Tropics' Payne is perfect in W to set up title tilt with rival Squirrels

Southeast Tropics pitcher Kolten Payne throws on Monday against the Cardinal Legacy Perfectos in the Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

CHARLESTON – With an opportunity to defend his team’s 2023 Senior Babe Ruth World Series championship next month hanging in the balance, veteran Southeast Tropics manager Dustin Schwartz left nothing to chance on Monday.

The Tropics had to get past the Cardinal Legacy Perfectos in the Loser’s Bracket of the 2024 Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston to keep their postseason chances alive, and they did that in annihilating the Perfectos 19-0.

“I told the guys before the game,” Schwartz said following the win, “that I have never seen anyone who can lock in the way ‘KP’ does.”

“KP” is former Oran High School star pitcher Kolten Payne, who Schwartz dubbed his “ace.”

Payne threw a perfect game in dominating the Perfectos with no hits, runs, or walks and striking out eight.

“I felt great,” Payne said. “I’ve probably had a week-and-a-half of rest and my arm felt the best that it has felt this year.”

The win advances the Tropics into a matchup with their rivals, the Aycorp Media Charleston Fighting Squirrels (14-13), who beat the Tropics on Sunday 3-2.

The two teams will play at 5 p.m. today at Hillhouse Park. A Tropics win will force a tiebreaker at 7:30 p.m. while a Squirrel win delivers the State Tournament championship to the hosts.

“It was a tough (loss),” Payne said of Sunday’s defeat. “They are our rivals, and we hate losing to them. But we came out (against the Perfectos) and played our style of baseball and got the job done.

“We’ve just got to do the same thing (against the Squirrels).”

The Tropics (20-5-1) took a 3-0 lead in their initial at-bat and led 6-0 entering the fifth inning before exploding for 13 runs in the sixth inning.

Leadoff hitter Aaron Dunlap had two hits, three runs scored, two RBI, and a walk while Ross Peters (two runs), Payne (one hit, one walk), Mason Adams (two hits, three runs, one RBI), Owen Roberts (one hit, two RBI), Trey Benthal (one run, one walk), Dylan Hayman (one hit, two runs, three RBI, one walk), Dalton Forck (two runs, two RBI, one walk), Luke Umfleet (one hit), Waylon Hale (two hits, one run, one walk), Beau-Hunter Warren (one hit, one run, three RBI, one walk), Trey Miller (one hit, one run, two RBI, one walk), and Brenden Campbell (one run) were also productive.

Hayman, Payne, and Umfleet each connected for doubles while Dunlap had three stolen bases.

Peters nabbed a pair of thefts as did Hale while Jay Bogan, Payne, and Adams also had a stolen base.

Payne threw just 63 pitches in the win and 49 were for strikes.

“Our guys know,” Schwartz said, “when it comes to a big game, if they see (Payne) on the mound, we have a chance no matter what.”

The Squirrels receive an automatic berth into the World Series in Cape Girardeau next month because they are the host team, so today's outcome will not affect them.

Because the Tropics will finish - at worst - as the State Tournament runner-up, and the Squirrels are not taking the champion berth, it is awarded to the Tropics. So, Monday's victory clinched that World Series opportunity for the Tropics.