The Cougars exciting post-season run finally came to an end with a 5-1 loss to the Marissa Meteors in the Marion Class 1A Supersectional.

 

The game was held at Rent One Ballpark, home to Southern Illinois Miners, and is considered by many as the top baseball facility in southern part of the state.

 

As was the case during their sectional games, the Cougars fell behind and had to try to play catch-up.

 

The Meteors put two runs on the board in their first at-bat against starting and losing pitcher Tanner Bushue with a lead-off walk, a single, a fielding error, and a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield.

 

Bushue would then pitch three scoreless innings before being relieved by Tyler Gillet in the fifth where he allowed the other three Meteor runs on a pair of walks and three singles.

 

Although they both pitched respectivley well in their six innings of work, the Cougar offense couldn't get anything going against the Marissa pitching.

 

Several hard hit balls were right at the defense and they struck out ten times while collecting just three hits on the day.

 

Kyle Monical had two of those as he singled in the fifth and rapped a long RBI triple in the seventh to account for the only run of the game.

 

Freshman Cole Armstrong had the other hit as he drove a ringing double into the right-centerfield gap in the third.

 

Post-season play rarely ends the way you would like for it to, but this group of Cougars did nothing but improve since the end of last spring and proved that hard work, dedication, and a "team first" attitude can truely pay off.

 

Not only did this group win the conference regular season and tournament championships in the fall with an 18-3 record, they are the first team in South Central history to advance to the "Elite Eight" during the spring post-season playoffs.

 

Congratulations go out to all the players for an exciting and memorable year of Cougar baseball and for continuing the proud tradition of success enjoyed by so many of the past players and fans of South Central athletics.

Armstrong, C.....4 0 1  0 

King.....3 0 0  0 

Gillett.....2 0 0  0 

Bushue, T.....2 0 0  0 

Donoho.....3 0 0  0 

Grapperhaus.....3 0 0  0 

Sill.....2 1 0  0 

 

LP-Bushue, T (8-3)