Smithville beats St. Charles in third-place game of Missouri Class 4 baseball

Smithville outfielder Evan Coder wanted to make the most of his final high school game.

The senior did a good job of it with a pair of hits, including a home run, and a diving catch in left field in the seventh inning as the Warriors concluded their 2015 season with a 6-1 victory over St. Charles on Saturday in the Class 4 third place game at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

“We did not come out of here with what we wanted,” Coder said. “But after losing (Friday), we came back with the mentality of going out and playing our hardest because for some of us this could be the last game of competitive baseball that we will play.”

Smithville took charge early, taking a 6-0 lead with the help of home runs by Coder and Alex Schram.

That would be plenty of offensive support for starting pitcher Jacob Bohlken, who went six strong innings. Bohlken allowed one run and three hits. Dakota Marriott closed it out in the seventh.

“We talked to the guys ... about the importance of this game,” Warriors coach Josh Speer said. “I told them only two teams (in each class) would finish their season with a win.

“We wanted to send the seniors out with a victory, and we played a good game. Jacob pitched well, and we did a good job of putting the ball in play.”

Smithville finished the season 22-8.

“I don’t think many people gave us much of a chance to have this kind of season,” Speer said. “Our goal all year was to get here, and now we finished with a win. I think one of the keys to our success all year was our senior leadership.”

▪ Cape Notre Dame, which defeated Smithville in the semifinals, cruised to the Class 4 title on Saturday with a 17-0 victory over Sullivan in five innings. Christian Job, who had five hits against the Warriors on Friday, had six RBIs in the championship game.

This story was originally published June 6, 2015 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Smithville beats St. Charles in third-place game of Missouri Class 4 baseball."