Savannah beats Maryville 9-3 for district title thanks to eight run first inning
May 19—Thanks in large part to a bizarre first inning that saw Savannah score eight runs on just three base hits, the Savages beat Maryville 9-3 on Wednesday at Phil Welch for their first district championship since 2019.
Top-seeded Savannah (28-5) coach Erich Bodenhausen says this is an effort that has been in the works for a year.
"They worked real hard, they put in a lot of work in the offseason and I'm proud of them," Bodenhausen said. "We thought last year after we lost to Lafayette that we had a chance at that this year, and I'm proud of these guys."
The Savages started senior Ty Hilsabeck on the mound, who orchestrated a quick top of the inning, throwing three of the first four Maryville (12-9) batters out at first.
The bottom of the first was the lengthiest frame of the day by far, as Savannah batters were walked six times, four of which with bases loaded. Junior Truman Bodenhausen also drove in two runners with a single, and an error on a throw to first led to another run.
"It was good, I figured we'd put up some more runs," Truman Bodenhausen said. "But it's alright because we still came out with the win."
Despite the substantial lead, Hilsabeck noted that they still had to challenge themselves to stay focused.
"It was great and all, but that puts all of the pressure on us to give it all away even when they gave us that much leeway," Hilsabeck said.
Hilsabeck did his part, striking out the side in the top of the second. The Savages comparatively struggled to get in scoring position with Spoofhounds junior Adam Patton on the mound, but the defense stranded a runner on third in the top of the third inning.
Maryville scored their first run of the game in the top of the fourth off of an error that allowed junior Cooper Loe to run in, and the Savages responded with a one run triple by senior Aiden Leonard with two on the board to maintain the deficit in the bottom of the inning.
Maryville's Boston Hageman and Spencer Scott drove in runners in the sixth inning for Maryville, but despite holding the Savages to just one run through the final six innings, it proved to be too little and too late.
Maryville coach Hans Plackemeier spoke on the bittersweet aspect of ultimately finishing strong after their disastrous first inning.
"We're not gonna say should have, could have because we got beat 9-3," he said. "But it shows the character of our team, we'll never give up and we'll always be in the game."
Savannah will advance to state sectionals to play the winner of the Class 4 District 15 district title game between St. Pius X and Excelsior Springs.
With goals of getting back to the state series on the mind, Savannah coach Erich Bodenhausen took a moment to speak on the senior class that has overcome a lost season in 2020 and the district championship loss last season.
"They're a great group of kids, we have great leaders here," he said. "They come to practice every day and they bust their butts."
Levi Smith can be reached at levi.smith@newspressnow.com.
