By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Right up until the final out at first base, retiring Shawnee Heights baseball coach Ryan Schmidt believed he and his T-Birds could find a way to play another day.
Shawnee Heights senior Jayden Holly (right) celebrates with sophomore teammate Cam Floberg after scoring the tying run in Thursday's Class 5A quarterfinal against Spring Hill. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But Shawnee Heights couldn't quite complete their late-game rally, dropping a 5-2 Class 5A quarterfinal decision to Spring Hill Thursday at Wichita State's Eck Stadium, officially ending Schmidt's 25-year run as the T-Birds' head coach.
"I'm very proud of them and all Shawnee Heights baseball players for that matter,'' said Schmidt, who was a part of four state titles at Heights (two as head coach, two as an assistant). "It's been a really special career and I'm just proud of everybody.''
No. 5 seed Shawnee Heights, which finished its season 13-12, fought back from a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first to tie the game in the second.
Senior Jacob Malcom tripled and scored before senior Joe Reynolds singled into right field and went all the way to third on a Spring Hill error, allowing senior Jayden Holly, who had reached on a fielder's choice, score the tying run.
No. 4 Spring Hill (18-8) broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth on a run-scoring single from Benjamin Ragan and added two insurance runs in the sixth as the Broncos took advantage of four walks, including two with the bases loaded.
Shawnee Heights fought back to load the bases with no outs, but senior reliever Holden Lough recorded two straight strikeouts before getting a groundout to end the game.
"We came a long way from the start of the season to where we are and these guys really wanted it real bad,'' Schmidt said. "We just missed out on some timely hits and had a few walks here and there and just couldn't scratch them across today.''
Shawnee Heights junior Deacon Pomeroy delivers a pitch in Thursday's Class 5A quarterfinal against Spring Hill. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
Shawnee Heights junior Deacon Pomeroy the first of three pitchers used by the T-Birds, took the loss despite giving up just three runs in four-plus innings while Spring Hill senior starter Caiden Stewart picked up the win.
Spring Hill advanced to an 11 a.m. semifinal to face No. 8 seed Salina Central (10-18), which knocked off top seed Bishop Carroll in the first round.
