Pirates prevail in end

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- For much of Monday's baseball game, it appeared doubtful that Perryville would even get a hit.

Yet the host Pirates wound up rallying for a somewhat improbable 3-2, eight-inning win over crosstown rival St. Vincent.

"I was kind of worried," said Perryville coach Don O'Keefe, whose Pirates improved to 3-6 while dropping the Indians to 4-6.

O'Keefe had every reason to be worried based on the way Kyle Rollet was pitching. He no-hit Perryville for 5 2/3 innings, then carried a one-hitter and a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

Perryville's lone hit was Dustin Thompson's ground-ball single with two outs in the sixth inning.

Perryville shortstop Ethan Reiss fields a ground ball during Monday's game against St. Vincent.

"He ate us apart," O'Keefe said. "We dribbled one through there for a hit."

The Pirates didn't exactly hammer Rollet in the seventh inning but managed to get their second and final hit of the day as part of a two-run rally that forced extra frames.

Rollet hit Mitchel Lukefahr with a pitch to start the seventh. Andrew Martin then drilled a line-drive single to right and the ball was misplayed for an error, allowing Lukefahr to score and Martin to reach second.

Martin moved to third on a wild pitch and Paul Ferguson walked. Jake Dobbelare then hit into a double play, which was good enough for Martin to come home with the tying run.

The Pirates then won the game in the bottom of the eighth without the benefit of a hit.

Perryville second baseman Dustin Thompson prepares to tag out St. Vincent base runner Christian Carron on a third-inning steal attempt Monday in Perryville, Mo. (LAURA SIMON)

With one out, Cale Regelsperger walked in his first plate appearance of the game. That marked the end of the day on the mound for Rollet.

Corey Sauer came in to relieve. Regelsperger stole second. After Sauer struck out the next batter, he also fanned Ethan Reiss swinging on a pitch in the dirt.

But the third strike got away. When the throw to first base was wild and rolled into right field, Regelsperger easily scored the game-ending run.

"I wasn't expecting that to happen," Reiss said of the way the contest ended. "It's kind of a crappy way to win, but it works."

The Pirates weren't about to complain, not after the trouble they had against Rollet.

St. Vincent's Travis Koenig reaches first base safely as Perryville's Dustin Thompson tries to grab the ball.

"He's pretty good," Reiss said.

Rollet certainly was good, both with his arm and bat.

Rollet was actually credited with the loss despite allowing just the two hits and one earned run. He struck out seven to go along with six walks.

"I felt like I got stronger as the game went along," said Rollet, who added that although he was aware of the possible no-hitter he "didn't really think about it. I just wanted to get ahead and get the batters out."

Rollet also accounted for both St. Vincent runs. His homer leading off the second inning gave the Indians a 1-0 lead and his RBI single in the fourth inning made it 2-0.

St. Vincent failed to build a bigger cushion because Ferguson, Perryville's starter, also was stout.

Ferguson worked the first seven innings, allowing five hits and one earned run. He struck out eight and walked two.

"Paul did a phenomenal job, and [catcher] Cody Sparkman did a great job calling the game," O'Keefe said. "Paul struggled at the beginning of the season but about two weeks ago he figured it out."

Ferguson said his primary pitch Monday was "my two-seam fastball."

Dobbelare was the winner after hurling a scoreless top of the eighth. St. Vincent put runners on first and third with two outs but Dobbelare escaped the threat.

"It was really an entertaining game," O'Keefe said. "We're starting to come together."

St. Vincent 010 100 00 -- 2 5 2

Perryville 000 000 21 -- 3 2 4

WP -- Jake Dobbelare. LP -- Kyle Rollet. HR -- Rollet (SV). Multiple hits -- St. Vincent: Rollet 2-4. Records -- St. Vincent 4-6, Perryville 3-6.