Bell City baseball team wins second straight state championship

O’FALLON, Mo. — It was another moment they’ll never forget.

One by one, the Bell City baseball players embraced each other, as they stood on the pavilion in right field in front of a host of fans, friends and family on Wednesday at CarShield Field.

The seniors had tears in their eyes, but there was no sorrow in this moment.

Bell City's Austin Hicks tags out New Covenant Academy baserunner Timothy Smith in the second inning of the Class 1 championship game in O'Fallon on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Bell City won 7-2.Laura Simon

The Cubs had just knocked off New Covenant Academy 7-2 to claim their second straight Class 1 state championship, and the feat of defending their crown, which seemed harrowing months ago, was now a dream realized.

“On cloud nine, that’s how I feel. I feel like I’m floating in the sky right now,” Bell City senior Nate Finney said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s like a dream come true — not to win one, but win two. That’s something not very many people have gotten to do.

“Not only do I feel honored, I feel blessed.”

The Cubs also made history by becoming the first Class 1 school since the state diverged to more than two classes in 1980 to win back-to-back state titles.

“It’s unbelievable to get back here back-to-back,” Bell City coach Justin Simpher said. “These guys have worked hard for it, and I can just tell you that they were focused every day on getting better as a team. And they knew if they could take care of that, they had the opportunity to get back here.

“They’ve had it on their shoulders all year to do good things, and they stepped up to it. It never seemed to bother them one bit. They just kept after it, and that’s why they made it to where they are this year again.”

Bell City's Cole Nichols delivers in the second inning of the Cubs Class 1 championship game against New Covenant Academy in O'Fallon on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Bell City won 7-2.Laura Simon

Bell City (24-3) never trailed, as junior Cole Nichols finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and delivered a complete-game pitching win to lead his team to victory.

Nichols singled to right-center to lead off the bottom of the first, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored when Peyton Maddox hit into a fielder’s choice to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

He added a two-out, two-run single, another shot to right-center, in the bottom of the second, as Bell City built a 3-0 edge.

Nichols, who was hitless the day before in a 5-4 state semifinal win over Silex, was able to celebrate his 17th birthday by hoisting another state trophy.

“He picked a great day, on his birthday, to get the start on the mound and then comes up and just sets the tone — offensively had a great day,” Simpher said. “... I didn’t get to see him throw in the pen, but seeing him throw in that first inning, I was like, ‘OK, he’s on. It’s going to be a good game. We’re here to compete, and we’ve got a chance.’”

Nichols worked around a two-out walk in the top of the first and a leadoff single in the second, striking out four of the first eight batters he faced. He finished with five strikeouts and three walks in picking up his seventh win of the season. He allowed two earned runs on eight hits.

“I felt great,” Nichols said. “I was losing my command a little bit, but I had defense back there. And that’s all I needed to use. They did great back there.”

New Covenant (24-5) trailed 6-2 in the top of the sixth when it brought the potential game-tying run to the plate in the form of No. 3 hitter Cody Malan.

Bell City head coach Justin Simpher talks to his team as they take the field in the top of the seventh inning of the Cubs Class 1 championship game against New Covenant Academy in O'Fallon on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Bell City won 7-2.Laura Simon

With the bases loaded and two down, Simpher came to the mound to talk with Nichols and his infielders about the situation.

“I went out there just to break the momentum a little bit and to ask the question — even though I knew the answer — but ask the question, ‘Hey, how you feeling?’ The answer’s what it always is, ‘I feel great, coach.’ I said, ‘Alright, do your thing right here. Go out and get us a ground ball or get us an out,’” Simpher said. “He went out and did just that, did exactly what he told me he was going to do.”

Nichols induced a ground ball to end the inning, as the Cubs let out a collective sigh of relief.

Bell City broke the game open with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, as junior Austin Hicks lined a one-out double to deep left. The ball traveled to the fence, and the bases were cleared, giving the Cubs a 6-1 advantage.

“He told me he’d seen back-to-back the same pitch and was just ready for it and had seen it,” Simpher said. “...That was a huge hit for us.”

Bell City added some insurance in the bottom of the seventh, starting with Nichols’ leadoff triple to left. Finney drove him in two batters later with a sacrifice fly to right, extending the Cubs’ lead to 7-2.

Bell City's Austin Hicks digs in for a hit in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Cubs Class 1 championship game against New Covenant Academy in O'Fallon on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Bell City won 7-2.Laura Simon

Nichols recorded the game’s only 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh, using four pitches to retire the Warriors in order.

Joshua Isbell finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs to lead New Covenant at the plate in the four-hole. He plated leadoff hitter Silas Siebert, who finished 2-for-4, with a one-out single that trimmed Bell City’s lead to 3-1 in the top of the third and added an RBI double in the top of the fifth.

The Warriors stranded 10 base runners

“I’m very proud of my ball team,” Simpher said. “New Covenant is a great team. They came and battled today and gave us a great game and were ready to play. I’m just very proud of both teams and very proud of our guys for sticking with them and coming out on top.”

Matthew Searson got the start on the mound for the Warriors and was tagged with the loss in 3 1/3 innings of work. He allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits with no strikeouts and one walk before being relieved by Alan Ramsey, who threw 2 2/3 innings with one strikeout and one walk. Ramsey gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits.

Bell City players celebrate the Cubs Class 1 championship win against New Covenant Academy in O'Fallon on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Bell City won 7-2. Laura Simon

Junior catcher Bobby Wright batted in the five-hole and finished 2-for-3 for the Cubs, who combined for eight hits in the error-free game.

“It shows the dynamic of our team. One day, it’s somebody else. The next day, it’s the next people,” Simpher said about the diversity in his lineup. “Everybody just steps up and does their part. It was big.

“It’s big to get runs early so we can get settled in and make the other team chip away from behind. We let them get a few runs, and when they did, we countered back.”

New Covenant 001 010 0 — 2 8 2

Bell City 120 301 x — 7 8 0

WP — Cole Nichols. LP — Matthew Searson. 2B — Joshua Isbell (NC), Austin Hicks (BC). 3B — Nichols (BC). Multiple hits — New Covenant: Silas Siebert 2-4, Isbell 2-4; Bell City: Nichols 3-4, Bobby Wright 2-3.