Knights win off of Dragons' seventh-inning collapse

By JASON VIOX\Daily Journal Sports Writer

STE. GENEVIEVE - The Ste. Genevieve Dragons needed only three more outs to claim a big conference win over the Farmington Knights. Ste. Genevieve held a three-run lead in the final inning of play, but several errors gave Farmington a chance to win the game. The Knights didn't let the chance slip by as Farmington fought back for a 5-4 win.

Ste. Genevieve's Jacob Greminger handed his team a quick 1-0 edge in the first inning with a home run over the left-field wall.

In the top of the second inning, a couple of infield errors by the Dragons and a single from Farmington's Lucas Vogelsang loaded the bases with no outs. However, a strike out, a fly ball, and a ground ball got Ste. Genevieve out of the jam, and left three opposing runners stranded in the process.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Greminger was walked, and Jake Donze singled to put the runners at the corners. After pinch-runner Curt Roth stole second base, Vince Wolk recorded a sacrifice fly to left field to knock in another run. Brad Schweigert hit a ground ball to the shortstop, but a throwing error scored another tally for a 3-0 game.

Farmington's Eric Koppeis kicked off the sixth inning with a single, then a fielder's-choice moved Koppeis up another bag. Vogelsang came through with a single up the middle of the field to score Koppeis. The Dragons regained that run in the bottom of the frame with another home run from Greminger to nearly the same spot as his first.

Farmington's Marcus McDaniel was walked to start the final inning, and Josh Taylor hit a ground ball to the second baseman. However, the ball was mishandled by not only the infielder, but by an outfielder as well. The Knights had two runners in scoring position because of the two errors.

Derek Stroup was hit by a pitch to load the bases up with only one out. During Matt Usherwood's turn to bat, McDaniel scored on a wild pitch. Usherwood came through with a ground ball, but another error scored another tally. Vogelsang then blasted what would eventually be the game-winning triple to left-center field to score Usherwood and Stroup.

Josh Boyer pitched the last two innings for the Knights to get the win. Boyer gave up no hits, one walk, and struck out three. All of his strike outs came in the seventh inning. Farmington's Brent Baxley threw for five innings, gave up five hits, four runs, three earned runs, one walk, and struck out two.

Donze suffered his first loss of the season. He threw for seven innings, surrendered six hits, five runs, one walk, and struck out five. Only one of his five runs was earned.

“Jake Donze threw a heck of a ball game,” commented Farmington's coach Craig Gibbs. “He kept us off track early. It would be real easy for 16-17 year old men to lay down and think that everything's against them, but these kids have always had the attitude that they're never going to quit. They kept battling and good things happened in the last inning.”

“We said pretty much the whole game that we got ourselves in some situations that we don't like to be in,” stated Ste. Genevieve's coach Mike McDaniel. “I just told them that we can't keep doing that because one of these times it's going to burn you, and finally at the end of the game it burned us.”

Vogelsang was 3-4, and Koppeis went 2-4 for the Knights. Greminger was 2-2 with a walk for the Dragons.

Ste. Genevieve (5-2 and 2-1 large-school MAAA) will travel to Hillsboro on Wednesday. Farmington, now 3-3 and 2-1 in conference play, will play Oxford, MS in a neutral-site game at Southaven, MS on Thursday. Both teams will play in a tournament nearby over the weekend.

Farmington - 000 001 4 - 5 6 2

Ste. Genevieve - 100 201 0 - 4 5 7

WP - J Boyer 2i 0h 0r 1bb 3k.

LP - J Donze 7i 6h 5r 1er 1bb 5k.

Hitting:

Farmington - L Vogelsang 3-4, E Koppeis 2-4, M McDaniel 1-2. 3b - L Vogelsang.

Ste. Genevieve - J Greminger 2-2, Z Bauer 1-4, B Schweigert 1-2, J Donze 1-2. HR - J Greminger 2.