Baseball: Eagles Over Devils, More of a Battle Than Either Team Expected

Maplewood Richmond Heights’ team of six freshmen, two sophomores and a junior battled Brentwood in the first meeting of the two teams this season.

Eagles senior pitcher Jesse Sneed went the distance to get the 8-4 win at Deer Creek Park.

See more MRH photos on Maplewood-Brentwood Facebook.

See more Brentwood photos on Maplewood-Brentwood Facebook.

“Gutty performance on the mound,” Brentwood coach Mike Imergoot said. “Jesse was running out of gas and was really a hero. He was really good early. He got behind in the count, but he came right back, and bulldogged it in the ninth inning.” (There are actually seven innings in high school games.)

“Late in the game, my arm was getting a little tired,” Sneed said.  

He was happy his team backed him up and got the runs when they needed to, especially against MRH.

“Every conference game is a big game. That’s’ how we look at it,” he said.

The Devils fought back in the bottom of the 7th, but couldn’t bring it home, leaving runners on the corners at the last out.

MRH underclassman pitcher Dan Williams pitched into the sixth inning, when a hit ball hit him on the hand, but picked it up and made the out at first anyway. “Took one for the team,” he joked.

“They’ve got a good team. Always have been,” Williams said. “To be honest, since we lost all week, we came in, I pitched my best, but I didn’t think it would turn out the way it did.”

MRH coach Jonathan Webb said he couldn’t be prouder of his team.

“It was inspiring to see the way some of these guys came out and performed,” he said. “Really play together in a way that we probably didn’t see until late last year. And to see it in a group of freshmen and sophomores against a really quality team like Brentwood, that’s admirable.”

Brentwood now stands at 5-3. They face Hancock at home on Friday, with both aces on the mound, that's Kevin Smith, for the Eagles.

MRH holds at 1-6. They play Bayless at Deer Creek on Friday.