Lutheran South Defeats Savannah to Play In State Championship Game

There have been plenty of games this season when the Lutheran South baseball team bashed the ball around the ballpark.

In fact, 16 times in the team's first 30 games this year, the Lancers reached double-figures in hits, and scored at least 10 runs in 10 of those games.

But on Friday morning at historic Meador Park in a MSHSAA Class 3 state semifinal game against Savannah (MO) High, Lutheran South could only manage four hits against the defending state runner-up Savages.

Fortunately, the Lancers played a game of small ball perfection on Friday, and overcame that limited number of base hits by taking advantage of nearly every Savannah mistake, which included allowing 11 walks, five stolen bases, and three wild pitches. The Lancers won 8-6.

The team (25-6) will now advance to Saturday's Class 3 state championship game -- the first title game appearance in school history -- where South will face either playoff Cinderella Marshall High School or defending state champ Westminster Christian.

The opponent doesn't matter to the Lancers, who had to come back from a 2-0 first-inning deficit against the Savages, then hold off their Friday opponents in the final three innings to advance to the state championship game.

Sophomore Brandon Downey started a little shaky for Lutheran South, and gave up four hits and two runs in the top of the first.

But the Lancers offense answered right back, with four runs on just one hit in the bottom of the first to take the lead.

South benefited from four walks in that inning and scored its first two runs on wild pitches. They also got a run on a throwing error after a stolen base by pinch runner Trey Martin, and a groundball out off the bat of Dalton Schumer.

Downey settled down after the nervous first inning, and set Savannah down scoreless in the next three innings, while his teammates took control of the game with a three-run third, which began for the Lancers with an infield hit, a hit batter, and another walk.

Senior Ryan Strohm made sure Savannah paid for its wild pitching by lacing a two-run single up the middle that scored Trevor Jost and Cole Bornhop, but also brought in Nick Bohlmann, who was able to score on a throwing error by the Savages.

South added another run without benefit of a hit in the fourth inning that gave the Lancers an 8-2 edge.

Savannah tried to rally in the fifth and sixth innings, and scored four times to make the game close.

In fact, they were even able to knock Downey from the game, but reliever Dirk Otterstein managed to get out of a sixth inning jam by striking out Savannah cleanup hitter Clayton Holt.

South went into the final inning ahead 8-6, but faced a bit more trouble when Otterstein walked the leadoff man in the seventh, which allowed Savannah to bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out.

But the sophomore righty did the job again, with a third strike for the first out, and a sensational double-play ball for the final two outs to close out what is now the biggest win in Lutheran South baseball history.

Head coach Steve Pfund, and every member of the Lancers baseball program, hopes that "biggest-win-ever" title only lasts for a day.