Two heartbreaking setbacks were among the three losses suffered by the St. James High baseball squad at a windy Nelson Hart Park last week.

The Tigers were belted by Gateway Legacy Christian Academy 19-1 Monday, April 13. In a Four Rivers Conference contest that was tied 2-2 entering the seventh inning, the Owensville Dutchmen rallied to beat the Tigers 6-2 Tuesday, April 14. And Friday, April 17 St. James entered the seventh inning tied with state-ranked Vienna only to lose 5-4.

That left the Tigers 1-10 overall and 0-3 in the FRC.

This week St. James was slated to play at Sullivan Monday, host Belle Tuesday, play at New Haven in league play Thursday and play at Iberia Friday (5 p.m.).

April 17 - Vienna 5, STJ 4: The Vienna Eagles, ranked No. 6 in the latest Missouri Class 1 state poll, struck first against the short-handed Tigers by scoring three times in the top of the second inning. Vienna then made it 4-0 with a run in the third.

However, St. James closed the gap with a three-run bottom of the third.

It remained 4-3 entering the bottom of the sixth, when the Tigers tied it up. In the Tiger sixth senior Max Wilson walked and junior Hunter Freeman singled to right field, leaving runners at first and second base with one out. A line drive  hit by senior Trevor Mitchell was dropped by the Vienna rightfielder to score Wilson with the tying run, making it 4-4 going into the seventh frame.

In the Vienna seventh, Dylan Long opened with a single to rightfield. Long then stole both second and third base. Hunter Schwartze drew a walk on a 3-2 count to put runners at first and third base. Schwartze then took off to steal, and the throw to try to get him at second base sailed into the outfield, allowing Long to score what would prove to be the winning run.

The Tigers put the tying run on base with a walk in the bottom of the seventh, but could not get him home.

Vienna outhit St. James 6-3 and took advantage of five Tiger fielding errors.

Senior Cooper Schacht doubled and scored for St. James while Freeman and freshman Jaden Otto each had a hit.

Junior Isaac Pearson started on the mound and threw five innings for the Tigers, allowing two earned runs on five hits and no walks. Mitchell finished up the final two innings, allowing a hit and two walks.

St. James was without senior regular JV Meurer, who was out of town on another school activity.

April 14 - Owensville 6, STJ 2: Owensville scored a run in the top of the first inning. It stayed 1-0 until the Tigers plated two runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Owensville Dutchmen tied the score 2-2 with a run in the sixth and pulled away with a four-run seventh inning. Owensville outhit St. James 9-4.

Freeman, Meurer, Mitchell and senior Eugene Lefebvre had hits for the Tigers.
Meurer pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and a walk while fanning six. Mitchell ended up getting the final out in the seventh.

April 13 - Gateway Legacy 19, STJ 1: The Tigers were limited to just three hits by the Gateway Lions. Gateway took control immediately, getting 12 runs in the top of the first inning, one in the second and six more in the fourth. The game was stopped after four innings.
Schacht, Mitchell and sophomore Patrick Lonning had hits for STJ. Pearson, sophomore Aiden Cruz and Otto pitched for the Tigers.