O'FALLON - New Bloomfield Wildcats head coach Justin Forsythe didn't panic as his team faced its first deficit of the state playoffs.
"Like I told (assistant) coach (Jim) Bohannan after it happened, "Don't worry because you know we're going to score runs and it's just a matter of time before we make those adjustments,'" Forsythe said.
"Pressure ain't going to sink this team."
The Wildcats did just as their coach anticipated and now sit one win away from the season's top prize.
New Bloomfield's bats pummeled the Norwood Pirates into submission on the way to a 15-2, five-inning rampage in the Class 2 semifinals Wednesday night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.
The Wildcats (17-9) - who have won 17 of their last 20 after starting the season 0-6 - will seek their state-record eighth baseball championship when they take on the top-ranked and defending state champion Valle Catholic Warriors (29-5) for the Class 2 title at 1:30 p.m. today.
Valle Catholic advanced behind an 11-1, six-inning drubbing of the West Platte Blue Jays in Wednesday's first semifinal.
"It really hasn't set in and I hope it doesn't set in because I hope our boys are still hungry," Forsythe said. "I got my (scouting) book ready and we're going to tackle it and do what New Bloomfield does, and take down Goliath."
Norwood opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Junior shortstop Weston Chadwell singled up the middle to lead off the frame. Junior first baseman Joel Ogletree then battled New Bloomfield junior starter Clay Jensen for seven pitches before dropping a double into shallow right to score Chadwell.
New Bloomfield struck back in the third, sending 10 batters to the plate and erupting for six runs with two outs. Senior first baseman Boyd Kempker knocked the first pitch he saw to the left-field wall for a double. After sophomore right fielder Zach Burton struck out, senior second baseman Sam Niedergerke drew a four-pitch walk.
Junior shortstop Grant Nichols popped out to left, but senior center fielder Tucker Lane drove a double past the diving glove of sophomore center fielder Tyler Pritchard to plate Kempker and Niedergerke, putting New Bloomfield in front 2-1.
"It took us a bit to adjust to their No. 1 (senior starter Dalton Rein), but once we did it kind of just went from there," Forsythe said. "The guys made adjustments and this was the biggest game to make adjustments against a guy who is pretty crafty up there."
Junior third baseman Tyler Fennewald scored Lane with a double to left on the next pitch to extend the Wildcats' lead. Following junior catcher Derek Shikles' four-pitch walk, senior left fielder Brady Wiler launched Rein's next pitch into the left-field bleachers for a three-run home run to increase New Bloomfield's cushion to 6-1.
"Brady, he's been kind of quiet for us in the playoffs; he'll get a hit here, get a hit there," Forsythe said. "... The best part of that was the smile it brought to his face and we know that will go a long way tomorrow."
Jensen left the bases full of Pirates in the bottom of the third. He worked around a walk and three infield singles, getting Norwood junior catcher Ben Campbell to strike out swinging to escape the threat.
Jensen (6-4) logged the complete-game win, giving up two runs - one earned - on five hits. He struck out three and walked three.
"That's what makes a great pitcher great," Forsythe said. "On those nights where you don't have it, you find it. It took him two innings, but he found it.
"He made those adjustments and we gave him four innings, and he'll come back and pitch for us tomorrow if we need him."
The Wildcats broke away by tallying five more runs in the fourth. Burton singled, Niedergerke added a double to center and Nichols coaxed a walk out of Reins to load the bases.
Lane singled home Burton and Niedergerke to stretch the New Bloomfield lead to 8-1. Shikles continued the outburst with a single to right, then came all the way around to score - along with Lane and Nichols - on a pair of errors by Pirates senior right fielder Kyler Hyde to push the Wildcats comfortably ahead by 10 runs.
Pritchard doubled home Norwood's final run with two outs in the fourth.
New Bloomfield - preying on five errors by the Pirates - scored all 15 runs (10 earned) off Rein (9-3) in sending him to the loss. He surrendered 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings, walked four and struck out two.
The Wildcats - who connected for 11 hits - capped their scoring with four runs in the fifth, two coming on an error and a balk. Junior third baseman Tyler Fennewald and Shikles also delivered RBI doubles in the inning.
Fennewald finished 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI and Shikles was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Kempker also went 2-for-3 and scored twice, while Lane finished 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored.