Bell City clubs Gideon in Class 1 sectional baseball game

GIDEON, Mo. -- The Bell City baseball team couldn't have asked for a better game Monday.

Five players recorded multiple hits, and starting pitcher Bobby Wright pitched a complete-game shutout to lead the Cubs to a 9-0 victory over host Gideon in a Class 1 sectional.

"It's been the same kind of team all year," Bell City coach Justin Simpher said. "They've had their ups and downs, but they've come out the majority of the time and played pressure-free baseball. No matter what the situation is, they've come out like they've been in the situation, and they were expecting things."

Bell City, which is ranked No. 2 in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 1 rankings, will take on Dora in a state quarterfinal on Wednesday. Dora defeated Lesterville 6-3.

Bell City's Bobby Wright delivers a strike to end the Cubs Class 1 sectional against Gideon, Monday, May 25, 2015. Bell City won 9-0. (Laura Simon)

"It's the same approach. The next game is just like this one and the game before," Simpher said. "Every game is the same, and that's kind of been our approach. No matter what the situation is, it's a baseball game. It's played the same way. The same situations are going to occur. You can't add any pressure to yourself."

After three scoreless innings, Bell City (22-3) scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Tyler Evans reached on a walk to lead off and advanced to second base on a wild pitch before Brandon Abner scored Evans on a double to left-center field. A sacrifice bunt by Nolan Schaefer moved Abner to third, and a base hit by Jesse Smith sent Schaefer home to give the Cubs a 2-0 advantage.

Cole Nichols grounded into a force out at second but moved into scoring position on a stolen base, and Austin Hicks began Bell City's two-out rally with an infield single that put runners at the corners, setting up a two-run double by Nate Finney and an RBI single by Peyton Maddox that extended the Cubs' lead to 5-0.

Although Bell City is having its best season in more than two decades, Simpher admits offensive firepower hasn't been the team's modus operandi but was pleased to see his players combine for 12 hits Monday.

"Every time is different. They just find a way, and that's what it's all about," Simpher said. "It'd be nice to score 20 all the time, but it also pays off when you're in a tight game and you've been in that situation all the time. You know what to do."

Dalen Hutchison got the start on the mound for Gideon (10-9) but was replaced by Brian Buchanan, who recorded the final out to end the inning.

Bell City catcher Austin Hicks tags out Gideon's Andrew Ferrese at home in the second inning of a Class 1 sectional, Monday, May 25, 2015. Bell City won 9-0. (Laura Simon)

Meanwhile, Wright allowed only two Bulldogs to reach base and didn't give up a hit over the final five innings.

"He knows how to pitch, and he goes out there and is constantly trying to make adjustments," Simpher said about Wright. "He got a little bit of a lead on him, and it was like, 'OK, now it's time to go out here and bear down.' *... I thought he did a great job all day at coming in there and being ready to make them earn it."

The sophomore right-handed hurler pitched a three-hitter and had nine strikeouts and two walks, retiring the last 12 batters he faced.

"At first my velocity wasn't really there," Wright said. "My mechanics were off, and then coach helped me out with my leg kick. And my velocity came back. I started throwing harder, and my pitches started moving more. I was able to keep them off-balance."

"We're all over the place," Wright said. "We have our ups and downs, but today we hit the ball well. I threw the ball pretty well. I had good velocity. My mechanics were kind of off, but I found a way to find the strike zone for the whole game."

The Cubs' error-free defensive performance was highlighted by two impressive plays in the outfield. Gideon was poised to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Chris Reed lifted a single down the left-field line that sent Andrew Ferrese racing around from first base, but Schaefer fielded the ball deep in left field and threw to shortstop Cole Nichols, who delivered a strike to Hicks at home plate to retire the side.

"Things like that add pressure and build momentum, and momentum swung back to us," Simpher said about the play. "We talk a lot about fundamentals and coming out and hitting cutoffs, doing those things and knowing what to do ahead of time. I felt like we came out ready to do that."

Bell City's Nolan Schaefer dives after a pop-up for an out in the sixth inning of a Class 1 sectional against Gideon, Monday, May 25, 2015. Bell City won 9-0. (Laura Simon)

Schaefer had another impressive defensive play in the top of the sixth when he dove for a ball in the left-center field gap that robbed Hutchison of a double and drew a roar from the Bell City faithful.

"Whenever they're out there doing that, all I can do is do my part and throw strikes," Wright said about the play.

The Cubs added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth when Nichols blasted a one-out double to left field and advanced to third on an error at shortstop. Hicks followed with an infield single that scored Nichols, and Finney singled to right field to put runners at first and second. Maddox plated Hicks on a base hit to left field and, after a passed ball moved Finney and Maddox into scoring position, Wright capped the rally with a two-run single that pushed Bell City's lead to 9-0.

Hutchison took the loss for the Bulldogs. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowed seven hits and five earned runs and had three strikeouts and two walks. Hutchison was replaced by Buchanan, who struck out five, walked none and gave up five hits and four earned runs.

With his team one game away from advancing to the final four, Wright believes a stingy defense combined with a dynamic offense only adds to the Cubs' chances of winning a state title.

"We need to have our bats going as well as have our defense working because against these higher-competition teams in the playoffs, we don't have as much experience, but if we jump on them early using the bats and don't wait until the late innings, we're going to be hard to beat," Wright said.

Gideon 000 000 0 -- 0 3 2

Bell City 000 504 x -- 9 12 0

WP -- Bobby Wright. LP -- Dalen Hutchison. 2B -- Cole Nichols (BC), Nate Finney (BC), Brandon Abner (BC). Multiple hits -- Bell City: Finney 2-3, Jesse Smith 2-3, Nichols 2-4, Austin Hicks 2-4, Peyton Maddox 2-4.