Sedalia Rick Ball Ford practiced hitting with wood bats while the young Smithton Storm roster chalked another doubleheader to experience Monday, June 19 during a 10-0, 21-0 Rick Ball sweep at Liberty Park in Sedalia.
Anticipating a wood bat tournament June 23-25 — and considering two wins over Smithton last week — Sedalia worked with lumber against the Storm’s pitching staff. Easton Webb and Kyler Simoncic threw back-to-back five-inning shutouts.
Webb surrendered two hits and four walks, and paid special attention to his landing as the came progressed.
“I was trying to stride out a lot more,” Webb said. “Toward the end I started picking it back up … Stepping toward the plate instead of away.”
In game two, Simoncic struck out eight and allowed a first-inning single to Sam Burnett. Sedalia (17-10-1) piled 21 runs on 18 hits against three Smithton pitchers.
Scoring in every inning, Sedalia entered mercy-rule territory on a bases-loaded walk to seal game one. Collin Polley drew the game-winning base on balls.
With two errors in game one, Smithton Storm coach and manager Steve Moore said the margin between Sedalia and Smithton is thinner than the scoreboard illustrates. The Storm had seven errors in game two.
“You know, we’re a young team and they’re awful good,” Moore said of Sedalia. “We’ve played them three times now and they’ve beat us pretty good, but the difference sometimes is so small … I realize they’re a good team, but we’re close.”
The Storm, upstarted last season, deploys one player who tried out for Sedalia Rick Ball Ford, and other students from Smithton, Sacred Heart and Smith-Cotton. Playing and losing against classmates can be discouraging, but Moore said he admires the Storm’s tenacity.
“I even told them, ‘If you don’t want to play (Sedalia) again, you don’t,’” Moore said. “No, they want to come play them again. These guys aren’t intimidated. You can beat them once, beat them twice, but if you’re going to play them a third time you’re going to have to beat them again, because we’re going to show up and play.”
Before hosting the Sedalia Wood Bat Tournament, Rick Ball plays Brookfield 6 and 8 p.m. Tuesday in Mendon. Smithton hosts half of a six-team round robin tournament Saturday, June 24 with Versailles and Marshall before playing for third, second and first Sunday in Cole Camp. Action begins 3 p.m. Saturday.
