Knights come from behind to best Blue Jays in district title showdown

“We talked a number of times how this district was just a grind,” Borgia Head Coach Rob Struckhoff said. “Every team from 1-8 could win it, and it was just going to take making plays at the right time, getting a couple of breaks and being able to handle the pressure cooker of being in these situations. Our guys were able to handle it well, especially late.”

Borgia will advance to host Glendale (25-5) Saturday in a Class 5 state quarterfinal game.

The Blue Jays, which won their first conference title in more than three decades this season, came within three outs of also capturing their first district title in a similar time frame.

“I was their (freshman) coach for 11 days before COVID happened and then COVID happened, this (varsity) job opened up and I got it, so I felt like I’ve grown with them,” Washington Head Coach Dane Gough said of the graduating seniors. “I didn’t have a rousing speech at the end of the game. I just said ‘Guys, I’m going to miss you.’ It’s been four years together, we’ve grown together and I’m going to miss them for sure.”

The game featured a rematch of the two squads’ pitching aces, Borgia’s Jack Nobe and Washington’s Grant Trentmann.

Washington took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and both teams added a tally in the fifth leading up to the final frame.

Nobe fired 6.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

“He was right where he needed to be and then Regan Kandlbinder came in and got the last one,” Struckhoff said. “It was an amazing performance by our pitching staff and by the team in general.”

Nobe earned the win, which was closed out by Kandlbinder for the final out after Nobe reached the MSHSAA mandated pitch limit.

“They’re a great team,” Nobe said. “It’s great to play the in-town rival, but it’s just good to get a win. I was pretty excited and wanted to get that last out, but Reagan Kandlbinder stepped up and made a play.”

Borgia’s bats backed Nobe with 12 hits, all singles, three of which the pitcher produced himself.

Tanner McPherson, Kabren Koelling and Noah Hendrickson rapped out two hits apiece.

“Words can’t describe it,” McPherson said. “Beating Washington High School in the district championship is unbelievable. As a senior, there’s no better way to go out.”

Drew Eckhoff, Justin Mort and Tyler Kromer each singled.

Eckhoff, Nobe, McPherson, Kandlbinder, Mort, Koelling and Hendrickson each scored once.

Kromer drove in two runs. McPherson, Mort, Koelling, Hendrickson and Henry Vedder each drove in one.

Kandlbinder drew two walks. Eckhoff and Hendrickson both walked once.

Nobe, Vedder and Hendrickson were hit by pitches.

Nobe stole two bases.

“Trentmann was outstanding, working himself out of jams,” Struckhoff said. “We put some guys on and they turned a nice double play once and another one at the end there. They had a diving play in the outfield, a running play in the outfield and these are things that as a player you can get down and lose your focus, thinking everything is going bad, or you can keep moving on to the next play. We did a good job of flushing the moments that didn’t go our way and that led to some moments that did go our way late.”

Washington put together five hits.

Hanon Jarvis singled twice.

Sam Paule, Aden Pecka and Weston Meyer each had one single.

Jacob Weidle walked twice.

Meyer drew a walk.

Paule drove in Ethan Stellhorn for the first run on a sacrifice fly.

Sam Strubberg, running for Meyer, scored the second run on an error.

Trentmann pitched 5.2 innings before reaching MSHSAA’s pitch limit (105). He struck out five and walked three while allowing one run on seven hits and one hit batter.

“Grant’s been doing it all year,” Gough said. “He’s been an amazing pitcher and I’m going to go nominate him as an all-state pitcher here in a couple weeks. I think he’s thrown 70-plus innings and he’s going to have a 0.60 ERA at the end of this.”

Kaner Young got the final out of the sixth inning before Borgia got to him in the seventh. He exited with a 2-2 tie and the bases loaded with nobody out in the seventh, having allowed one walk and three hits.

Young was charged with four earned runs.

Gavin Matchell pitched the remainder of the seventh, during which each of the inherited runners and two more earned runs came across. Matchell allowed two hits and hit two batters.

Borgia plated its first run on an RBI single from McPherson that drove in Eckhoff in the top of the fifth.

Two innings later, the fireworks started with a single from Nobe, followed by a stolen base and another single for McPherson.

Kandlbinder walked to load the bases and Mort ripped a single over the top of the drawn-in infield to tie the game at 2-2.

Koelling then hit a ground ball to first base and Washington made an unsuccessful attempt to get the lead runner at the plate, pinch runner Cohen Jasper.

Jasper’s run made it 3-2 and the next two batters, Hendrickson and Vedder, were hit by pitches to force in two more runs.

A two-RBI single for Kromer finished off the scoring.

“Guys came up and battled through each count,” McPherson said. “Putting up five or six runs on them out of the bullpen, that’s what you have to do against somebody like Grant Trentmann. That’s huge. I’ve got a lot of faith in these guys. I know what we can do here. We’ve got a lot of talent and we’re going to make a run. Mark my words.”

Borgia ended its championship game Monday still in the dark about who it would play in the state quarterfinals as the District 6 championship game between Glendale and Willard had a later start.

“I think they’ve both been ranked No. 1 in the state for parts of the year,” Struckhoff said.

Glendale, a 2-0 winner over Willard, finished the regular season as the No. 2 ranked Class 5 team in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association poll. Willard was the No. 3 ranked team in the final poll. Washington was ranked fifth and Borgia ninth.