SEMO Pirates beat Post 63 to advance to Fighting Squirrel Classic final

Players on most summer baseball teams have to learn how to mesh with teammates that they might not have played with before.

That's the case with the SEMO Pirates baseball team, officially the Leopold Senior Babe Ruth team, which draws players from Leopold to Sikeston to Steele to Kennett and some places in between.

But the chemistry between starting pitcher Jacob Trammel and catcher Logan Carter, who both played for South Pemiscot High School, was evident in the Pirates 4-1 win over Cape Ford and Sons Post 63 Senior Legion on Saturday in a semifinal of the Charleston Fighting Squirrels Classic at Notre Dame.

"Those guys have been best friends for awhile, played together since they were little, same high school -- they just work well together," SEMO Pirates coach Jeremy McCain said. "And it doesn't hurt throwing [to], in my opinion, the best catcher in Southeast Missouri. I mean, Logan's great back there. Calls his own game. We very rarely interfere with him calling the game, and they just work well together."

Trammel allowed just one run in the seventh inning and gave up six hits while striking out five to help the Pirates secure the win and their spot in the championship game.

SEMO Pirates’ Joe Elfrink tags out Cape Ford and Sons Post 63’s Seth Ressel in the fourth inning Saturday during the Fighting Squirrel Classic at Notre Dame Regional High School. The SEMO Pirates won 4-1. (Laura Simon)

"We've played together for a long time," Trammel said. "We just kind of click the whole time. We know what's going on all the time. It's just fun."

The Pirates gave Trammel an early lead when they scored twice in the second inning.

SEMO Pirates' hitter Landon Johnson reacts to landing safely on first in the fourth inning against Cape Ford and Sons Post 63, Saturday, June 14, 2014, during the Fighting Squirrel Classic at Notre Dame Regional High School. The SEMO Pirates won 4-1. (Laura Simon)

After the Pirates were retired in order in the first, Tyson Campbell, Brad Freed and Landon Johnson each singled to start the second.

"Three singles to start the inning that are just barely out of reach of three of our guys, but that's just the game of baseball," Post 63 coach Justin Lieser said. "Sometimes it'll go that way for you and sometimes it'll go against you."

Trammel grounded out, but Campbell scored on the play. Eric Urhahn singled to center with two outs to score Freed.

"I think they come into that first inning forgetting that we're using wood bats," McCain said. "You know, guys come in and try to take the first fastball and see how far they can hit it, and we hit three little fly balls.

"We just kind of got on them and said, 'Hey, we're playing with wood bats here, let's hit a line drive, put the ball on the ground and try to make them make plays.' That really helped out. Got those three guys on and a couple ground balls scores a couple runs there. And any time Jacob gets on top, it's big."

Freed drew a lead-off walk in the fourth before Johnson reached when his popup behind first base bounced off first baseman Trevor Propst's glove for an error.

A hit batsman loaded the bases with one out and a groundout extended the Pirates' lead to 3-0. The fourth run scored on an Audie Hay single to center.

Post 63 threatened in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out.

"They kind of had some seeing-eye singles and got in a little jam, but like I said, I just tried to get my fastball across and once I got ahead I tried to get either bad contact or no contact at all," Trammel said. "That was just my approach the whole time. Try to not put pressure on myself."

Trammel coaxed No. 2 hitter Propst into a fly out to right field and struck out Calvin Lovig to end the threat.

SEMO Pirates hitter, Logan Carter, reacts to being called out at first base in the third inning against Cape Ford and Sons Post 63, Saturday, June 14, 2014, during the Fighting Squirrel Classic at Notre Dame Regional High School. The SEMO Pirates won 4-1. (Laura Simon)

"Down 4-0 you have the bases loaded for your two hitter and your three hitter -- Trevor Propst and Calvin Lovig -- and there's not anybody else I'd rather have in those spots," Lieser said. "Great guys, they produce well, and today it just didn't happen for them. And that was today, but tomorrow's a new day and we're going to get after them tomorrow."

Post 63 got on the board in the top of the seventh on a two-out RBI single from Propst that scored Ryan Tegel.

The Pirates will face Crawford County at 2 p.m. at Hillhouse Park in Charleston, Missouri for the title.

Post 63 will play in the third-place game at 11:30 a.m. at Hillhouse.

"No. 1, we lost to a good team," Lieser said of what he told his team after the game. "We competed well. We had good effort. Our attitude was great throughout the whole game. Tomorrow we're still playing for hardware.

"Granted it's not first place like we would like, but any time you have a chance to bring home some kind of hardware back to the Legion hall for the boys -- that's what we're going to play for. We're going to play like it's the first-place game."

SEMO Pirates 4, Post 63 1

Post 63 000 000 1 -- 1 6 2

Pirates 020 200 x -- 4 6 1

WP -- Jacob Trammel. LP -- Seth Ressel. Multiple hits -- SEMO: Tyson Campbell 2-3; Post 63: Grant Dix 2-3.