KELLY MAKES 2A `STATE'-MENT WITH THIRD-PLACE WIN

COLUMBIA -- After squeezing into the 2A semifinals with four one-run wins and then losing their first game Wednesday, the Kelly baseball team felt they still had some doubters.

But the Hawks silenced their critics Thursday in the consolation game, coming back from a 4-0 deficit, to win 6-4.

"To come back and beat a team like John Burroughs says Kelly was for real and Kelly belongs here," said Hawks coach Mike Scott. "We felt we belonged here and we wanted to show people."

The Hawks claimed third place in their first-ever trip to the baseball Final Four, ending the season with a 16-10 mark. John Burroughs, a private school out of St. Louis, ended with a 13-11 record.

Justin Vetter (5-4) shook off four early runs by the Bombers in the first two innings to gain the win. Only one of the runs were earned, staking Bombers starter David Drum (5-1) to a 4-0 lead.

"I wasn't really concerned (about Vetter) because they weren't hitting him hard," said Scott. "If we wouldn't have thrown the ball around in the beginning of the game, they wouldn't have scored but maybe one run."

Kelly quickly knotted the score 4-4 in the bottom of the second with the help of three Bomber errors and a bloop hit by Vetter.

Jim Hulshof opened the inning with a walk and Brandin Pattengill followed with a single, moving Hulshof to second. After a pop out, freshman Bradley Kolwyck chopped the ball to short and was thrown out at first base.

But the play was hardly over.

Hulshof advanced to third on the play and rounded the bag. Bombers first baseman Kyle Chapman whistled a throw to third in an attempt to get Hulshof, but the throw got away from third baseman Chris Cheok. Hulshof sprinted home and was safe when Cheok's throw home got past catcher Jason Kaplan.

Kaplan went to retrieve the ball, and with no one covering home, Pattengill, who was at third now, raced all the way home to make the score 4-2.

"I was getting ready to put up a stop sign, but (Pattengill) saw the opening was there and came home," Scott said. "It was heads-up baserunning on his part."

With two out in the inning, Kelly loaded the bases for Vetter. The Hawks clean-up batter blooped a single just over the second baseman's head to plate John Livingston (walk) and Ben Klipfel (single) to tie the score.

The big inning not only got the Hawks back in the game, but also helped Vetter's confidence on the mound. Vetter shut the Bombers down after that, not allowing the Bombers to reach second base until the final inning.

"It took me about two innings to get warmed up," said Vetter with a laugh. "We started scoring runs and then my arm started feeling better."

Hulshof and Pattengill started another Kelly rally in the third inning that put them up for good. Both batters singled and Hulshof scored on a hard grounder by John Paul Ziegler off the glove of the third baseman that was ruled an error.

After a groundout moved Pattengill to third, he scored on a sacrifice fly by Livingston to make the final score.

Vetter cruised on the mound until the Bombers loaded the bases with two outs in their last at bat. But Vetter stopped the rally, getting designated hitter Vahe Ayvazian to dribble an easy grounder to second for the final out.

"I didn't have the velocity I usually have, but I was spotting the ball real good and getting it in on their hands," said Vetter. "We wanted to come out with one victory and come home with the third-place trophy."

Kelly out-hit Burroughs 9-8 with Denver Stuckey and Pattengill both getting two hits.