FULTON-- Everyone trooped out on Military Night, including the veteran umpire crew of Darrell Tucker and Chandis Newell, Friday at Darrell Davis Field.
In a nearly three-hour game full of errors, strikeouts and long-sleeve shirts, the Fulton Hornets prevailed, beating the North Callaway Thunderbirds 16-10.
After Fulton and North Callaway canceled last season's matchup (rained out) and this year's was rescheduled due to cold weather, rain and chilly temperatures were in effect nonetheless.
With a first-pitch temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit, nine degrees warmer than at the initially scheduled time of 5 p.m. Monday, and with sprinkling rain -- unlike Monday -- the two teams played a memorable ballgame.
When one imagines an unforgettable game, it's probably a hard-fought comeback victory involving a pitcher's dual and/or great at-bats.
There were spurts of both, but the 13 combined errors, seven for North Callaway and six for Fulton, made it long-lasting in each team's recollections. Additionally, the Hornets notched nine walks and two hit by pitches, while the Thunderbirds had five walks and three hit by pitches.
Fulton pegged North Callaway three times and gave it three free passes in the first two innings, allowing the Thunderbirds to go in front 8-1. However, one frame in the Hornets' favor decided the game and had more chaos in it.
Coming off a statement 2-1 victory at Fatima, ranked sixth in Class 3 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Class 4 No. 8 Fulton (4-1) wanted to extend its three-game winning streak to four as much as North Callaway (2-3) desired to increase its to three.
The Hornets showed more effort when it mattered most, in the end.
"Not the game we were wanting, I'll take the win," Fulton baseball coach Jacob Lorentzen said. "But, we definitely weren't prepared at the beginning of the game, and North Callaway was; coach (Kirt) Kleindienst had them ready to go. He had them focused. Wanting to come out here to a game that has been with it being postponed for Monday, became a really hot topic game.
"There was a lot of things out there and people really talking this game up in a little bit of a negative way. Just kind of forcing a rivalry of this game, but got the better of us early, I'll say that 100%. But Ethan Burt closing the door for the rest of the game was outstanding. That's a kid that he really grinded it out even when there weren't a couple of plays made behind him."
In the game-deciding bottom of the fifth, Fulton scored 12 runs on nine hits, four walks, a hit-by-pitch, and an error, putting it ahead 15-10; North Callaway used three pitchers in the fifth.
From there, the Hornets kept the Thunderbirds at bay and added an insurance run over the last two innings before sealing a wild win.
Fulton's Miles Bethell started and went ⅓ inning, and Ethan Burt threw the final 6⅔ innings. They combined to strike out the side in three of the first four innings.
Even though that happened, North Callaway tagged the Hornets' pitchers with five runs in the top of the first.
To plate those runs, the Thunderbirds' Keaton Bell scored on a wild pitch after lining a leadoff single; Carter Moore sent one home on a bases-loaded walk, Caleb Sheets roped a two-RBI single down the right field line, and Chance Green, the only player in short sleeves, hustled to first for an RBI single.
Burt helped himself in the bottom of the first, cutting it to a four-run game. After reaching on an error by the third baseman, Burt advanced home on North Callaway's second error two batters later.
Unfortunately for Fulton, it hit two batters and made an error in the top of the second, loading the bases before the Thunderbirds extended their advantage to 7-1. Moore capitalized on the pads being full with one out, smacking a two-RBI single to right field.
An inning later, North Callaway took its largest lead of the game, 8-1, when Bell scored on a wild pitch. Before scoring, Bell reached first on an error by the shortstop, stole second base with two outs and took third on an overthrown pickoff by the catcher.
Thanks to Burt, Fulton pulled it to 8-3 Thunderbirds in the bottom of the third. Burt skied an RBI triple to deep left-center field, then scored on a passed ball three hitters later.
Both teams failed to get on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, and the pivotal fifth came.
Increasing their cushion to 10-3 in the top of the fifth, the Thunderbirds' Pennell drilled an RBI double to left field and made it home from second base when Sam Pezold took two bases on an overthrow to first by the third baseman.
Going down in the history books as a non compos mentis bottom of the fifth, or not sane or in one's right mind for those who don't understand Latin, Fulton plated four runs with no outs, six with an out and two with two outs.
Delving into it, the Hornets scored their first four that frame when Just Case crushed a two-RBI single to left-center field, Gage Baker lined an RBI base hit to center and Wyatt Wilfley flew an RBI sacrifice fly to left field.
