Harrisonville, Lee’s Summit North seek Missouri state baseball crowns

Entering the season, Harrisonville baseball coach Jade Samborski figured his team would be able to hit. So far, he hasn’t been disappointed.

According to Samborski, the Wildcats have scored 275 runs this season — an average of almost 10 runs per game — and have set school records for home runs, doubles and hits.

With an offense like that, it’s easy to see why Harrisonville has had so much success this season. The Wildcats, 23-6, will face Cape Girardeau Notre Dame at 4 p.m. today in a semifinal of the Missouri Class 3 state tournament at Meador Park in Springfield.

“We have kids who have played a lot of baseball, not just in high school, but for a lot of years,” Samborski said. “They do a good job making adjustments and driving the ball the other way.”

The Wildcats aren’t the only Kansas City area team to make the state semifinals thanks to a powerful offense. Lee’s Summit North, which at 25-5 is in the midst of the best season in the school’s history, showed off its firepower by racking up 16 hits in a thrilling 16-11 state quarterfinal win over Liberty on May 28.

“Putting 16 runs on a team shows we can score,” said Lee’s Summit North senior first baseman/pitcher Gavin Stark.

And like Harrisonville, Lee’s Summit North — which faces DeSoto at 10 a.m. today for the right to play in the Class 4 state title game on Saturday — did a little damage to the record book. Junior third baseman/pitcher Brad Phillips tied a single-season record for hits, while Stark set a record for doubles. The Broncos’ 25 wins are also the most in school history.

But if both teams hope to win their first state baseball title in school history, it figures to come down to pitching and defense. Sure, Lee’s Summit North gave up 11 runs against Liberty. But the game was tied at 11 entering the sixth inning, when LS North scored three runs and managed to hold on to the lead by holding the Blue Jays scoreless over the final two innings.

Nobody, meanwhile, has to tell Samborski the importance of pitching and defense. The combination of both almost cost Harrisonville in sectionals, when he said his team overcame six errors in an 11-10 win over Savannah.

“We realize that it’s going to come down to our pitchers throwing strikes and our defense making outs,” Samborski said.

submitted by TEREZ A. PAYLOR - 2009-06-04 23:03:02

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