Championship Heartbreak: Lutheran South Falls to Westminster in Championship Game

SPRINGFIELD, MO. — After suffering losses in two previous meetings against defending state champion Westminster Christian, every member of the Lutheran South baseball team thought the third time would be the charm, when the clubs met again in Saturday's MSHSAA Class 3 state championship game here at Meador Park.

Unfortunately for the Lancers, they needed something more than luck on Saturday, as Westminster jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and never looked back, in what proved to be a 10-4 victory. The win makes the Wildcats Missouri's first repeat state baseball champions since Webb City won back-to-back titles in 2005-2006.

"Words can't describe the feeling," Westminster team captain and likely St. Louis area Player of the Year Tate Matheny said. "This was our goal from day one. We knew if we played well and played hard everyday, this is what we would get. And we did."

Lutheran South, which was making its first ever state championship game appearance, finished the year with a 25-6 record, with three of those losses coming against Westminster.

Junior Ben Lovell was the winning pitcher in all three of those contests for Westminster, while South's Ryan Strohm was the hard-luck loser in all three.

The first two matchups were nail-biters that Westminster finally won in the final innings.

Saturday's game though was just about over before South even came to bat, as the two-time champs jumped on Strohm for eight hits in the first inning, including RBI hits by Shane Benes, Brett Bond and Jacob Buffa.

The big blows in the inning, and the entire game really, were a two-run single by Connor Larson, and a two-run triple by Matheny.

"I think our guys were ready," Westminster coach Rich Van Gilst said. "When we lost the coin toss, I said, 'Well, we get to hit first.' And they said, 'Yes!' And they certainly did."

The son of St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, Tate Matheny was the lead player on the best team in the area this year, and thanks to those two RBIs off Strohm, was also able to clinch the area Triple Crown award by leading leading the area in hitting (.610 batting average), home runs (11), and RBIs (51).

Westminster added runs in the fourth and sixth innings, and lead 10-1 before Lutheran South was finally able to mount a reasonable rally in the bottom of the sixth.

The Lancers strung together four straight hits, including consecutive doubles by Brandon Downey, Trey Martin, and Dirk Otterstein that knocked Lovell from the game, and made the score 10-4.

Senior Ethan Krenning drove in Lutheran South's first run of the game, with an RBI single in the third inning.

Unfortunately though, those four runs were all that South would get, as junior Ben Mitchell came in to pitch the final two innings for Westminster, and was able to hold the Lancers scoreless for the final six outs of the game.