OZARK -- The wind was blowing in all afternoon at U.S. Ballpark, knocking down flyball after flyball in Monday’s Class 2 state semifinal game.
Then, for two at-bats, Russellville blasted a pair of extra-base hits into the right-center field gap that didn’t get held up by the wind.
Chris Seaver’s RBI triple and Jesse Daniel’s RBI double proved to be the difference for the Indians, who held on for a 3-2 victory in eight innings against the Plattsburg Tigers.
“They had just a little bit different angle on their hits,” Russellville coach Lucas Branson said.
With the win, top-ranked Russellville (28-4) advances to the first state championship game in program history. The Indians will face fourth-ranked Portageville (31-3) at 1 p.m. today. The Bulldogs defeated Gainesville 6-0 in Monday’s first semifinal contest.
“These kids, they deserve this opportunity,” Branson said. “They’ve worked and worked, going back through the preseason. To be in a one-game state championship setting, we’ll take our chances.”
Gallery: Russellville Baseball vs. Plattsburg
Both starting pitchers got the no-decision in Monday’s game.
Russellville starting pitcher Charlie Miller, who has committed to play for Missouri, threw 6⅔ innings and allowed one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks. Miller retired the final 11 batters he faced, throwing 106 pitches to reach his pitch-count limit.
“Charlie gets better throughout the game the longer he goes,” Branson said. “He gets comfortable, and he was able to locate some pitches in some pretty key spots, a couple strikeout-looking calls that went our way.”
Plattsburg’s Brock Steggall, who has committed to play at State Fair Community College next season, went seven innings and allowed one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out eight, getting his final strikeout on his 105th pitch to end the top of the seventh inning.
Steggall allowed a run in the first inning and Russellville loaded the bases against him in the second, but he allowed just three baserunners in his final five innings, retiring 10 consecutive batters at one point.
“He really started to locate his pitches a little bit better,” Branson said. “Having been in this spot before, with that first and second inning, sometimes it’s a little rough for pitchers, because they’re on a big stage. But he got comfortable out there.”
Plattsburg brought Kayden Carter in to pitch the eighth inning. He got a flyout for the first out, then Logan Cinotto reached on an infield error.
Seaver stepped to the plate and drove a 2-2 pitch into right-center field, scoring Cinotto easily to put the Indians in front 2-1.
Russellville batters had to adjust to a change of velocity from Steggall to Carter.
“Honestly, it was a little bit of a confidence-booster,” Seaver said. “I hadn’t been having great at-bats the whole postseason. … I was very nervous, but I just saw the ball and hit it.”
Daniel, the next batter, drove the first pitch he saw into the right-center gap for a double, scoring Seaver to give Russellville what turned out to be a much-needed insurance run.
“We’ve talked from the very beginning of the season about trying to drive balls into the right-center field gap,” Branson said. “In practice, we play a game based on points, and hitting the ball into the right-center gap is a 3-pointer. That’s the way to win the game in practice the quickest.
“And obviously, it’s the way to win the state semifinals the quickest, too.”
Cinotto relieved Miller in the bottom of the seventh, getting an infield pop-up to force the extra inning. He started the eighth with a strikeout, but Steggall drew a seven-pitch walk and Wyatt Moran singled to right field, putting runners on the corners.
Carter hit a groundout to the shortstop, scoring Steggall and putting the tying run at second base. Jackson Lewis worked a full count against Cinotto, but Russellville catcher Jake Schulte fired a strike to second base to pick off the runner to end the game.
“Our kids were just locked in, every single pitch,” Branson said.
Russellville took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Isaiah Kauffman drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third base on an errant throw on a pickoff attempt and scored on Cinotto’s two-out single up the middle.
“We feel really good about ourselves any time we can push that first run across,” Branson said.
Portageville tied the game at 1 in the fourth inning. Joey Hofmeister drew a leadoff walk, then the next batter, Nathan Bash, put down a sacrifice bunt.
Kauffman, Russellville’s second baseman, took the throw at first base for the out, but Bash collided into him as he reached the bag. Kauffman fell to the ground, allowing Hofmeister to advance an extra base to third. No interference was called, as umpires deemed it was incidental contact.
The next batter, Paul Nelson, hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Hofmeister.
“I asked (the umpires) about the runner going through with his arm up as he crossed the bag,” Branson said. “They got together and talked about it, and they stuck with their judgment. That’s a bang-bang judgment call. I go through those a lot, so I understand that.”
The game was delayed 10 minutes as Kauffman suffered multiple cuts and was bleeding from his face from the contact on the play at first base. He left the game and did not return.
“The injury to Isaiah got us down,” Branson said. “Being a junior- and senior-laden team, they picked each other up out there on the field and responded to get out of that inning.”
Bryce Bryant had a pair of singles for the Indians, while Kauffman’s replacement, Landen Waggoner, singled in the seventh inning.
Steggall, Hofmeister, Nelson and Moran each singled for 10th-ranked Plattsburg (28-9), which will play ninth-ranked Gainesville (22-7) in the third-place game at 10 a.m. today.
Cinotto only threw 27 pitches in 1⅓ innings of relief, so Miller is the only Russellville player who is unavailable to pitch in today’s state championship game.
“We’ve talked about fighting your best and playing with heart and guts,” Branson said. “You get to the end of the season in the Final Four, you’re going to be playing against high-quality opponents.
“Our kids just competed every single pitch. I couldn’t be more excited for what they did.”