Hornets bow to Aurora for third in Class 4

Fulton junior center fielder Josh Quick slides headfirst into third base in the third inning of Saturday's Class 4 third-place game against Aurora at CarShield Field in O'Fallon. Quick eventually scored as part of Fulton's four-run outburst in the inning, but the Hornets fell to the Houn Dawgs in a 10-6 loss.
Fulton junior center fielder Josh Quick slides headfirst into third base in the third inning of Saturday's Class 4 third-place game against Aurora at CarShield Field in O'Fallon. Quick eventually scored as part of Fulton's four-run outburst in the inning, but the Hornets fell to the Houn Dawgs in a 10-6 loss.

O'FALLON - Down five runs going into their last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Fulton Hornets didn't believe they were done.

When junior shortstop Devan Hudson drilled a run-scoring single and the bases remained full with one out, the Hornets still had a sense there was a time.

When junior starter-second baseman Luke Gray sailed a fly ball high into the alley in left-center with two outs and the bases still jammed, Fulton clutched a thread of hope.

But then Aurora junior left fielder Eric Shoenberger caught up with Gray's blast and snagged it on his knees at the edge of the warning track, preserving the fifth-ranked Houn Dawgs' 10-6 victory over the Hornets in the Class 4 third-place game Saturday afternoon at CarShield Field.

Fulton was coming off a gut-wrenching 6-5 walk-off loss to North Central Missouri Conference rival Boonville in Friday night's semifinals, charging back from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game in the top of the seventh. It should come as no surprise that the Hornets thought they had one last rally they could rely on Saturday.

"I thought, 'Here we go again,'" Fulton head coach John Brinkmann said. "I don't know why, but I had a feeling that we were going to come back - the way we've been playing all year, the last couple of weeks.

"They don't give up. He (Gray) hit that ball as hard as he could. If you're going to lose a game and you're going to make the final out, that's the way you want to make (it). He hit the ball well and they made a good play on it."

Despite completing its season with back-to-back losses, the Hornets brought home a Class 4 fourth-place plaque in finishing with a 17-11 record. Fulton won 11 of its final 16 games.

"I want them to enjoy and see this (final four) is a fun place to be, and at the same time have that hunger to be back," Brinkmann said. "It's easy to get here, it's hard to get back.

"I think they realize we left a little bit here. Hopefully they see and realize how much fun it is to make this run, and how much you grow to love your teammates and enjoy every minute you have of baseball together."

Aurora (28-4) tallied its first run in the top of the second, benefitting from four walks by Gray, then opened up a 7-0 advantage by piling on six runs in the third.

Gray (5-3) was gone after only 2 1/3 innings in taking the loss, giving up five runs - only three earned - on just two hits. He walked six and struck out three.

"He lost his calm a little bit," Brinkmann said. "The umpire had a very tight (strike) zone. I thought it was pretty consistent, but when you're a pitcher who needs to live down and work the corners like Luke does, and you're used to getting those calls - and you don't get them - it gets a little frustrating.

"He lost his cool a little bit, which is not typical of him. The effects kind of showed, but I give him credit because he came back out in the field, playing second base and hitting, and did a good job that way."

Facing a significant deficit, the Hornets composed themselves and immediately responded in the bottom of the third. Junior shortstop Devin Masek produced a two-run double into the gap with no outs, senior right fielder Trenton Clines forced home a run by coaxing a bases-loaded walk with one out and senior third baseman Jacob Hammerstone hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right, bringing Fulton back within 7-4.

"They're not going to give in, they're not that group of kids that are going to lay down," Brinkmann said. "They don't care if they're down 10 or 15 runs, they're not going to quit.

"They're not going to say, 'Here you go, here's the win.' That's not the way we've played all year and we sure as heck weren't going to do it today."

The Houn Dawgs tacked on another run in the fourth, but the Hornets answered in the fifth when junior pinch-hitter Cameron Vititoe drew another bases-loaded walk to force home a run to make it 8-5.

Aurora then scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to build a five-run edge.

After stranding 13 runners against Boonville on Friday night, the Hornets left 10 on base against the Houn Dawgs. Fulton was narrowly out-hit by Aurora 8-7.

"We still didn't get the two-out hit," Brinkmann said. "We hit a few balls hard with two outs, but when it comes down to it, that's the difference in both ballgames.

" We just didn't quite get that big hit, and sometimes that happens."

MICDS (21-7) knocked off top-ranked Boonville (26-6) in the Class 4 state championship 7-3 later Saturday afternoon.

Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or by email at [email protected].