AURORA - It was a pitcher's duel Thursday between Zach Davidson of Helias and Wyatt Sparks of Aurora.
One pitch turned out to be the difference.
Gage Singer of Aurora led off the second inning with a home run to account for all of the scoring as the Houn Dawgs edged the Crusaders 1-0 in a Class 4 quarterfinal contest.
It was one of just four hits Davidson allowed in his 52/3 innings in the game. He totaled 12 strikeouts, including five in the first two innings, walking two.
Sparks went the distance to get the win. The Missouri State signee retired the final 16 Crusaders he faced.
Helias had two baserunners in the game. Trevor Austin drew a two-out walk in the first, while Parker Schnieders accounted for the Crusaders' lone hit with a two-out single in the second.
Kaleb Haley came on in relief of Davidson with two runners on in the top of the sixth inning and ended the threat with a groundout on his first pitch. He then recorded a 1-2-3 seventh.
It's the third straight year Aurora has defeated Helias in the quarterfinal round. Sparks was the winning pitcher in all three of the games.
Helias ends at 21-8.
Aurora (29-1), the defending state champion, will face Boonville (24-1) in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at CarShield Field in O'Fallon. The other semifinal will pit St. Mary's (17-10) against Excelsior Springs (20-9).