STEELVILLE – It was a week of mixed results for Steelville High School’s baseball team.

The Cardinals got crushed by Crocker on April 21 before taking out their frustrations on Viburnum on April 22 in a decisive win. Steelville’s scheduled game versus Sullivan on April 24 was cancelled due the heavy rain fall in the area.

The Cardinals are now 4-11 on the season as they enter the home stretch of their regular season. Steelville will host three straight games before wrapping up their regular season on May 11 in Owensville.

The Red and White hosted St. James on April 28 for senior day, where Steelville’s seniors and their families were honored prior to the first pitch being thrown.

The Cardinals will play Bismarck on May 1 in Sauget, Illinois, at Arsenal BG Ballpark, which is the home of the Gateway Grizzlies minor league baseball team. Steelville is technically the home team for that matchup. The Cardinals will then host Belle on May 4 for their last home game of the season.

Cards get crushed by Crocker

Steelville’s pitching couldn’t contain an explosive Crocker Lions lineup that scored 18 runs the day before against Plato. The Lions erupted for seven runs in the opening inning and in the fifth inning en route to a 25-6 shellacking of the Cardinals. 

The Red and White put up a fight at the plate in the first two innings, scoring three in each inning to trail 11-6 heading into the third. But, that would be all the runs Steelville would score and the Lions poured on 14 unanswered runs to pull away with the win in six innings.

The Cardinals collected 10 hits throughout the afternoon and had three freshman post multi-hit games. Shortstop Ripken Halbert, third baseman Carter Wallis and first baseman Chace Grayson all singled twice. Halbert also scored twice, drove in a run and stole a base and Grayson drove in a run.

Junior Garrett Richter doubled, drove in a run and scored, senior Trentin Garrison singled, scored and knocked in two runs and freshman Carter Grandstaff singled and scored to round out the Cardinals offensive production. Richter, Halbert, Wallis and Granstaff combined to pitch five innings, all allowing at least five runs to the potent Crocker lineup. Richter started and gave up just two earned runs out of the seven scored against him.

Steelville gets back on track against Viburnum

The Cardinals hosted the Viburnum Blue Jays the following afternoon at Steelville City Park. The Blue Jays plated three runs in the top of the first inning, but the Cards didn’t waver.

Steelville scored six runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back. The Red and White added three in the second and another half dozen in the fourth inning to pull away with a 15-3 victory in five innings.

Grayson started on the mound, and was terrific from the second inning on, striking out seven Blue Jays in four innings to earn the win. Colin Orick came on in relief for the fifth and final inning and struck out the side.

Steelville continuously showed patience at the plate and speed on the base paths, walking a whopping 12 times and stealing 12 bases.

Carter Wallis walked three times, singled, stole three bases and scored a trio of times. Grayson singled, drove in two runs, swiped a pair of bases and scored and Grandstaff walked three times, drove in a pair of runs and stole a base.

Steelville’s biggest hit came off the bat of Garrison, who roped a triple to center field. He finished with two base knocks, two runs scored and a stolen base. Richter also collected a pair of hits, drove in two runs and scored once. Cameron Wallis walked, drove in a run and stole two bases and Halbert walked, singled, scored twice, drove in a run and stole a base.

Viburnum was led by senior Waylen Gilliam, who knocked in a pair of runs and pitched three innings.