SportsMay 26, 2023
BACK-TO-BACK FOR MORE: Portageville’s relentless pursuit of a state championship continues
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — How does the Portageville baseball team handle the pressure of being the top-ranked team in Class 3? They just keep winning. The unapologetically No. 1 ranked Bulldogs (34-2) advanced to their second straight final four with an 8-4 win over No. 7 West County (20-5) in a MSHSAA Class 3 Quarterfinal at Meatte Park in Portageville, Missouri on Thursday, May 25...
By Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — How does the Portageville baseball team handle the pressure of being the top-ranked team in Class 3?
They just keep winning.
The unapologetically No. 1 ranked Bulldogs (34-2) advanced to their second straight final four with an 8-4 win over No. 7 West County (20-5) in a MSHSAA Class 3 Quarterfinal at Meatte Park in Portageville, Missouri on Thursday, May 25.
“It is a testament to these kids,” said Portageville coach Tyler Trover. “Last year was different, we kind of swept through the sectional and quarterfinal round and this year was an absolute grind. We’re beaten, battered, and have dealt with some illness. We have guys beat up right now, but we just have some tough dudes and they grinded.”
The impressive feat is further magnified by the fact that the team moved up a classification this season, from Class 2 last season.
“We told them from day one that Class 3 is a different animal,” Trover said. “So to do it in two different classes and bump up a class and go back, it’s remarkable.”
With their sights set on a return trip to the final four, the team came out like a hungry pack of ‘Bulldogs,’ ready to sink their teeth into the competition.
They took the field with a ferocity that would make even a junkyard dog proud, and in the opening inning, they showed their opponent no mercy, taking a 6-0 advantage.
“We were all excited and ready for this game,” said Portageville left fielder Carson Bradley. “We all hit this morning and we’re confident coming in. We watched some film after we hit and we just came ready to play. Our offense was locked in pretty well and [Trey Benthal] pitched a heck of a game. Overall, it was a good game and mistake-free for the most part.”
The first-inning runs came after Aaron Dunlap led the game off with a single; Beau Hunter-Warren was walked; Mason Adams singled to score Dunlap; Trey Benthal singled to score Hunter-Warren; Thomas Frakes was hit by pitch; Bradley singled to score Adams and Huston Partin scored on the throw; Conner Johnson singled to score Frakes; and Bradley scored on a ground out.
“Our offense came alive today,” Benthal said. “We had some good baserunning in the sectional game, but not much offense. Today, we got the job done and we’re going back to the final four. It’s special because you don’t hear about teams doing that much, especially after going up to Class 3 from Class 2, but we deserve it. We’ve worked hard all year and thank God we get to go back.”
Portageville widened the lead to 7-0 in the top of the fifth inning after Bradley doubled on a hard ground ball to left field that allowed Adams to score on the throw.
“I was seeing the ball well out in front of the plate,” Bradley said. “I just try to barrel it up and not do anything special. Just hit it in the gap somewhere. It felt great and it gets your heart racing and adrenaline going.
“It’s exciting because we’ve put the work in on and off the field for this moment,” he continued. “We’ve been in this position before and we’re going to act like it and try to go and get this dub. We’ve played on that [final four] field and we know how it plays.”
Despite the strong start, the Bulldogs began to feel the heat as West County mounted a comeback in the fifth and sixth innings, narrowing the lead 7-4.
“Our kids were ready to play,” Trover said. “But their pitcher settled in. We might have rattled him a little bit earlier but [West County] is a very talented young team. That 6-0 lead just gave up a little bit of leeway.”
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But Portageville wasn’t about to let the game and everything they’ve worked for slip away. Although facing some tough innings in the latter half of the game, Benthal managed to get back in the groove and pitch a strong finish.
He didn’t let the pressure get to him and kept his cool, throwing some impressive pitches that left the opposing batters swinging and missing.
“[Benthal] didn’t have his best stuff but he had some dog in him today,” Trover said. “He just battled. He’s been the dude all year, I think he has 13 wins on the season. To go battle with ‘C’ type’ stuff and for us to get it done shows the guts of our kids.”
Benthal proved to be the ace up the Bulldogs’ sleeve, and his resilience and determination paid off in the end.
He earned a complete-game win and allowed four earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walked batter.
“We did a good job of coming out early, tacting on some runs, and giving [Benthal] insurance on the mound,” Frakes said. “It’s amazing because we’ve been dreaming of this moment our whole lives and that’s what we work for every day. We’re always trying to get to Ozark and to be able to accomplish that for the second year in a row is sensational.”
Portageville added one final run in the top of the seventh inning after Frakes singled to score Hunter-Warren.
“We needed every bit of it [of offense],” Trover said. “We can win a lot of different ways. We won some low-scoring games and we’ve won of high-scoring games. Today was just a team effort all the way.”
After the game, Trover had to fight back tears and visibly struggled to hold back his emotions when he spoke about how grateful he is for his assistant coaches. He expressed how much their support has meant to him and how their hard work and dedication have played a crucial role in the team’s success.
“I have the best assistant coach in the state,” said Trover, choked with emotion and tears welling up in his eyes. “We just have such trust in each other. They execute our practice plans to perfection and they do it exactly how I want. They are so special and the relationship we have together is incredible. They need to be recognized as the best assistant coaching staff in the state of Missouri. They’re unbelievable and I love them. I’m so blessed to have them.”
Portageville will take on No. 5 South Callaway (23-7) at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark, Missouri on Wednesday, May 31 at 10 a.m., with a trip to the state championship game on the line.
“We’re going to have to continue to play good defense behind our pitchers,” Frakes said. “The pitchers are going to have to continue to throw strikes and our offense is going to have to come out firing like they did today.”
While there are no guarantees in sports, the fact that Portageville has already tasted success at this stage is sure to give the team an added boost of confidence as they prepare to face off against tough competition at the final four.
“It certainly helps with the scheduling and understanding of what’s expected when we get there,” Trover said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that we’re going there to do a job. Plain and simple, we’re going on a business trip. At the end of the day we have one goal: to compete, get in that state championship game and give ourselves a chance.
"I'm not sure how much of a role experience will play in these upcoming games,” he concluded. “When you get to this level, the intensity is always high and you need to maintain your focus and keep your emotions in check to compete successfully. Our players have shown exceptional composure in high-pressure situations, and I'm confident they will continue to do so, giving us a good chance to succeed."
__PORTAGEVILLE 8, WEST COUNTY 4__
P’Ville 600 010 1 — 8 10 0
WC 000 022 0 — 4 5 0
W—Trey Benthal. L—Nolan Rawson. 2B—Portageville: Carson Bradley; West County: Caden Merrill, Rawson, Ty Harlow.
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