Glendale baseball feels deja vu in state quartefinal defeat to Blue Springs

Glendale baseball felt a bit of deja vu during its second-straight quarterfinal appearance.

Like last year, on the same stage, the Falcons faced one of the best pitchers in the state, were limited to just one hit and shut out for the first time all season while giving up the game's lone runs in the fourth.

For the second year in a row, Glendale was on the losing end of a 2-0 state quarterfinal game, this time on its home field and against Blue Springs.

"We just couldn't bounce back," senior pitcher Drew Wedgeworth said. "It was definitely difficult."

More: Willard baseball back in state semifinals after beating St. Francis Borgia

Blue Springs pitcher Colton Gibler showed why he's a potential MLB Draft pick in July

Blue Springs pitcher Colton Gibler, an Arkansas commit who could possibly be selected in July's MLB Draft, threw six innings while striking out nine and allowing one hit. He was removed from the game due to pitch count.

Gibler's performance comes a year after St. Francis Borgia pitcher Jack Nobe limited the Falcons to two hits in a Class 5 quarterfinal game. Nobe is committed to Xavier and held Willard to two hits in a Saturday quarterfinal but still came out on the losing end.

"We ran into a good pitcher, again," Glendale coach Jim Julian said. "We had some chances, but we couldn't get anything across."

More: Glendale ace Drew Wedgeworth, grandson of Bill Rowe, commits to Missouri State baseball

Historic Glendale senior group played its last game

The game marked the end for one of the best senior classes to come through Glendale baseball. The group had 101 wins over the last four years and helped set the program's single-season win record in each of the last two seasons.

It took about 40 minutes after the game for players and coaches to leave the field and go home. They spent time hugging and wiping away tears.

Wedgeworth, a Missouri State commit, was the ace pitcher for the group that also features plenty of other standouts like Mark Ross II, a Central Arkansas commit, Cam Stratton, Kaleb Julian and Alex Rankin.

"They're more like brothers," Julian said. "When they kind of rib on each other, it's not like they're trying to get under each other's skin. It's more of a brotherhood. I'm a big believer in team chemistry and that it goes a long way. We haven't had to try to manufacture team chemistry over the last couple of years."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Glendale High School baseball falls to Blue Springs in quarterfinals