DEFENDING STATE CHAMP ST. VINCENT WINS 2-0

HOLCOMB, Mo. -- The dynamic pitching duo of Derek Kutz and Tyler Wengert helped lead St. Vincent High School's baseball team to the Class 1A state championship last year.

Thursday afternoon, the pair came up big again as the Indians stayed on course for a state title repeat with a 2-0 sectional victory over host Holcomb.

Kutz, the starter, worked five strong innings. Wengert then finished up with two stellar frames and he also drove in both St. Vincent runs, one on a homer.

St. Vincent (16-11) will be host to Ellington (15-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Perryville City Park in the quarterfinal round, with the winner earning a berth in next week's 1A Final Four in Columbia, Mo.

"Experience really helps," said Wengert, who along with Kutz and catcher Ryan Brown earned all-state honors a year ago. "We know what it takes to win. We had some pressure situations today and we responded well."

Particularly Wengert, a junior right-hander who is technically St. Vincent's No. 2 starter even though he and senior righty Kutz are considered to be about even.

Kutz pretty much breezed through the first five innings, allowing three hits while striking out six and walking one, as he nursed a 2-0 lead built on Wengert's RBI single in the first and Wengert's leadoff homer to dead center field at Holcomb's small park in the fourth.

But in the bottom of the sixth, Kutz walked the first two batters, brothers Brett and Kerry Emerson. St. Vincent coach Rick Wibbenmeyer then decided to move Wengert from shortstop to the mound as Kutz went out to short.

"Derek had a couple of pitches that could have gone either way, but that's the way it goes," said Wibbenmeyer. "I thought, I'm not messing around.'"

Wengert was placed into an even bigger hole right off the bat when Kutz booted Craig Rickman's grounder for an error that loaded the bases.

But Wengert was not rattled. He struck out both Josh Simms and Josh Greer swinging, then got Matt Casper on a routine grounder to second as the Hornets failed to score despite their huge opportunity.

"Last week at Oran in the district finals I had the same situation, bases loaded and nobody out, and I got the job done," Wengert said. "I was fortunate to get out of it for the team."

Kutz, also an all-state kicker in football who will play that sport at Southeast Missouri State University, was appreciative.

"I felt like I was getting squeezed, but Tyler came in and did a great job," said Kutz, who improved his record to 8-4.

Wengert, who will start Saturday's quarterfinal game, fanned the side in the seventh while stranding two runners. Five of the six outs Wengert recorded came on strikeouts.

"Tyler's a competitor. He really came to play and he had a game today," Wibbenmeyer said.

And it was very much needed because losing hurler Kerry Emerson (7-2) was stellar in defeat, allowing just three hits and one earned run. He fanned seven and walked three.

"It was a good game, a well pitched game," said Holcomb coach Jerry Buchanan, whose squad had four hits. "We didn't get any timely hits and they did."