Rockin' Reese: Kennett star powers his team to brink of history with C4 W

Kennett junior Reece Robinett blasts a hit in the seventh inning against Lafayette (St. Joseph) in the MSHSAA Class 4 Baseball State Semifinal on Wednesday at US Ballpark in Ozark.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

OZARK – Note to all high school baseball coaches in Missouri: If you are leading Kennett by a margin that can be overcome with one swing of the bat from Kennett junior Reese Robinett, you’ll decide to pitch to him at your own peril.

The Lafayette (St. Joseph) squad is now contemplating that scenario, because Robinett made the Fighting Irish leave US Ballpark in Ozark on Wednesday in dismay after they had controlled the MSHSAA Class 4 state semifinal for six innings. However, the game is seven innings long and according to Indian coach Aaron New: “Reece did what Reece does.”

Which is helps his team win a lot of games.

The Indians (25-8) trailed Lafayette 4-2 in the seventh inning before Robinett crushed a three-run home run over the massive right-field wall to turn the momentum of the entire game, which the Fighting Irish had held on to all day and open a spigot of offense that led to an 11-4 rout by the Indians.

The victory placed Kennett in the state championship game today at 6:30 p.m. against Blair Oaks (28-5), which beat Hollister 3-2.

It will be the first-ever venture to the title game for the Indian program.

The Fighting Irish had been dominant at times, and certainly in control, throughout the game, as senior pitcher Brayden Luikart was stifling the Indian bats.

“Their pitcher was so good today,” New said. “We just kept hanging around.”

Luikart, who has signed to play in the fall at Oklahoma (yes, THAT Oklahoma), limited Kennett to just three baserunners threw four innings while striking out eight batters.

Trailing 2-0, the Indians began to find some offensive success in the fifth inning.

J.T. Williams led off the inning with a walk and Kobe Gates moved him to third base with a shot down the right-field line.

Tanner Pierce sacrificed Williams home for a 2-1 score before Braden Tice got hit by a pitch, which put runners on first and second base.

Tice and Gates advanced on a wild pitch with Gates tying the game on a sacrifice by Nigut.

However, Lafayette (19-8) came right back courtesy of Luikart’s offense, who himself merits never being pitched to (he hit .580 this season).

Luikart singled and eventually sped home on the first of two doubles in the inning off Robinett, who was pitching in relief.

Lafayette scored again in the inning for a 4-2 lead and when the Indians couldn’t muster any threat in the sixth, things looked worrying for the Indian faithful.

“We’ve had games like this a lot of times this year,” Robinett said. “I think we were prepared.”

Robinett and his teammates may have been prepared, but no one wearing green-and-white was.

New told his lead-off hitter (Tice) to work the count on Luikart to increase his pitch count and try to wear him down.

“We kept talking about getting him out of the game,” New explained.

With Luikart having thrown 107 pitches and having walked Tice on four straight throws, Lafayette switched pitchers.

Nigut put two runners on with another walk, which brought up Robinett, who had more home runs this season than any other hitter playing in the Class 4 Final Four.

“I was just looking for a good fastball in my zone,” Robinett explained, “and I got it.”

He “got” ALL of it.

The shot sailed over the wall and put the Indians ahead for good.

Kennett ultimately totaled nine runs on five hits (Gates also homered and Robinett nearly did again) in the inning and the crowd _ from both teams – sat in shock.

Not only was Robinett effective offensively, but he also kept his team in the game with his pitching.

Kennett starter Payton Heinley lasted just 1 2/3 innings and New replaced him after he allowed a couple of earned runs and walked four.

Robinett came in and finished the remainder of the game.

In 5 1/3 innings, he gave up five hits, two earned runs, struck out five, and walked none.

“He’s the guy that we trust when things don’t go right,” New said. “We can bring him in and settle things down. He throws about 85-86 and his curveball for a strike. Any time you can do that, even in a Final Four, that is going to be tough on high school hitters.”

Robinett finished with two hits, one run, three RBI, and a pair of walks, while Tice (one run, one walk), Nigut (two RBI, one run, one walk), Tanner Duncan (one run, one walk), Bodey Ellis (two hits, including a triple, one run, one walk), Heinley (one run, one walk), Williams (one hit, two runs, two RBI, two walks), Gates (two hits, two runs, three RBI), and Tanner Pierce (one run, one RBI, one walk) also contributed.