Watson weathers the rain to tame Bulldogs

In order to get his sixth win of the season and maintain his perfect record on the mound, Scott City junior Kobe Watson had to conquer two opponents.

The Bulldogs and the rain.

Watson weathered the storm and threw five innings with two runs allowed and seven strikeouts against four walks to lead the Rams past Notre Dame 5-2 in a rain-shorten game on Thursday, May 2, in Scott City, Mo.

Watson is now 6-0 with a 2.14 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 29.1 innings pitched.

"Every start, he's been better," Rams head coach Skylar Cobb said. "

Through the first four innings, Watson shut down the Bulldogs to the tune of seven strikeouts, two walks, and one hit allowed. He entered the fifth inning with a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead after back-to-back RBI singles by Lane Miller and Luke Umfleet in the first inning.

"His control and command was impeccable with all his pitches," Cobb said. "He was throwing all three pitches for strikes."

The rain came down harder than before in the fifth inning, making gripping the ball a struggle.

"You could tell me and the other pitchers started having a hard time gripping the ball," Watson said. "The ball started to get pretty sticky with the clay and it was just something you got to try to battle through."

Watson was vulnerable, and the Bulldogs pounced. Notre Dame started the rally with a leadoff double by Channing Pattongill, who advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored after Brett Dohogne reached base on a ground ball.

The Bulldogs went the small ball route to get their second run. Dohogne advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Colton Landewee. After two straight walks loaded the bases, TJ Bolen tied the game with an RBI single.

A ground out ended the inning, and it was time for the Rams batters to capitalize on the elements. Mark Panagos broke the 2-2 tie in the fifth inning with a two-run home run to highlight a three-run rally. 

Lane Holder was then hit by a pitch and advanced to third base on a double by Watson. Holden then scored on a passed ball, which led to the umpires calling the game due to rain with one out in the fifth inning.

"It's everybody contributing, one through nine," Watson said. "We all work as a team. It's not just an individual effort."

When Watson is not on the mound, he is the Rams' primary shortstop and top hitter. So far this season, the junior is batting .418 with an OPS of 1.053, two home runs, and 40 RBIs, all team highs.

"We're excited for the future with him the rest of the year," Cobb said.

The Rams (26-3) return to Capaha Field on Saturday, May 4, to take on Holcomb. With four games remaining until the postseason, Scott City has an opportunity to end the regular season with 30 wins. The Rams might get there anyway if they win their third straight district championship, which has been their true focus.

"One thing about the last two years is we've been playing really well going into the district tournament, and that's always the goal," Cobb said. "We play a lot of games because we want to play. We want to stay in that rhythm."

Houston Crawford took the loss for Notre Dame, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Notre Dame (13-12) returns home on Monday, May 6, for a doubleheader against Festus and Valle Catholic.