Puxico BB on verge of memorable season despite recent skid

You can view the recent play of the Puxico High School baseball team from a negative perspective and state that the Indians have dropped three straight games, which is true. However, you can also view today’s game with Malden from a positive angle and realize that a win over the Green Wave (2-12) will give Puxico one of its best seasons in recent memory.

The Indians' (4-7) fifth victory this season (and they have at least seven games remaining after today’s 4:30 p.m. tilt at Puxico) will match the program’s most wins since an eight-victory season in 2015.

“We’ve gotten better defensively,” second-year Puxico coach Bryant Fernetti said recently.

The Indians took a step backward in the field in a recent loss to Bloomfield, in which it committed four errors. Those miscues wasted an eight-hit day at the plate and a solid outing on the mound by sophomore Waylon Powell.

Powell allowed nine hits and six earned runs in just three innings of work, but he also gave up just one walk and threw 35 strikes in 53 pitches.

“Athletically,” Fernetti said, “we can steal bases pretty well and do some different things. We’ve just got to get a little better at making contact (at the plate) when we need it and throwing strikes.

“That will be the next step.”

Powell threw strikes against Bloomfield and senior Cole Barnfield did the same in a recent loss at Bernie in the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament.

Though the Mules got seven hits and as many earned runs off of Barnfield in four innings, he did strike out five Mule batters.

Against the Wildcats, freshman hitter Landan Burchard paced the Puxico offense with two hits, while Barnfield (one hit, one run, one RBI), Mason Parsley (one hit, one RBI), Eric Riddle (one hit), Jerrett Powell (one hit), Kelten Adams (one walk), Logan Crisel (one hit), Samuel Payne (one hit, one run), and Waylon Powell (one run, one walk) also contributed.

“One thing that I have stressed (to the pitchers),” Fernetti explained, “is that you have to give yourself a chance (by limiting walks). There are games where you get to the bottom of the (batting) order, and you walk a couple of guys and now they turn (the lineup) over. That is not what you want.”

Barnfield was phenomenal in a recent shutout win over Naylor.

In that game, he didn’t allow an earned run, he walked just one hitter, gave up just four hits, and struck out 13 Eagle batters. And Naylor is a 5-8 team, it isn’t half-bad.

Three of Naylor's hits were from the top two hitters in the lineup, and Barnfield allowed just one hit from everyone else. He threw 53 strikes in 74 pitches that day.

“You want to try and get yourself in positions to where you don’t have to give in to those top (of the lineup) guys,” Fernetti said. “That goes back to just throwing strikes.”

Puxico can build on this season.

Fernetti has five seniors (Isaac Hahn, Barnfield, Duncan Crabb, Riddle, and Kelten Adams), but he also has four juniors, eight sophomores, and four freshmen on the roster this spring.

Following today’s game, the Indians will visit Advance with Zalma (5-6) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.