Perfection for Rams

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Skylar Cobb had the type of performance most pitchers can only dream of.

It left Scott City High School baseball coach Lance Amick in awe.

"I've never been a part of something like that before," Amick said. "Not even close."

Cobb, a senior left-hander, threw a perfect game Tuesday as top-seeded Scott City blanked eighth-seeded Kelly 4-0 in the opening round of the Class 2 District 3 tournament.

The Rams (15-4) advance to today's 4 p.m. semifinal at the Perryville City Park against fourth-seeded East Prairie. The Eagles beat fifth-seeded St. Vincent, the host squad, 3-0.

"I'm feeling really good," Cobb said. "We got the win. That's the main thing."

Cobb hardly could have been more dominant. He struck out 17 of the 21 batters he faced, 14 swinging.

"I didn't know that," Cobb said when told he had 17 strikeouts.

Cobb threw 87 pitches, 68 of them strikes. He had a three-ball count on just one batter.

"My arm felt great," Cobb said.

Kelly (4-16) put four balls in play. They consisted of a fly to center, a pop to shortstop, a ground ball to first and a play made by Cobb that helped preserve the gem.

With one out in the top of the sixth inning, Kelly's Jeff Gates hit a soft liner that barely went over Cobb's head.

Cobb spun around and was able to scoop up the ball before it got very far away from him. He quickly fired to first to retire Gates.

"That play behind the mound, it had a little english on it," Cobb said. "It bounced back to me."

Kelly's only chance to put a base runner aboard came in the seventh inning when the ball bounced a few feet away from catcher Ryan Fortner on a strikeout.

Fortner was able to retrieve the ball quickly to easily retire the runner at first for the second out of the frame.

"I thought Ryan caught a really good game, and he made a heads up play on the ball that got away," Amick said.

Cobb finished the game in style by getting the final out on a called third strike. He fanned the side in the seventh, his third inning to do so.

"The last two innings I was a little bit nervous," Cobb admitted. "You try not to think about it but you can't help it."

Cobb has had one other no-hitter in his high school career, a six-inning performance earlier this season against East Prairie. He allowed just one base runner, that coming on a second-inning walk.

Of pitching a perfect game in the district tournament, Cobb said: "It's the best time to do it."

Amick said nobody is more deserving of having good things happen than Cobb, who also plays center field for the Rams and will play baseball next year at Three Rivers Community College.

"It couldn't happen to a better kid and ballplayer," Amick said. "He's been academic all-state two years in a row. He's a model citizen.

"I'm at a loss for words. It's something you don't envision. I'm in awe, how good you have to be to do something like that."

Cobb needed to be just about as good as he was because Kelly sophomore left-hander Ian Householder also turned in an impressive performance.

Two of the runs off Househoulder were unearned and another could have been avoided as Cobb's first-inning RBI double was misjudged in the outfield.

"He was good. We knew he was a good pitcher," Cobb said. "His offspeed stuff was amazing. He kept us off balance."

Householder struck out two and walked one while allowing nine hits.

"We knew with Househoulder on the mound they'd be tough," Amick said. "That's exactly the reason we started Skylar."

Fortner went 3 for 3 with a double. Landon Robert added two hits, including a double.

Robert doubled with one out in the first inning and scored on Cobb's double that was misplayed.

The Rams got two unearned runs in the third inning, one on Chris Limbaugh's RBI single.

Justin Modglin's RBI double in the sixth inning completed the scoring.

Kelly 000 000 0 -- 0 0 2

Scott City 102 001 x -- 4 9 0 WP -- Skylar Cobb. LP -- Ian Householder. 2B- Cobb (SC), Ryan Fortner (SC), Landon Robert (SC), Justin Modglin (SC). Multiple hits -- Scott City: Fortner 3-3, Robert 2-3. Records -- Scott City 15-4, Kelly 4-16.