No. 1 Rock Bridge hammers No. 2 Francis Howell in potential state championship preview

May 6, 2011

By Mike Rosenbaum

COLUMBIA - After nearly a two-hour rain delay, No. 1 Rock Bridge (24-2) and No. 2 Francis Howell (22-3) finally squared off on Thursday night in what was ultimately the game of the year. With each team sending their respective ace to the hill, the game had the makings and intensity of a state championship showdown.

On the hill for Rock Bridge was RHP John Miles (right), the No. 12 player in the Class of 2011 and a University of Missouri signee, who has emerged as one of the state?s more intriguing pitching prospects this season. Opposing Miles and toeing the slab for Francis Howell was RHP Brett Graves, the No. 6 player in the Class of 2011 who, like Miles, is a Mizzou-bound pitching prospect.

Although Graves has received considerable recognition from both college and professional scouts this season, Miles ultimately bested him on Thursday, tossing a complete game and smashing two doubles as Rock Bridge hammered Francis Howell, 13-3, in a six innings.

After they were retired in order in the first inning, Francis Howell scored the game?s first run in the top of the second. 1B Kyle Nuetzel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The next batter, C Gordie Gundaker, followed with an RBI single down the third baseline. The Vikings would eventually put runners on second and third with one out, but squandered the opportunity when LHP/OF Ryan Schmidt caught a sinking line drive off the bat of 3B Johnny Koch and fired to back to second base to double-off the retreating Howell base runner.

?I knew that they might begin the game with the lead, but we were going to end the game with it,? said a confident John Miles after the game.

Miles and his teammates used the shift in momentum to their advantage, scoring four runs in the bottom of the second without collecting a hit. After 3B Travis Bittle (right) and Miles drew walks to start the inning, RF Beau Burkett advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. 1B Landon Clapp then chopped a ball to the Howell third baseman, who threw home but was unable to get a sliding Bittle. After another play at the plate and an errant throw on a steal, Miles, Clapp, and CF Jordan Bley all came around to score to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead.

Pitching with a lead and oozing confidence, Miles retired the Vikings in order in the third.

In the bottom half of the inning, Bittle laced a two-out double into the right-centerfield gap, and was subsequently plated on a double down the right field line by Miles.

The score remained 5-1 until the top of the fifth, when Howell rallied for two runs and cut the Bruins? lead to two. After Graves reached on a fielders choice and 2B Brett Peel worked a walk, a double-steal put runners on second and third with two outs. CF Jake Ivory (right), who will join Miles and Graves at Missouri next year, ripped a two-run single past Miles? head and into centerfield.

As Rock Bridge came to bat in the bottom of the sixth, the game?s tension was as palpable as it had been all night. Although the Bruins had the lead, everyone in attendance knew that the game?s momentum could once again shift at any moment.

Bittle led off the frame with another knock and once again scored on a double to the right-centerfield wall by Miles, his second of the contest. That was just the tip of the iceberg for the Bruins, however, as they went on to score seven more times, sending 13 hitters to the plate and ultimately walking away with a six inning, run-rule victory.

Clapp once again came through in the clutch, driving in Miles with a single back up the middle. Bley was then hit by a pitch and C Jeff Ausmus followed with a single to load the bases with one out. SS/RHP Ryan Phillips (right), the No. 2 Class of 2012 player, ripped a line drive off of Koch?s glove and into left field for an RBI single.

Bittle, who led off the inning for Rock Bridge, then plated another run with a bases loaded walk to increase the lead to 9-3. Francis Howell had multiple opportunities to end the inning and halt further damage, but failed to do so as an infield error and a dropped third strike allowed three more runs to cross the plate. In the end it was the senior Clapp, whose bat has fueled the Bruins? offense all season, that came up with the walk-off knock, when he lined his third hit of the day to left-center to plate the team?s final run.

?That was a district championship-feel game. It was a lot of fun?it?s why we coach and why we play,? said Rock Bridge head coach Justin Towe.

After their 23-game winning streak was snapped by No. 7 CBC on Wednesday, Thursday?s contest against No. 2 Francis Howell proved to be the biggest test of the season for the Bruins.

?I wasn?t mad that we lost yesterday?in a sense, I?m glad we lost,? Towe stated.

?The last couple weeks we?ve been coming out and kind of going through the motions because we were capable of doing so. Tonight was the team that we?ve been for the biggest part of the season: intense, ready to go, and everyone on the bench ready to come in and do whatever they need to do,? he added.

?We just flat-out got complacent and they beat us yesterday,? said Miles, echoing his coach?s thoughts.

?We went in to yesterday?s game tired and lackadaisical, so it was a good wake up call for us?we were fired up the entire game tonight,? added Ryan Phillips.

While everyone was already well-aware of Graves prowess on the mound, it was the lesser-known Miles who stole the show and showcased his potential on Thursday night. The 6-foot-3 right-hander dominated one of the state?s best offenses as he fired a complete game, allowing three runs on five hits while walking two and fanning eight.

?That?s what John?s been doing all year?he?s just been shutting people down,? said Towe of his starter. ?He?s our senior leader and does exactly what everyone expects him to be doing.?

Miles showed his best fastball this season, which sat between 85-87 mph and touched 88 mph on multiple occasions. Even more impressive were his offspeed pitches, however, which he consistently threw for a strike on both sides of the plate.

He showed outstanding confidence in his 71-73 mph slider with late and sharp break, throwing it in virtually every count and keeping the powerful Francis Howell offense off balance. He also showed remarkable command of his 72-74 mph changeup, using it sparingly and generating numerous swing-and-misses.

?My fastball was good and I was getting great drop on my changeup,? said Miles of his arsenal. ?After the third inning I really got warmed up and felt awesome.?

?My slider is really my set-up pitch because I?ll throw it in any count and it makes my other pitches that much more effective,? added the right-hander.

Miles? complete game performance improved his record to a perfect 6-0 this season, and the lanky right-hander has now fanned 53 in 36 innings.

The Bruins? offense was led by their core of standout seniors: Bittle was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI, two walks and scored four runs; Miles was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and two RBI; Clapp was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI; and Phillips was 1-for-4 with a run scored and RBI.

?We?ve known all day that we were going to face Graves, so we were pretty prepared for it,? said Travis Bittle. ?He?s the best pitcher we?ve faced this year, so to come out on top like that feels pretty good.?

Although Graves was saddled with his first loss of the season (6-1), the hard-throwing right-hander only allowed three earned runs on four hits in four innings of work. Regarded as one the state?s premier arms, his fastball sat between 87-89 mph and reached as high as 91 mph on Thursday. Graves struggled with the command of his 73-76 mph slider, though, as the patient Rock Bridge offense seldom chased it out of the zone.

For Francis Howell, Ivory finished the game 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI while Gundaker was 2-for-3 with an RBI.