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Fort Osage’s Alex Greer thought this year was going to be different.
“We’ve been playing so well – especially the last couple of weeks – that I thought we were going to end the streak,” the Fort Osage senior center fielder said.
“But here we are again, talking after we lose the district championship game. It’s a tough way to end your high school career.”
The Indians were hoping to find a way to beat Raytown for the first time this season, but the Blue Jays used a big three-run sixth inning to claim a 6-1 victory over the Indians to claim the Class 4 District 15 crown Wednesday afternoon at the Independence Athletic Complex.
“We hit the ball hard today,” said Greer, The Examiner’s 2010 Player of the Year. “But every time we hit it hard, it was right at one of their players. That’s how it was all season when we played them.
“They’re a good team, and they beat us again today, but if any of those balls we hit would have fallen in – well, it might have been a different story.”
Raytown was holding on to a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning when fellow senior Spencer Gearhart doubled with one out and Greer walked.
Clean-up hitter Drew Standifer came to the plate and hit a screamer to right-center field that J.J. Wesley ran down for the second out of the inning.
Joel Frias then hit a hard drive to center, and Wesley took a step to his left to make the final out of the inning.
“If either one of those balls is in the gap, we have a new game,” Fort Osage coach Chris Walker said after his Indians wrapped up a 14-13 season that saw them play their best baseball the last two weeks of the season.
“I thought we were going to get it done this year,” Walker added when asked about the district championship drought, which extends back to 2006. “We have some solid seniors on this year’s team. And I’m real excited about next year with all the underclassmen we have – but I wanted Alex and those seniors to experience a district championship.”
Raytown has experienced an even longer drought in district play than the Indians. The title was the Blue Jays’ first since 1981.
Raytown (17-11), who improved to 3-0 against Fort Osage this season, took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a Wesley double, a sacrifice bunt by Michael Babbitt and Darius Hampton’s sacrifice fly to left field.
Fort Osage’s Alex Greer thought this year was going to be different.
“We’ve been playing so well – especially the last couple of weeks – that I thought we were going to end the streak,” the Fort Osage senior center fielder said.
“But here we are again, talking after we lose the district championship game. It’s a tough way to end your high school career.”
The Indians were hoping to find a way to beat Raytown for the first time this season, but the Blue Jays used a big three-run sixth inning to claim a 6-1 victory over the Indians to claim the Class 4 District 15 crown Wednesday afternoon at the Independence Athletic Complex.
“We hit the ball hard today,” said Greer, The Examiner’s 2010 Player of the Year. “But every time we hit it hard, it was right at one of their players. That’s how it was all season when we played them.
“They’re a good team, and they beat us again today, but if any of those balls we hit would have fallen in – well, it might have been a different story.”
Raytown was holding on to a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning when fellow senior Spencer Gearhart doubled with one out and Greer walked.
Clean-up hitter Drew Standifer came to the plate and hit a screamer to right-center field that J.J. Wesley ran down for the second out of the inning.
Joel Frias then hit a hard drive to center, and Wesley took a step to his left to make the final out of the inning.
“If either one of those balls is in the gap, we have a new game,” Fort Osage coach Chris Walker said after his Indians wrapped up a 14-13 season that saw them play their best baseball the last two weeks of the season.
“I thought we were going to get it done this year,” Walker added when asked about the district championship drought, which extends back to 2006. “We have some solid seniors on this year’s team. And I’m real excited about next year with all the underclassmen we have – but I wanted Alex and those seniors to experience a district championship.”
Raytown has experienced an even longer drought in district play than the Indians. The title was the Blue Jays’ first since 1981.
Raytown (17-11), who improved to 3-0 against Fort Osage this season, took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a Wesley double, a sacrifice bunt by Michael Babbitt and Darius Hampton’s sacrifice fly to left field.
But the Fort Osage responded to knot the score at 1-all the next inning on Andrew Jennings’ RBI double.
Raytown took a 3-1 lead it never relinquished in the bottom of the fourth inning when John Neal doubled and Matt Ybarra walked. They each scored on Babbitt’s two-run single.
Raytown scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to ice the victory for starter Matt Burnbaugh. Tyler Kobel came in and pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
“I’m so proud to have been a part of this team,” Greer said as he packed his gear for the last time. “It’s sad to lose your last game, but I have a lot of great memories.”
Carlos Ramirez and Gearhart had two hits each to lead the Indians. Derek Pike suffered the loss.
Raytown advances to Tuesday’s Class 4 sectional. The Blue Jays will play host to District 16 champion Liberty (25-5), which defeated Staley 11-8 in that final, at Robinson School in Raytown.
The time has not been determined.
District 14 champion Blue Springs South also will play Tuesday at the winner of today’s District 13 championship game between Rockhurst and Raymore-Peculiar.
