Senath-Hornersville posts upset win at C1D1 semis

SENATH, Mo. - The Bernie Mules entered the 2024 MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 semifinal game on Friday, May 10, with all the momentum on their side.

Seven innings later the defending district champs fell to the Senath-Hornersville Lions in a surprise upset, 8-3.

The Mules were 17-8 on the season and were hands-down favorites against their opponent.

The Lions (11-7) were coming off a huge win the day before at home, defeating the South Pemiscot Bulldogs in extra innings in dramatic walk-off fashion.

After a very rocky start by Lions ace starter Chase Laden, the offense quickly rebounded to right the ship and a Superman performance by reliever Christian Garza aided in shutting down the potent Mules offense for 6-2/3 innings of no-run baseball.

The "Star of the Game" Christian Garza.Photo by Tim Caldwell

The reliever allowed four hits, walked only one and struck out three Bernie batters. At one point between the second and fourth innings for Bernie, Garza retired seven Mules hitters in a row.

Layden Hicks, broke the streak at seven in the top of the fifth inning, when he led off with a solid single to left.

But an all-star throw by Senath's catcher Jesus Mendoza on Hicks' attempted steal of second base gunned him down.

Garza closed out the fifth inning by inducing Braden Vaughn to ground out to Garza, 1-3 on the put out, the third time in the game that a batter for Bernie had grounded back to Garza for easy outs at first base.

Bernie starter, Layden Hicks.Photo buy Tim Caldwell

The struggles for Chase Laden at the start of the game were contrary to the recent performances he displayed in his last few starts.

In Laden's last sixteen innings of work he had been virtually untouchable. Laden posted a miniscule ERA of 1.34, with 28 strikeouts, only four runs allowed on just six hits and only four walks.

But after facing six batters in the top of the first, Laden allowed a leadoff base hit to Jayden Robinette, a ringing double off the centerfield fence by Hicks, a walk to Cody Massey, a single by Cane Hobgood and scooped up a well-needed called third strikeout of Braden Vaughn.

However, a single to the last batter he faced, Taylor Stanfield, was tapped before Garza came in to stop the bleeding and end the inning.

Bernie reliever Taylor StanfieldPhoto by Tim Caldwell

After the dust settled, Bernie had scored three runs on four hits but stranded two runners when Garza got Blake Nash to pop out to the catcher and struck out Arnold to end the inning.

One of the keys to victory that Senath-Hornersville baseball head coach Chris McLain pointed out postgame was how quickly his team responded to that top-of-the first poor start with a big comeback in the bottom of the inning, sending nine men to the plate, scoring three runs on only two hits, aided by an error, two walks and a hit batter.

Key hits came from Goff, Rhodes, Mendoza, Belcher, hit by a pitch to Small with the bases loaded and a subsequent walk to Luna.

McLain's second key to the win was how impressive Garza was as a reliever, coming in with only one out in the first, retiring the next two batters to end a scoriong threat, and totally shutting down Bernie for the next six innings.

Another out recorded by Christian Garza.Photo by Tim Caldwell.

"Christian has been doing that all year long,” McClain said. “And it seems the bigger the situation, the higher he rises to address the occasion."

As great as Garza was pitching, the offense continued to compete with a single run in the fourth as well as icing the cake with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to provide more than enough insurance.

McLain also was pleased that his first four hitters in his lineup were as hot as hot could be, going 10-12 with nine hits and a walk, scoring six of Senath's eight total runs.

Coach agreed the squad's next opponent would be looked upon as the third time charm.

The Lions recently lost back-to-back games against the Portageville Bulldogs, 4-2 and 5-4, with more than ample chances to win both games, leaving the bases loaded twice in both games.

The old football saying might still ring true, "It is very hard to beat the same opponent three times in one year."

Chase Laden takes this next pitch off the centerfield fence.Photo by Tim Caldwell

He hopes it applies to baseball as well.

Garza got the well-deserved win as the reliever.

Hicks suffered the loss, even though he only pitched 2-1/3 innings, he gave up the fourth and go ahead run for the Lions in the second inning when with one out, Chase Laden redeemed himself with a line drive double over the centerfielders' head, which was driven in by Mendoza.

Senath-Hornersville (12-7) will get the third time opportunity at their nemesis, the Portageville Bulldogs, (27-7) in the championship game scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday at Senath.