O'FALLON, Mo. - Just three strikes away from being shut out for the first time in more than a year and losing the Class 5 championship game for the second straight year, the Jefferson City Jays possibly had their calmest player at the plate.
Payton Bodenstab, a junior, took a ball on the first pitch then connected for a season-saving RBI single to center field. It tied the game at 1 in the seventh inning and the Jays only needed one extra frame to win it. Jacob Weirich was hit by a pitch to score Gunnar See in the eighth, giving Jefferson City (31-2) a 2-1 victory against Fort Zumwalt West (24-15), and the team's first state title since 1989, at CarShield Field.
"I looked to coach (Brian) Ash and smiled," said Podenstab, the Jays' No. 2 batter. "I knew, I was confident, I was relaxed. Fans behind me cheering, it just got me going. I knew I had it."
The teams combined to strand 21 runners, but it took until the seventh for Bodenstab to come up with a runner in scoring position. It turned out to be the perfect formula.
"I'm a base-hit hitter, that's what I do," Bodenstab said. "I knew all I needed to do was get a line drive somewhere, and that's what I did and I knew it was going to happen."
It was a clutch hit, something Kade Franks has been known for this season and earned the nickname "Mr. Clutch."
"I think today I stole it from him," Bodenstab said. "I told him that so he wasn't too happy about that."
The Jays scoring in the sixth inning or later has been as much of a trend this season as stranded baserunners were Saturday. They've scored either the winning or go-ahead run 10 times this season at that point of the game. Eight have come in the sixth, but the seventh worked just as well.
"We didn't come out of the box," Bodenstab said. "I don't know what happened today, but we just couldn't get anything to go through. The sixth and seventh inning is our comeback inning and we just came back. I knew we weren't going to lose."
Cole Ahrens, one of eight seniors on the team, scored the tying run. Hayden Hirschvogel led off with a walk and Ahrens became the pinch runner. He advanced to second on Tyler Bise's bunt and to third in Weirich's groundout. Ahrens may have been the most emotional after the game, grasping the trophy as if he wasn't ever going to let it go.
"These seniors, they mean a lot to me," Bodenstab said. "They are a big contributor to all of us and it's great to be a junior and be a part of this team."
Hirschvogel made his biggest contribution by switching from first base to the mound with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth. He relieved Weirich, who scattered eighth its, walked three and struck out six before reaching his pitch count limit.
"It's always disappointing because I wanted to finish the game, but I have full faith in Hayden Hirschvogel," Weirich said. " To do what he did in that situation, he deserves all the credit."
The first batter sent a grounder straight to Hirschvogel for a 1-2-3 double play.
"He keeps the ball down better than anybody we have so we knew with the bases loaded we needed a ground ball," Ash said. " As soon as it hit back to him, 'Are you kidding me.'"
Jacob Verschoore took off toward home before the next pitch and was tagged out in a rundown, getting the Jays out of another jam. It was a theme from the start of the game.
The Jaguars loaded the bases in the first only to have a force out at home and another runner tagged out in a rundown at third.
Tyler Eckman, who went 3-for-4 for the Jaguars, blasted an RBI double to the left-field wall in the second for Fort Zumwalt's lone run. A groundout left two on in scoring position.
Weirich pitched around a bunt single and an error to leave a runner at second in the third.
"At the beginning I was struggling," Weirich said. "I couldn't find my curveball, so they were able to sit on my fastball. But once I found my curveball and got it going, I started doing well."
The next nine Jaguars were retired, including three strikeouts in the fifth with Weirich dialing in his curveball.
After a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, the Jays threatened in the bottom half like they have numerous times this season.
A single, fielder's choice with a safe call at second and a walk loaded the bases. The safe call at second prompted an argument from Jaguars coach Eric Gough and a force out at home prompted an argument from Ash. The inning ended when Brandon Williams grounded out to the shortstop, but the first baseman appeared to have been off the bag. Another steamy conversation followed.
"Things didn't go our way, things didn't go Fort Zumwalt West's way and we had opportunities to put it away with some of our better hitters and we just couldn't find a hole. It's nice to see other guys get into position to help get it done."
Bodenstab got it done in the seventh and See (walk), Williams (walk), Bise (single) and Weirich (hit by pitch) did their job in the eighth.
"I was hoping to drive something into the outfield, just long fly ball, anything," Weirich said of his final at-bat.
A hit by pitch got the same result, a state title.
"Those guys can say they are state champs the rest of their lives and go down as probably the best team to ever come out of Jefferson City," Ash said.
The Jays graduate eight seniors: Ahrens, Franks, Hirschvogel, See, Strobel, Weirich, Williams and Wood.
"We've played together since we were 7 and 8 years old," Weirich said. "To finish it out on top like this with my best friends, there's no better feeling."