WASHINGTON, Mo. - In the showdown between Bulldogs that resulted in a split, South Callaway's victory was accompanied by a trophy.
Junior center fielder Kaden Helsel's two-out single in the top of the 11th inning scored junior right fielder Josh Johnson with the winning run, sending top-ranked South Callaway past Class 4 Cape Girardeau Notre Dame 4-3 in the championship of the Borgia/Union Bank Classic late Saturday afternoon.
South Callaway (6-2) - ranked No. 1 in Class 3 - came up even bigger by going 3-1 in the four-team tournament that included three Class 4 schools. South Callaway also avenged a 7-0 loss to Notre Dame, in which it managed only one hit, earlier Saturday.
"It was a dandy, for sure," South Callaway head coach Heath Lepper said of the title victory Monday night. "It was really nice to go get some quality wins against some really good progams that - year in and year out - do exceptionally well.
"When you're on the other side of the field, you really have to battle."
Johnson drew a walk with two outs in the 11th and advanced to second when freshman second baseman Braden Lallier lined a single to center. Helsel - who finished 3-for-6 with three runs batted in - followed by looping an 0-1 pitch into left, chasing home Johnson with the decisive run.
Junior Landon Horstman - who threw six scoreless innings in relief of South Callaway sophomore starter Peyton Leeper - then retired Notre Dame in order in the bottom of the 11th to secure the victory.
South Callaway grabbed a quick lead when it put up a run in the first. Leeper singled to center with one out, raced all the way to third on senior catcher Graysan Peneston's single and scored when junior shortstop Dylan Lepper grounded out to the pitcher.
South Callaway then extended its lead to 3-0 in the second on Helsel's two-run triple with two outs. Notre Dame, though, got on the scoreboard with a run in its half of the inning and then tied the game when it produced two runs in the third.
The game remained even for the next seven innings before South Callaway was finally able to prevail.
Helsel also doubled to just miss hitting for the cycle as South Callaway accumulated 12 hits. Lallier went 2-for-5 with a double and Lepper was 2-for-6 with a double.
Horstman scattered two hits, struck out two and walked none to post the win. Leeper gave up three runs - only one earned - on four hits over the first five innings, striking out six and issuing three walks.
South Callaway is scheduled to open Show-Me Conference play at Linn at 5 p.m. today. If field conditions there are too wet, the game will be moved to South Callaway's FieldTurf surface.
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