North Callaway wins pitcher's duel with Bowling Green to win outright conference title

The lead wasn't nearly as comfortable as it has been all season for North Callaway.

In fact, there was never a lead on Monday at home for Senior Night against Eastern Missouri Conference foe Bowling Green. The Thunderbirds (15-9) scored the winning run to walkoff the Bobcats (6-13,  5-5 EMO) and win 1-0 to win the conference outright with a 10-0 record.

Sam Pezold scored on a RBI single from fellow senior Carsyn Sheets in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Before that, the teams combined for seven hits. Pezold scattered three hits through seven innings.

North Callaway regular season is scheduled to end at 5 p.m. tonight at New Bloomfield (11-8).

Thunderbirds split final Southern Boone tournament day

North Callaway ran into some tough pitching this past weekend.

North Callaway vs Mexico Photo Gallery

It is pitching the Thunderbirds hope prepares them for districts as they finished the four games in two days of the Southern Boone Invitational with a 9-0 loss to Mexico in the fifth-place game in Mexico. North Callaway beat Hallsville 15-1 in five innings on Saturday but combined for one run in three losses to Southern Boone (25-8), Class 4 Moberly (18-6) and Class 4 Mexico (14–14).

North Callaway (14-9) has averaged about 10 runs per game this season, crushing the Eastern Missouri Conference to an undefeated record. However, Southern Boone (25-8) and Moberly were teams that either were state-ranked or had received state poll votes, and Sam Ryan pitched a no-hitter in Mexico’s second victory over the Thunderbirds.

“Scrapping runs across, meaning you have to get a runner on and move him over,” head coach Kirt Kleindienst said. “Then somebody has to do a job to get somebody in. We failed in putting barrel to baseball when we should.”

In the specific case against Mexico, Kleindienst lost his starting pitcher Keaton Bell after the sophomore was ejected in the third inning. Kleindienst said he planned to have Bell on a “short leash” anyway to save him for games the next week, but the effect of also losing the team’s leadoff hitter and a leader hurt. 

On top of that, Ryan is a talented pitcher for Mexico that was showcasing his skill against North Callaway, Kleindienst said, which included “changing eye levels” with his fastball to improve the effectiveness of his breaking ball.

“The effect it had on our team was confusion and it sucks the life out of your team when a leader is pulled that way or forced to leave,” Kleindienst said. “Not only is a leader on the field and on the bump, but he’s our leadoff hitter and energy-setter kind of guy. It flattens you out, and it did.”

In the previous Saturday game against Hallsville, North Callaway finished with 15 hits and triggered the run rule in five innings yet again against the Class 4 school. Sam Pezold went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two doubles (including a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning), Coltyn O'Neal finished 3-for-3 with three RBI and Keaton Bell was 4-for-4 with four runs, two doubles and a RBI at the plate.

Kleindienst said he still thought North Callaway had a good tournament. He said the Thunderbirds had good pitching performances from AJ Haubner, who pitched all six innings, in a 2-0 loss to Southern Boone and from Tucker Sheets and Pezold in three and two innings, respectively, against Hallsville, combining to allow five hits and walking one. 

North Callaway begins the Class 3 District 8 tournament at South Callaway in Mokane against South Callaway (12-13) at 6 p.m. Monday.

“It’s disappointing but good for our team to see that kind of pitching going into districts,” Kleindienst said.