ST. ELIZABETH - The St. Elizabeth Hornets have made a habit of playing suspenseful state tournament baseball games.
With the go-ahead run on second base in the top of the seventh of Wednesday's Class 1 quarterfinal game, Wellsville's Cameron Huff rocketed a grounder toward St. Elizabeth third baseman Aaron Blomberg.
"My heart skipped a beat," Hornets catcher Coltin Green said.
Blomberg didn't flinch. He dived to his right for the snag, stood up and made the throw to first baseman Brady Heckemeyer.
"I honestly don't know what I was thinking," Blomberg said. "It just happened so fast. As soon as I got up I just thought, 'Don't screw this throw up.' And then I spiked it and luckily my first baseman picked it for me."
Heckemeyer gloved the one-hopper for the final out, sending St. Elizabeth (16-4) to the Final Four for the second straight season with a 5-4 victory.
It was the second straight 5-4 win for the Hornets and third state tournament game decided by one run in the last two years.
It also took an early rally from a 2-0 deficit to earn this win.
"We've been here before," Blomberg said. "We were here last year in sectionals. We were down by two in our last game. Just battle back, we've done it before."
Wellsville got two runs off St. Elizabeth starter Nolan Heckemeyer in the first inning. Green made sure that lead didn't last long for the Tigers.
Blomberg drew a one-out walk in the bottom half to put a runner on for Green.
"I told myself wait for my pitch and just try to do some damage," Green said. "Baseball is a crazy game where one swing of the bat changes the whole game, so I was lucky enough to put my bat on the ball and make a difference."
Green got a hold of a pitch and sent it over the fence in left-center field to tie it at 2.
"At first I saw a fastball and it was a little high, so I was able to get the timing and then he came back with another fastball and I was able to center it up and drive it," Green said.
After Nolan Heckemeyer sent down the Tigers in order in the second, St. Elizabeth turned a pair of walks, two hit by pitches and a fielder's choice into a 4-2 advantage.
Carson Kesel, who led off with a single, scored when Nolan Heckemeyer was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Blomberg then hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice to drive in Ross Struemph, who was hit by a pitch twice in the game.
All four runs were charged to Wellsville lefty Isaac Ussery, who allowed two hits, struck out two and walked two in 1 innings.
Ethan Burton then kept the Hornets off the board until the fifth.
St. Elizabeth stranded the bases loaded in the second and third, and went down in order in the fourth.
In the fifth, Brock Lucas reached on an error and Carson Kesel doubled to set up Hayden Irwin for what turned out to be the deciding RBI.
Irwin slapped a low pitch to the shortstop, who ran after Kesel for the out at third base. In the meantime, Lucas crossed the plate for a 5-2 lead.
"Insurance runs are always important and Hayden came up to pinch hit in the big spot there," Hornets coach Caleb Heckemeyer said. "And he got just enough of it to hit it slow enough so our runner could score and he could get to first base."
Nolan Heckemeyer preserved the three-run lead in the sixth with the help of a 1-6-3 double play and a strikeout.
"Nolan was pitching really well," Caleb Heckemeyer said.
But in the seventh, Wellsville's Ben Burton found the gap in right-center field for a two-run double to pull the Tigers within 5-4.
"He just hit a wall there," Caleb Heckemeyer said of Nolan Heckemeyer, who allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
Lucas then took the mound, beginning with an intentional walk to put runners at first and second.
Out No. 2 came when right fielder Kendal Bax chased down a fly ball hit toward the line and snagged it before falling to the ground.
"If he doesn't catch that they might be running for days," Caleb Heckemeyer said.
Both runners were able to advance with a steal before Blomberg's diving play sealed the victory.
"We really locked up defensively," Blomberg said.
St. Elizabeth, the No. 3 ranked team in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association poll, has fourth-ranked Cooter (20-6) next on the schedule.
The Hornets and Wildcats, who defeated top-ranked Dora 9-1 on Wednesday, will play at 4 p.m. Tuesday at CarShield Field in O'Fallon.
"I expect us to face good competition and hopefully we can keep what we're doing going and just keep battling no matter what," Green said.