, Ron Johnson, Cody Craithorne, Nathan Ryan and Ethan Beisner all saw their final season as high school players come to an end with an overall record of 10-11 and a second-place district tournament finish.
"We had six good seniors that were leaders all year and I'm proud of their effort," Foster said. "You know, they all played quite a bit this year and, you know, battled through some adverse times, but ended up having a good run in the district tournament and will all be very successful people down the road."