COLUMBIA - South Callaway head coach Heath Lepper knew that in order for his defending Class 3 state champion Bulldogs to reach their lofty goals, they would need to face a step up in competition.
In the opening round of pool play in the Rock Bridge Tournament on Thursday, South Callaway received that as it competed valiantly but ultimately fell to two Class 5 schools in a doubleheader at Hickman.
The Bulldogs - ranked third in Class 3 - were edged by the host Kewpies 6-5 and then closed the day with an 11-2 loss to Staley, ranked second in Class 5. Despite the outcomes, Lepper expects the lessons learned from the tough outings to be instrumental for his team to improve down the stretch.
"It was very beneficial. We were able to identify a lot of holes," Lepper said. "And that's what you need to do throughout the season so you can go back and work on them.
"That's why we get into tournaments like these, because we want to play good teams that will make you pay if you make mistakes. We never claimed to be the best team we're going to be at the start of the season, and we hope to get better every game and peak at the right time, which is at the end of the year for districts."
South Callaway (9-5) was in control against Hickman, leading by as many as four runs until the Bulldogs allowed five in the last two innings.
"Normally when you take a (four-run) lead into the sixth, you expect to win those games," Lepper said. "But those guys are good enough that if you make a mistake, they'll make you pay for it. They're high school kids and I think sometimes complacency sets in - 'Oh, we've got a big lead, oh, we have a nice cushion' - but a good team will come back and kick your teeth in."
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning when junior third baseman Drake Davidson was struck by a pitch with the bases loaded. South Callaway tacked on two more runs in the inning when the Kewpies committed an error on junior designated hitter Andrew Loucks' grounder.
Hickman pulled within 3-1 in the top of the second after Bulldogs senior starter Kaden Helsel walked a batter with the bases loaded. It would be one of the few mistakes Helsel would make as he kept the Kewpies scoreless for the next three innings.
The Bulldogs added to their lead in the fifth on junior shortstop Peyton Lepper's two-run home run to make it 5-1. The game seemed to be in hand with Helsel stifling Hickman's lineup, but he began to wear down in the sixth.
Junior catcher Coulton Doyle led off the inning with a home run to pull the Kewpies within three runs. After recording a strikeout, Helsel issued a walk and was relieved senior pitcher Dylan Lepper.
After allowing a double, Lepper surrendered an RBI single to senior pitcher Clayton Croy as Hickman closed within 5-3. An error and another RBI single allowed Hickman to tie the game, and Heath Lepper brought in Leeper to pitch.
With runners on first and second, Lepper was able to get out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
"It wasn't about fatigue, that kid (Helsel) is a workhorse, a multi-sport athlete," Lepper said. "He's a great kid, and works hard - he just ran out of pitches.
"The guys we had come in got the job done, but I don't think we made the plays we needed to behind them and we'll have to remedy that in practice."
Hickman would score the game-winning run in the seventh after the Bulldogs tried to turn a double play but missed on the throw to first.
South Callaway would have a chance to win the game in the bottom of the inning, but after putting two runners on with one out, Loucks and senior first baseman Landon Horstman both struck out to end the game.
Lepper (3-2) took the loss, allowing an earned run on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three.
Lepper finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and scored twice as the Bulldogs were limited to five hits. Dylan Lepper was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
In the second game, Staley showed why it's one of the top teams in Class 5 as it jumped on South Callaway in the first two innings to open up a 9-0 lead.
Senior first baseman Braedyn McLaughlin blasted a two-run triple in the bottom of the first to get the Falcons started. McLaughlin would eventually score on a sacrifice fly.
McLaughlin picked up his third RBI with a powerful single in the second that ended up hitting Horstman in the hip while he was pitching.
With the bases loaded, junior shortstop Jacob Wilson drove in three runs with his double to deep center as the Falcons were in control 7-0. Staley would close the inning with two more runs.
After going hitless in the first two innings, the Bulldogs showed signs of fight in the top of the third. Helsel drove a run home with his double and then scored on Dylan Lepper's single to make it 9-2.
That would be as close as South Callaway would get as the Falcons added two more runs in the fourth to effectively put the game out of reach. Despite the margin, Heath Lepper was impressed with the late-game defense and fight his team showed.
"They played extremely hard the second game, and to give up nine runs in the first two innings, but you end up playing a full seven (innings) says a lot right there," Lepper said. "It says a lot about the grit that these boys have to not get 10-runned.
"They battled back and the pitching and defense started coming on late, and we were able to tack on a few runs against their No. 1 pitcher (junior Carter Rustad). We saw some great pitching today, and we'll just have to go home and work on ourselves a bit, which is OK."
Helsel went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored as the Bulldogs managed only three hits. Dylan Lepper finished 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Horstman was 1-for-3 with a double.
Horstman (2-1) suffered the loss, surrendering nine earned runs on nine hits in just two innings. He issued two walks and struck out one.
South Callaway concludes pool play against Battle at Rock Bridge at 5 p.m. today. The tournament finishes up Saturday.