Scott City wins second straight district championship with 5-4 victory over East Prairie

CHARLESTON, Mo. — In a thrilling battle for the MSHSAA Class 3, District 2 Championship, Scott City defeated East Prairie 5-4 at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17.

The Rams (20-8) overcame an early deficit and fended off a furious rally by the Eagles (18-13-1) to claim back-to-back district championships.

“It was a tough game against a tough team,” said Scott City coach Skylar Cobb. “It’s the third time we have seen them this year and they have improved all year. We knew they were going to be ready to go and it would be a close game.”

Scott's Luke Holder (3) congratulates Luke Umfleet (44) after he scores a run during a 5-4 win over East Prairie in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 1 Championship at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

In the top of the second inning, East Prairie took an early 1-0 lead after Winfield White singled to score Owen Knight.

Knight reached base after he hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.

However, Scott City tied it when Luke Umfleet singled to score to Kobe Watson in the bottom of the fourth inning.

East Prairie's Owen Knight (11) takes a swing�during�a 5-4 loss�to Scott City in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 1 Championship at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.�Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

The Rams increased the lead to 5-1 later in the inning after Dalyn Littlepage singled to score Colin Blaylock; Umfleet scored on a sacrifice fly by Luke Holder; Holden Miller scored on a wild pitch; and Mark Panagos singled to score Littlepage.

“[East Prairie] came out and drew first blood and had us on the ropes there for a while,” Cobb said. “[Noah Johnson] was throwing a great game for them, but we were able to break it open in the fourth inning.

“It started with one,” he continued. “We hadn’t really gotten anyone on base all day. We got a couple of hits in a row, the dugout got up and all of sudden it was kind of like a snowball effect. That’s kind of how we have been all year. We just have to get things going and keep the energy level high.”

East Prairie's Peyton Hodges (3) celebrates after scoring a run�during�a 5-4 loss�to Scott City in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 1 Championship at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.�Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

Undeterred by the lead, the Eagles mounted a comeback in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three runs and closing the gap to 5-4.

“I expected it,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. “There was no way we were going to lay down in a district championship.

“We gave it our all and came up one run short. I thought we did a pretty good job today. We continued to battle and we got within one run, but couldn’t find a way to score again.”

East Prairie's Ty Wallace (6) makes a catch behind the plate�during�a 5-4 loss�to Scott City in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 1 Championship at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.�Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

Those runs came after Peyton Hodges and Tate Henderson scored on an error after Rafe Byassee hit a ground ball; and when Ty Wallace doubled to score Byassee.

“The momentum goes back to them after that,” Cobb said. “But we were able to hold them there and make the plays and pitches we needed to come out ahead.”

The Rams' defense came up clutch to cut the rally short after Miller made a spectacular throw as Wallace tried to stretch the play into a triple.

East Prairie's Rafe Byassee (1) and Peyton Hodges (3) prepare to bat in the top of the seventh inning�during�a 5-4 loss�to Scott City in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 1 Championship at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.�Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

“That’s the tying run,” Cobb said. “That’s huge. We had a perfect throw and made a play there. Sometimes you have to make plays that aren’t routine to win a game. That was a play that most probably won’t remember, but it kept us ahead and really was the play of the game.”

Blake Wilburn earned the win on the mound after 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walked batters.

“[Wilburn] was great,” Cobb said. “His velocity was up and he was pumped. His slider was the best it is been all year. Honestly, he hasn’t been better than that all year. [East Prairie] is just a tough team, that’s gotten better all year, and they were able to manufacture some runs with a good opposite-field approach. They had a gameplan and they executed it, but [Wilburn] was great today.”

East Prairie's Leven Turner (14) takes a swing�during�a 5-4 loss�to Scott City in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 1 Championship at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.�Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

Jackson Gloth finished the game for Scott City, throwing 1.1 scoreless and hitless innings and striking out one.

Noah Johnson took the loss after four innings. He gave up two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

Knight finish the last two innings and didn’t allow any runs on just one hit while striking out a pair.

East Prairie's Noah Johnson (7) throws a pitch�during�a 5-4 loss�to Scott City in the MSHSAA Class 3, District 1 Championship at Hillhouse Park on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.�Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat

“[Johnson] came out and looked good,” Scott said. “They were able to piece together some hits and you mix in a couple of errors, and they had a big fourth inning, but he competed, battled, and gave us his best effort.

“[Knight] has improved so much,” he continued. ”He threw the ball well and did his job for two scoreless innings. I look forward to seeing him next year.”

Scott City will travel to No. 1 ranked Portageville (32-2) on Tuesday, May 23 for the sectional round. The Rams fell 7-5 to the Bulldogs earlier this season in the Malden Tournament.

“It’s a great team and we’ve seen it firsthand,” Cobb concluded. “They’re athletic and fast. The fact that we’ve already seen them is good, but they’re No. 1 in the state for a reason. These next six days we’ll get a gameplan together and we’ll be ready to roll.”

As the final out was recorded and the Eagles’ season came to a close, East Prairie’s graduating seniors could look back on their high school careers with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

With a combined record of 50-31-1 over the past three seasons, including a district championship in 2022, this group of players has cemented their place in school history as one of the most successful classes to grace the diamond. As they move on to the next chapter of their lives, the legacy of this talented and hardworking group will be remembered for years to come.

“We won a lot of ball games,” Scott concluded. “They’re great kids, hard workers and talented players. When you have talent and work hard, it equals success. They were great kids to coach. They made me look like a better coach than I probably am, and I’m just thankful to have had them in our program.

“We are setting pretty good [when it comes to the future],” he continued. “Some of those young guys just have to get stronger and be able to drive the baseball more and we’re going to be all right.”

__SCOTT CITY 5, EAST PRAIRIE 4__

EP 010 030 0 — 4 5 3

SC 000 500 x — 5 6 1

W—Blake Wilburn. S—Jackson Gloth. L—Noah Johnson. 2B—East Prairie: Ty Wallace.