SLABA: Jefferson County Blazers Eliminated From Tournament

COTTLEVILLE—The Jefferson County Blazers forfeited their game on Wednesday night in the SLABA League Championship Tournament.

The second-seeded Blazers lost, 6-3, to Eagles West on Tuesday night in the  winner’s bracket at St. Charles Community College. They are traveling to Florida this weekend, so because they cannot play in the tourney finals, American National advanced without the loser’s bracket final being played.

The Eagles earned a berth in the finals, which will be played on Friday at St. Charles Community College. American National knocked out the South-West Stars on Tuesday, 10-2.

American National must beat the Eagles twice (once on Friday and again on Sunday) to win the title.

Just last week, the Eagles West SLABA team took a bad loss in a big game against the top-ranked Stallions Baseball Club of Wentzville and St. Peters.

Although disappointed with that loss, Eagles head coach Mike Buda had one immediate message for his club.

“We’ll be the No. 4 seed in the (SLABA) Tournament,” he said that day. “We’ll be dangerous and we’ll sneak up on some people.”

It turned out the coach couldn’t have been more right. The Eagles (21-10) have won three straight games. They are the only remaining unbeaten team left in the event.

"We’re in the finals, and we haven’t even given up an earned run this whole tournament,” Buda said. “We picked up the defense. We’re hitting and we’re pitching. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

He’d be hard-pressed to find anything better as the Eagles seemingly made every clutch play and every clutch pitch on Tuesday.

It started in the bottom of the first inning when Francis Howell North graduate Mike Wilson blasted a two-out double high off the right-centerfield wall, narrowly missing his fifth home run of the summer. It continued with consecutive singles by fellow Howell North mates Dan Define, Kyle Schikore, Dustin Dalton, and Jon Willie that gave the Eagles an early 3-0 edge.

“Those guys have been picking it up big-time,” Buda said. “As they go, we go.”

And they were off to a soaring start.

But the Blazers rallied to tie in the third thanks to a two-run single by Vianney High senior-to-be Nick Ulrich, who also scored after a pair of Eagles throwing errors after a pickoff attempt at second.

“I was a little worried because guys were late getting here,” Blazers head coach Dustin Bain said. “It was 5 o’clock (with a 5:45 start time) and guys were just getting here. Other guys were lost, we never played here before. Just typical 17-, 18-year-old stuff.

“But once we tied it up, we got a little life. But all of a sudden we started focusing other places.”

That lack of focus was clearly a problem in the bottom of the third when several Blazers defensive lapses helped the Eagles regain the lead.

First, a passed ball allowed the Eagles’ Schikore, who led off with a single and had three hits in the game, to advance to second. He then took third on an error, and scored on a ground ball that should’ve been an out.

Eagles second baseman D.J. Bills (Howell North) then delivered the clinching blow when he singled home Willie to make the score 5-3.

Starting pitcher Brannon Callaway, a member of the state championship winning Francis Howell squad, then took over from there and shut out the Blazers the rest of the way. He allowed just three more hits before leaving for reliever Cale Laughlin (Howell North) with one out in the seventh and final inning.

“He's a state champion and he pitched like it," Buda said. "The heat got to him a little bit. That's why I took him out. He pitched a heck of a game and gave me everything he had.”

Laughlin induced a hard-hit double-play ball from the Blazers’ Zach Moss (Seckman) that banged off Laughlin’s leg right to teammate Brett Sloan (Howell North), who turned the play and ended the game.

"I've got my No. 1 (Dalton) back for Friday, so I like our chances," Buda said. "He threw the first game of the tournament and threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts. And if we play them (the Blazers) again, they haven't seen him this year.”