Freshmen play beyond years for Saxony

Who better to lead the Saxony Lutheran baseball team into its first Class 1 state sectional game Wednesday than three freshmen players? The Crusaders (14-6) won 14-6 at Thayer on Wednesday and advanced to today's state quarterfinal game against Oran, which is bidding for its eighth final four trip and first state title.

Saxony, in its second year of varsity baseball, won a district title for the first time last week.

But the Crusaders showed no nerves from the moment they stepped out of their cars and SUVs on Wednesday. They put together 15 hits against Thayer, which went to the final four last year.

"That long, three-hour drive sort of cooled everybody down," said Lance Limbaugh, who was acting as the team's coach while John Beaudean traveled to Europe with the school's Latin club. "These guys came out hungry to play."

Freshman Bret Steffens, the Crusaders' No. 5 hitter, had the team's first hit in the second inning and later added an RBI triple in the sixth. He also made a diving catch in left field to retire the first batter in the fifth inning when Saxony still clung to a 7-5 lead.

Freshman Chris Roth, hitting second in the lineup and starting at shortstop, had three hits -- including two doubles -- and scored four runs. He also drove in two runs in the fourth inning with a pivotal two-out single.

After Saxony had loaded the bases in reliever Justin Brown's first inning of work, Crusaders leadoff hitter Dustin Roth grounded into a what looked to be a rally-killing double play back to the mound. Chris Roth followed with a hit to score two runs, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on Kory Mueller's double.

His two-out hit in the seventh preceded Mueller's home run that gave the Crusaders even more cushion.

"If you didn't know how old Chris was, you'd think he was a senior," Limbaugh said. "He's real smart."

The third freshman, Garrett Fritsche, came in to pitch the final 2/3 of an inning to close out the game.

"He's pitched maybe five innings all year," Limbaugh said. "We had practice yesterday and I was sitting back there being the umpire, and I thought, 'This kid is bringing it.' He was throwing really well."

Big threat

Mueller's homer in the seventh inning was his fifth of the year, he said. He lined a shot over the fence at 360 feet in straightaway center field.

It followed two intentional walks on the day, which he said brought him to seven or eight this season.

"I was kind of wondering," about the walks, Muller said. "I didn't know how they heard of me. I didn't think I was that big of a deal."

Peter Winningham followed both walks with hits, driving in five runs.

"Teams have been doing that to us this year, and Peter is hitting .491 this season," Limbaugh said. "He has come through every time with big hits."

Big wins

While Oran boasts wins against Class 4 schools as part of its gaudy 24-4 record, Saxony's most memorable regular-season wins were against Chaffee and Perryville back-to-back in the Chaffee tournament, Limbaugh said.

The Crusaders beat Perryville 3-1 in the event and eventually lost to Shawnee, Ill.

"Pretty much three-quarters of our team is from Perryville, and that was a big win for them because they grew up with those guys," Limbaugh said. "Beating Chaffee was a big win, too."

More innings?

Winningham said he's never come back on two days of rest after a start so he doubted he would be pitching at all today after throwing 6 1/3 innings Wednesday.

"Hmmm. It depends on the circumstances," said Winningham, who pitched in relief during a 9-4 loss earlier this season.

Mueller said catching Winningham was a treat Wednesday.

"Most of the guys couldn't catch up to him," he said. "There's a difference between hitting the ball and slapping at it, and most of them were getting lucky."

Winningham had five strikeouts, while Saxony whiffed three times.

Putting the ball in play was a big help Wednesday on a fast field.

"That ball was hopping everywhere in the outfield," Mueller said. "It would hit the ground and just shoot off."