Fulton still trailed 10-6 with one out following Wilfley's run-scoring play.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, the Hornets' Burt hit an RBI single up the middle; Ethan Milius smoked a two-RBI double to deep center field to tie it at 10 and scored on a wild pitch a batter later to put Fulton up 11-10; Ben Leslie grounded an RBI base hit to the shortstop and Case hustled to first for an RBI single to the second baseman.
Already 13-10 Hornets after Case's second run-scoring base hit of the fifth, Fulton completed its high-scoring inning when Wilfley launched a two-RBI single to left field, though North Callaway threw Aaron Corey out at third base for the third out.
DeFily tacked on Fulton's 16th and final run in the sixth inning, scoring from third on the last of the Thunderbirds' seven errors.
Meanwhile, Burt remained dominant on the bump, allowing just one hit, a single, while punching out two and walking one between the sixth and seventh innings.
Even though it felt like a start, Burt (1-1) earned the win in relief, sending 12 batters packing as he allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits, two walks and two hit by pitches.
Burt also shined at the plate, going 2-5 with a triple, single, three runs and two RBI.
Outside of Burt, Fulton's top hitters were Case with two singles and three RBI, Wilfley with a single, a walk, three RBI and a run and Milius with a double, two RBI and a run.
North Callaway's offensive leaders were Pennell with a double, two runs and an RBI, Moore with a single, a walk and three RBI and Coltyn O'Neal with two walks and three runs.
Starter AJ Haubner (0-1) took the loss for the Thunderbirds, going four innings and giving up nine runs (seven earned) on three hits, seven walks and a hit by pitch while striking out three.
"There was a lot of extra things going into this game, not baseball-related necessarily, more social media related," North Callaway baseball coach Kirt Kleindienst said. "There was a lot of animosity built up before this game even began. It had two different parts, right? Fulton kicked it around the first three innings, four innings, and then we showed them how to really kick it around.
"Their momentum at the end was more important in timing than what ours was at the beginning. When Haubey came out and couldn't find the zone there in the...(fifth inning)...that was the longest inning of my life, and I can't say it any different."
The fact a group of teenagers battled out a ballgame in unideal conditions surely pleased the veterans in attendance.
"I hope they learn a little bit about what the sacrifice is," Kleindienst said. "We talked about it before the game, and I made sure my players knew that we're playing baseball because of the people that stand up for this country. They've done much greater things in much worse conditions. We're here to play baseball in cold weather. If we can't be tough enough to do that, then we ain't tough enough to be in the military."
Before the game, Fulton held its Military Night presentation, honoring those who served and are involved in the Fulton and North Callaway communities full of service members.
"It was a grind by all kids," Lorentzen said. "It was tough to be out there. It was tough to stand out there and to keep warm and to just fight through it. It was unbelievable from both sides, honestly. There was gonna be mistakes because it's just brutal; a little rain, too. It was crazy on how well that both sides honestly decided, like, what do we got to do to make sure we're staying in the game?"
During the contest, the Hornets and Thunderbirds donned Military Night uniforms as veteran umpires Tucker and Newell called the game.
Tucker served three years in the Marines (1984-87) and then another 21 in the Army (1988-2010). Newell served eight years in the Army.
All the game's funds were donated to the Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy, which aims to recruit other injured or wounded veterans who may be interested in and benefit from learning how to officiate youth baseball and softball with other Missouri veterans.
Fulton hosts Eldon (3-3) for the second of its three-game homestand at 5 p.m. Monday.
In the last meeting between the teams, then-Hornets ace Dusty Hagens tossed his second and final no-hitter for Fulton, who beat the Mustangs 15-0 in the Fulton Tournament championship on May 6 at Southern Boone.
"It starts another big week for us with Eldon and then Kirksville and Blair Oaks," Lorentzen said. "That's a tough week right there. We're gonna put our best foot forward and try to find the guy. We held Ethan Milius down the other night, so he's gonna get a chance to get back on the bump for us again versus Eldon. We're hoping he can just continue his success."
North Callaway concludes its six-game road stretch to begin the campaign, facing California (3-0) at 5 p.m. Monday at California High School.
"I anticipate cleaner baseball on the defensive side; it'll be on turf, at least," Kleindienst said. "Boy, we can't catch it on tuf; we'll be in trouble this year. So, we'll be cleaner on Monday, and I already told the guys we'll be assigning extra hitting amongst themselves because I'm not going to pull them off the dirt for two weeks. So, we're going to clean that defense up."
Fulton's Ethan Burt hurls a pitch to a Thunderbird hitter Friday at Darrell Davis Field in Fulton. (Shawley Photography/Courtesy)
North Callaway's Coltyn O'Neal makes contact with the ball Friday at Darrell Davis Field in Fulton. (Shawley Photography/Courtesy)