Isiah Berry delivers walkoff win for Scott City baseball team in Class 3 third-place game

O’FALLON, Mo. — Scott City senior Isiah Berry hasn’t had many chances at the plate this season, but with the game on the line in the bottom of the seventh inning of Thursday’s Class 3 third-place game, he wrapped up his varsity career in exciting fashion.

Batting in the nine-hole, Berry ripped the first pitch he saw through the infield and into left for a single, sending John Auer head first across home plate from second base to give the Rams a 5-4, walk-off win against South Callaway at CarShield Field.

Scott City's John Auer scores the winning run on a hit from Isiah Berry in the seventh inning of a Class 3 third-place game against South Callaway on Thursday, June 2, 2016, in O'Fallon, Missouri. Scott City won 5-4.Laura Simon

“He doesn’t get to hit all that often, Scott City coach Jim May said. “We call him ‘Big-shot Berry’ because he always comes through in the clutch.”

The inning started for the Rams when Ty Wilthong drove a ball to deep left, sending Bulldogs left fielder Brenden Vaughan trailing toward the warning track to make the catch. However, the ball bounced out of Vaughan’s glove as Wilthong stood safely at first.

Auer courtesy ran for Wilthong before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Caden Hillemann and scoring on Berry’s single, a hit that sent the Rams into a celebratory mob in the infield.

“I don’t like tooting my own horn, but when we came in there in the bottom of the seventh, I said ‘Ty’s going to get on, Caden’s going to bunt him over and Berry’s going to win it.’ And by gosh, that’s just what they did,” May said. “It was a good feeling. I just knew he was going to come through for us. He always does.”

The outcome was perhaps the perfect remedy for a team that suffered a disappointing loss less than 24 hours earlier in Wednesday’s state semifinal, during which Mountain Grove’s Alex Moore, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, shut down Scott City in a 12-1 romp.

“It feels better than losing the last game in the championship last year,” Berry said, “a lot better.”

Scott City's Dylan Keller heads in for a run in the bottom of the sixth inning of a Class 3 third-place game against South Callaway on Thursday, June 2, 2016, in O'Fallon, Missouri. Scott City won 5-4.Laura Simon

Moore returned to the mound Thursday for four innings of relief, as the Panthers won their first state title in program history with a 4-1 victory over Summit Christian.

The Rams were able to bounce back in a game that featured plenty of miscues from both sides.

“It hurt a lot,” Scott City senior Jordan Kluesner said about Wednesday’s loss. “We just had to have the mindset that we didn’t want to lose two in a row, come up here and just leave empty-handed with a loss.

“I just wanted to come out and win my final game, the seniors’ final time in a Scott City uniform.”

On Thursday, the pitching start fell to Kluesner, who threw six innings before freshman Peyton Leeper lifted a payoff pitch over the fence in right-center for a two-run shot that tied the game at 4-all in the top of the seventh.

Scott City pitcher Jordan Kluesner reacts as South Callaway's Peyton Leeper rounds the bases on his tying homerun in the top of the seventh inning of a Class 3 third-place game on Thursday, June 2, 2016, in O'Fallon, Missouri. Scott City won 5-4.Laura Simon

However, the home run never should’ve happened, as home plate umpire Melvin Respress missed a ball in his count and awarded Leeper an extra pitch when he should’ve been standing on first with a base on balls.

“I may have left J in there a little long, but I knew it was his last game,” May said about Kluesner. “... It was four balls the pitch before, and they didn’t call it. I didn’t realize it until after they hit the home run.”

Sophomore Dakota Talley took over for Kluesner and gave up a hit to the first batter he faced, but a fielder’s choice groundout, a sacrifice and a strikeout stranded a runner at second.

Talley was credited with the win in an inning of relief, while Kluesner got a no-decision in his final start. He scattered six hits, gave up four runs (two earned) and finished with four strikeouts and seven walks.

Both teams’ starters went six innings and combined for 15 walks, which May attributed to the indifference that comes with playing for third place.

Scott City players celebrate their Class 3 third-place win against South Callaway on Thursday, June 2, 2016, in O'Fallon, Missouri.Laura Simon

“You could just tell, both teams were that way,” May said about the erratic pitching. “It’s hard to get up for this. It’s hard to have your best stuff.”

Scott City (23-8) got on the board early in the bottom of the first. Hunter Copeland reached on a walk, Dylan Keller followed with a single, and Braden Cox was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no one out. Senior Drew Short delivered the first of his three hits, scoring Copeland with a one-out RBI single to right-center that gave the Rams a 1-0 advantage.

Scott City finished the game with four errors, two of which came from Hillemann at third base and allowed an unearned run to score and tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the third.

“I doubt either team really played their best. I know we didn’t, but we gutted out a win,” May said. “I told Kluesner before we started, I said, ‘We need you to go and have our back and lead us,’ because I knew it was going to be hard, and he was erratic. But he battled and gutted it out and got some big outs, and we came out on top.”

Cox gave the Rams a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when he reached on a dropped third strike, advanced to third on a single by Short and scored on a wild pitch.

Sophomore Kaden Helsel got the pitching start for South Callaway (25-7) but did not figure in the decision after giving up four runs (all earned) on five hits. He struck out 12 batters, hit two and threw five wild pitches, one of which allowed Berry to score and give the Rams a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Berry led off the inning by reaching on one of Helsel’s eight walks.

Scott City's Isiah Berry, center, and Drew Short celebrate their Class 3 third-place win against South Callaway on Thursday, June 2, 2016, in O'Fallon, Missouri.Laura Simon

“It’s really hard to get up to play this game,” May said. “We worried about it last night, and I think both teams battled with it.”

Cox committed a two-out, throwing error at shortstop in the top of the fifth, allowing Leeper to plate an unearned run and pull the Bulldogs within one.

Berry showed off his glove in center field when he charged and dove to catch a ball off the bat of Tyklen Salmons, robbing the No. 9 hitter of a two-out single that would have scored a runner from third.

“He’s under-appreciated because he doesn’t always get to bat, but he has played outstanding defensively in center field all year long,” May said about Berry. “He plays shallow because he can go back on a ball and break on it so hard.”

The Rams countered when Short notched his second RBI with a single up the middle that scored Keller, who reached on a walk and stole second, to give the Rams a 4-2 lead.

Dylan Lepper started the seventh on the mound for the Bulldogs and was tagged with the loss, giving up one unearned run on Berry’s game-winning hit.

Despite getting fanned 12 times and stranding 11 base runners, May was happy to see his team display an important lesson about the game of baseball, proving its sometimes more about timeliness than cleanliness.

“They’re going to get dirty, and they’ll get nasty and work hard. That’s just who they are,” May said. “It’s been a fun ride to be with them, especially these five seniors. Hopefully we can make more, but the last two years have been great. They deserve all the credit in the world.”

South Callaway 001 010 2 — 4 7 1

Scott City 101 101 1 — 5 6 4

WP — Dakota Talley. LP — Dylan Lepper. 2B — Kaden Helsel (South Callaway). HR — Peyton Leeper (South Callaway). Multiple hits — South Callaway: Helsel 2-3, Leeper 2-2; Scott City: Drew Short 3-4.