Huber, Pirates blank Blackcats under the lights

Due to varying circumstances starting with inclement weather, the Perryville Pirates played a "road game" in Perryville.

In a rare night game, the Pirates defeated the Herculaneum Blackcats 16-0 in four innings on Friday, May 3, at the Perry Park Center in Perryville, Mo.

"It feels special almost," Perryville sophomore pitcher Waylon Huber said. "I think we had a few extra fans here and it was just more fun. It adds something to the game."

Huber threw four innings with only one hit allowed and five strikeouts. He said it was "probably" his best pitching performance of the season.

"I had a really good game," Huber said. "I have a team around me to support me."

One thing about Huber that impresses Perryville head coach Don O'Keefe is his stoic demeanor.

"Waylon is just a guy that's always calm," O'Keefe said. "He never gets too upset and never gets too happy."

While junior Troy O'Keefe is the ace of the staff, Huber gives the Pirates an extra capable starter, which every team needs in a tournament run. In his previous starts, Huber threw five shutout innings during an 11-0 win over DeSoto on April 11. Despite losing to Festus 2-1 on April 3, Huber threw a complete game to keep his Pirates competitive.

"I think everybody tries to pick out on our team who are the ones that are threats and they always kind of overlook him," O'Keefe said. "Every time he goes out, he gives us a real chance to win the ballgame.

The Pirates put themselves in a position to run-rule the Blackcats after scoring 10 runs in the fourth inning. Senior slugger Grant Smith went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI, while Troy O'Keefe, Adam Green, and Dalton Fritsche each drove in two runs.

It was originally supposed to be played on May 2 at Herculaneum, but the game had to be moved due to a scheduling conflict with an event celebrating the teachers there. After the weather continued to complicate things, the game moved to Perryville to be played at PHS, but there weren't any available umpires to officiate the game. So the game had to be played at the home of the St. Vincent Indians after their game against St. Pius X, where the umpires there got an extra game of work.

"We were fortunate [Herculaneum] was willing to drive and play here," O'Keefe said. "A little bit nerve-wracking when you know there are so many things going on because you're seeing the kids going 'Are we playing or are we not?' They seem to stay focused throughout the day."

After their senior day game against Charleston on Monday, the Pirates open the Class 4 District 1 Tournament against Fredericktown on May 13 in Dexter, Mo.