Advance control issues open door for a 13-1 win for Scott City baseball

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Ahead of games against district and conference opponents this week, Scott City baseball wanted to rebound Tuesday night, fresh off an extra-inning loss a day earlier. It did, at least in the win column.

It wasn't a perfect performance, but the Rams (5-2) took advantage of early control issues for host Advance (1-4) and rolled to a 13-1, five-inning victory.

Scott City needed just eight hits to score 13 runs, using four walks, two hit batters and three errors to maximize its scoring efficiency.

Seven Rams picked up a hit, with eight reaching base safely.

"It's the same thing I've been telling my team all year -- you've got to throw strikes and make them put it in play and make them earn runs," Advance coach Chris Asmus said. "When we go out and hit four or five guys and walk a couple more that first inning, it's hard to come back from that. With a good-hitting team like Scott City, you can't give them any runners."

Scott City coach Jim May felt his team could have hit the ball better, but it still found ways to get the job done.

Advance starting pitcher Drew Fowler took the loss, lasting just one inning-plus and giving up seven runs -- five earned -- on two hits with three walks, two hit batters and a strikeout. Brandon Sokolowski went the rest of the way, giving up six runs -- five earned -- on seven hits with a strikeout and a walk in four innings.

"[Fowler] didn't throw real hard and we weren't sitting back on it -- we were getting out in front and getting ourselves out a lot," May said. "We kind of adjusted, and then when they changed pitchers his velocity increased and I think we sat back and hit the ball better the second time through. But it was a good game and nice to come out and get a win."

Braden Cox was 1-for-2 with three runs scored, a double, a stolen base and an RBI for the Rams, while Drew Short was 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and finished with five RBIs and a stolen base.

Dylan Keller got the win on the mound in a rare start, going all five innings while allowing no earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

He also drove in two runs from the batter's box.

"Dylan throws pretty good," May said. "He doesn't get to throw a ton for us and he's usually a reliever for us, but we've got four games in a row this week so he got the start and he did a great job."

Scott City started the top of the first with a pair of hit batters sandwiched around a walk, loading the bases with no outs for Short, who singled to center field to bring in two runs. A double steal then set up a two-out, two-run double down the left-field line by Keller, and the visitors were up 4-0.

The Rams nearly doubled that advantage in the second inning, as back-to-back walks got things going before an error on a ground ball to third allowed Isiah Berry to score. That play chased Fowler from the game. Sokolowski was able to slow the bleeding, but not before Short singled up the middle to bring in two more runs and open up a 7-0 lead.

Advance got its lone run in the bottom of the third, putting CJ Seger on with a one-out walk before Dawson Mayo drew a base on balls. Sokolowski then flew out to right field, where a throwing error back to the infield allowed Seger to cross home plate.

Scott City followed that up, however, with its biggest inning, bringing in five runs in the top half of the third frame. Keller pushed through a collision with Hornet first baseman Austin Bailey -- the first of two nasty blows Bailey took on the afternoon -- to wind up on second base on an error, and then Scott City's bats came alive, with a double from Caden Hilleman, a two-run single from Berry and an RBI double by Cox.

Two batters later Trent Pobst added to the lead with a run-scoring base hit before Short made it 12-1 on a sac fly.

Ty Wilthong led off the fourth with some punctuation on the game -- a solo home run driven to left-center field.

"These guys, they rebound pretty good," May said. "This is baseball. That's what we talked about yesterday after the game -- that's the good thing, we get to go play another game tomorrow. You don't have to sit around and dwell on it. They bounced back. But Kelly will be ready for us tomorrow, I know, so we're going to have to have a better effort."

After the Rams head to Kelly today, they travel to East Prairie on Thursday.

Advance is on the road at Malden on Thursday.

"We're heading in the right direction," Asmus said. "We're extremely young, and I hate to keep using that excuse, but I start four sophomores and a freshman. I've got kids who are starting to do the right things. We've got to make plays defensively. We'll start making some routine plays, I think.

"The pitchers have to throw strikes. That's the biggest thing. We're hitting the ball all right -- we even hit it OK today, right at people. ... It's one of those things where if we keep putting the ball in play, teams will make mistakes, and we've got to quit making mistakes."

Scott City 435 10 -- 13 8 2

Advance 001 00 -- 1 3 3

WP -- Dylan Keller. LP -- Drew Fowler. 2B -- Braden Cox (SC), Keller (SC), Caden Hilleman (SC). HR -- Ty Wilthong (SC). Multiple hits -- Scott City: Drew Short 2-2.