Hicks fans 10 as Bell City baseball advances to Class 1 final for third year in a row

Bell City's Austin Hicks celebrates after striking out a Hurley batter to end a Class 1 semifinal on Monday in O'Fallon, Missouri. The Cubs won 3-1.

Laura Simon

O'FALLON, Mo. -- Austin Hicks is no stranger to championship game appearances.

The Bell City senior has been an integral part of a program that has won back-to-back Class 1 baseball state titles and is gunning for a three-peat.

But for the Cubs' ace, the third time feels just like the first when it comes to advancing to the final.

Hicks will get to experience a third consecutive championship game after his complete-game win propelled Bell City past Hurley 3-1 in a state semifinal Monday at CarShield Field.

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com Bell City players prepare to bat during a Class 1 semifinal against Hurley on Monday, May 29, 2017, at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri. Bell City won 3-1.

Laura Simon

Hicks gave up one run on three hits, finishing with 10 strikeouts and two walks, as the Cubs overcame an early one-run deficit. They will face Wellsville in the final at 1:30 p.m. today.

"It's kind of one of those feelings you can't describe, but it's a feeling of being thankful," Hicks said. "And also it's a feeling of knowing all your hard work your whole career, the whole team's put in every day since we were freshman.

"It's just a [culmination] of everything coming together to give yourself a chance at the state championship."

Along with his pitching gem, Hicks went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in a two-run third inning that gave the Cubs (20-6) the lead for good.

The two-time defending state champs totaled seven hits, including four in a row in that third inning. Cole Nichols and Logan Yates led the way with two hits apiece.

Hurley (16-7) struck first with a run in the bottom of the first. Starting pitcher Issac Carlson drove in a run with a one-out triple to the left-field wall. It was just the 10th earned run Hicks has allowed this season in 68 2/3 innings for a 1.02 ERA.

Bell City caught a break, as well. Carlson tripped rounding third and was tagged out. Instead of a runner on third with one out and a chance to go up 2-0, the Tigers' threat was gone.

Hicks struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Over the final six innings, Hicks gave up just two hits and walked one batter.

Carlson, batting third in the lineup, had two of Hurley's three hits as he went 2-for-3.

"They had a good team up and down the lineup," Bell City coach Justin Simpher said. "Their 3-hole hitter was a good hitter, and he's a good pitcher so he knows kind of how he's going to get worked."

Hicks' dominance on the mound allowed his team to take the lead.

After not tallying a hit through the first two frames, Bell City strung together four in a row with one out in the third.

Nichols started the rally with a single to right that skipped past the right fielder. That error allowed the senior to advance to third. He scored seconds later when Hicks singled to center. Catcher Bobby Wright followed with a double over the left fielder's head, and Hicks scored from first.

Bell City added an insurance run an inning later when Taylor Ogden reached third to lead off the inning thanks to a single and another outfield error. Kenny Bradshaw drove him in with a groundout to second base.

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com Bell City's Jesse Smith makes a play with first during a Class 1 semifinal against Hurley on Monday, May 29, 2017, at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri. Bell City won 3-1.

Laura Simon

"If you've seen our team play this year, usually we answer with a big inning and, I mean, I've got to give all the credit to my team," Hicks said. "They've had my back all season, and they fight. We fight until the end for everything. A lot of the games this year, the big games, we've been down early."

Carlson took the loss as he allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and five walks while notching five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Carlson was the one of three seniors on Hurley's roster.

Bell City has six seniors, including five starters. That group includes Hicks, Wright, Nichols and Ogden.

That quartet, along with second baseman Jesse Smith, have been here before. All were starters on last year's state championship squad. They know what to expect, even if it still feels like the first time.

The other five starters -- the Cubs have a designated hitter and a field player who doesn't bat -- haven't been in this position as starters. Now that they are, Simpher doesn't want them preparing any differently.

In the huddle before each contest, he's repeated the same message: play this game like any other. So he would go against his same words if he told his players something different before the championship game.

"Just go out there and play the game," Simpher said. "If you try to act like it's anything more than that you don't play relaxed. You play tight and then if things don't go your way, it's magnified."

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com Bell City takes on Hurley during a Class 1 semifinal on Monday, May 29, 2017, at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri. Bell City won 3-1.

Laura Simon

Weather delay

History repeated itself for the Bell City in more ways than one on Monday.

For the second straight year, a Cubs' semifinal game was interrupted by a weather delay.

Halfway through Bell City's pregame introductions, it was announced over the loudspeaker the game was in a delay due to lightning.

A game scheduled to start at 4 p.m. didn't get underway until after 5 p.m.

It could have been worse. Last year, rain interrupted the Cubs' semifinal after the first-half inning. A 15-hour delay ensued. The game wasn't restarted until the next day.

But this year, thanks to a new artificial turf playing surface the two teams were back on the field right after the final 30-minute mandatory delay for lightning ended.

Simpher said the delay didn't have much affect on the Cubs. It had the most impact on Hicks, who had to warm up twice.

"When you get yourself fired up and ready to play and then of course it rains again, thank goodness we got turf this year, so you got amped up and then you have about an hour to wind down," Simpher said. "But we got focused back in once we get down on the field. The guys have been ready. They enjoy these moments, and they got themselves fired up again and went out to play ball like nothing happened."

WP -- Austin Hicks. LP -- Isaac Carlson. 2B -- Bobby Wright (BC). 3B -- Isaac Carlson (H). Multiple hits -- Bell City: Cole Nichols 2-4, Logan Yates 2-4; Hurley: Carlson 2-3.