The Wright City baseball team seems to have found its edge at precisely the right time. After winning a seventh straight game on Monday, the Wildcats are preparing to play for the Class 3 District 8 Championship. They handled host North Callaway in a comfortable 7-1 victory, a week after narrowly defeating the Thunderbirds for the Eastern Missouri Conference title. Now Wright City is looking for its first playoff berth since the 2006 season. “They just have so much confidence right now,” said Coach Dave Chapman. “They’re on a mission and have a single-minded purpose when they go play.” He credits part of the Wildcats’ success to their two-headed pitching monster, comprised of seniors Tyler Tuepker and Austin Meine. “We’re very fortunate to have those two guys, and the fact they’ve been through the wars the last four years makes a difference,” said Chapman. “It’s a great luxury.” Tuepker started on the mound during the semifinal, allowing three hits and striking out two through a full seven innings. “I felt like I had a lot of control in my change-up, and my defense worked well behind,” said Tuepker. “He was pretty much in control the whole game, and we played great defense behind him,” said Chapman. Facing the Thunderbirds’ No. 2 pitcher, Wright City pushed ahead 5-0 in the second inning. “We had timely hitting and were aggressive on the base paths,” said Chapman. Senior Carlos Quiles led off the game with a double, scoring the Wildcats’ first run. He, along with junior Dallas Deroy, added another single in the second inning to both eventually score. It was part of an all-around efficient showing for Quiles. “He made two fantastic plays in the infield,” added Chapman. Senior Tony Smythe accounted for a run during that inning, as did freshman Andrew Pfuhl. “It was up and down the whole lineup,” said Chapman. “We had contributions from everybody.” Meine and Tuepker each added singles and scored in the fourth inning. Meine finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs. “We didn’t leave many runners on base,” said Tuepker. “If somebody got in, we were hitting them in.” Freshman Donovan Mozee had another solid outing, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. It was one of the Wildcats’ most complete efforts of the season. “Tonight we came out and we’re playing with a purpose,” said Chapman. Tuepker says he has endeavored to play for a district title since his career began and believes the Wildcats are playing with a chip on their shoulder. “Being that it’s my senior year, it means a lot,” said Tuepker. “I told the guys that we need to play like it’s our last game. We need to come out with a lot of intensity and focus.”

Wright City senior Austin Meine pitched the Wildcats to a first-round victory over Hermann during the Class 3 District 8 Tournament on Saturday.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.