Chillicothe, Savannah advance to Class 4 District 16 baseball title game
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) – After weather postponed Monday’s semifinal matchups, four teams took the field Tuesday at Missouri Western with hopes of keeping their seasons alive in the Class 4 District 16 baseball tournament.
The first semifinal featured second-seeded Savannah taking on third-seeded Maryville. The Spoofhounds struck first, plating two runs in the top of the second inning, but Savannah didn’t wait long to respond.
In the bottom of the third, the Savages came alive with a four-run frame, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Landon Noland to surge ahead 4-2. Maryville tacked on a run in the fourth to pull within one, but Savannah answered in the sixth and held on for a 5-4 victory.
With the win, the Savages clinched a spot in the district championship game.
In the nightcap, top-seeded Chillicothe made its postseason debut after a first-round bye and faced off against fourth-seeded Lafayette, which advanced after a 13-3 win over Cameron on Saturday.
The Hornets broke a scoreless tie in the second inning when Cooper Robinson singled, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a Sammy Rodenberg RBI single into the four-hole.
However, the dagger came quickly, as Chillicothe exploded for five runs in the fourth, sparked by an infield miscue that allowed Robinson to score again and extend the lead to 2-0. With the bases loaded, Koby Wagers hit a grounder that slipped under the third baseman’s glove, scoring two more. Howie Donoho followed with a base hit up the middle to bring in two additional runs, capping the rally with a 6-0 lead.
That score held, as the Hornets shut out the Fighting Irish to advance. Chillicothe and Savannah will square off in the Class 4 District 16 championship at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Missouri Western.
