MJHS baseball team suffers first loss in Class L semifinals

CENTRALIA -- The Marion Junior High School baseball team suffered its first loss of the season Tuesday in the semifinals of the SIJHSAA Class L state tournament at Centralia's Rotary Park.
The Wildcats had a 5-0 lead against Highland, but ended up losing 15-7 and now take a 23-1 record into Thursday's third-place game.
Marion will face Millstadt (16-8) in that game at 1 p.m. O'Fallon-Carriel faces Highland (18-5) for the championship.
After a scoreless first inning, the Wildcats scored five runs in the second with a most improbable rally starter.
Cole Bundren was batting with Karsten Stotlar on first base -- after the first of his five singles -- and fouled a pitch off that bounced back up and nailed him in his own face.
After a delay to get Bundren helped off the field and stable, Walker Fox took Bundren's place in the batter's box with a 1-2 count.
Fox took a ball as Stotlar stole second, then singled to left field on the next pitch. Lukas Shrum then reached and both Kale Cameron and Trevor Jackson were hit by pitches.
All five runners scored, but Highland plated three in the third to get back in it. The rally started against Marion's Mason Gooch, who walked three batters, and continued after Devyn Wright was brought in to pitch.
Highland tied it in the fourth with a double by Aiden Duft and went ahead in the fifth with the help of an error that brought in two runs.
MJHS scored in the bottom of the fifth after Trace Bittle singled, but wouldn't score again until the seventh and was nearly shortgamed in between.
Highland scored seven runs with six hits and three Marion errors. Those seven runs were seven consecutive batters as the lead ballooned to 15-6 with another runner on second base but stranded.
In Marion's sixth, Shrum drew a walk and Jackson singled but both were stranded. MJHS got another chance to bat in the seventh and Stotlar singled and scored.
Highland's entire lineup contributed but especially Blaise Pearson, who came in from right field to pitch in relief and went until having to leave before the final out due to his pitch count.