Norwood Pirates win district championship

Coming into their April 29 contest against Cabool, the Norwood Pirates’ baseball team had just a 6-11 spring record. When combining their 3-8 mark from the fall season, the Pirates had only won nine of the 28 total games they’ve played in 2023-2024.

Then everything began coming together for the squad as the regular season came to an end when the Pirates won four of five contests.

This momentum and confidence led them to being chosen as the No. 1 seed in Class 1, District 4.

All Norwood did last week was outscore two district opponents by a 19-1 margin to win the program’s third district championship in four seasons.

The Pirates, with the help of solid starting pitching and quality defense, defeated host Dora on the Falcons’ home field in the championship game, 3-0.

“We’ve been talking a lot about pitching and defense and how it affects all areas,” said Norwood head coach Drew Miller. “In the last seven or eight games, it started to click and it all started coming together. We are finding ways to win games like this.”

Starting pitcher Cooper Vaughan hit the first two batters he faced. He settled down to force three straight infield pop outs as the inning ended on Holten Lopez’s diving catch at first base.

Dora would strand two more runners in the top of the third inning before Vaughan completely took over the game in the fourth with three straight strikeouts.

With the game scoreless through four innings, the Pirates got on the board in the bottom of the fifth behind Pierce Lawson’s RBI single that scored Noah Drake, who reached base on a walk.

“Offensively this year, he’s been there to help us,” Coach Miller said about Lawson. “He was 3-for-3 tonight and was batting .410 before tonight. I think he’s had a hit in his last five at-bats…”

In the sixth inning, Brady Vaughan hit a two-RBI double to push the lead to 3-0.

Cooper Vaughan then overcame a third hit by pitch in the top of the seventh inning by ending the game on two consecutive strikeouts.

“I had a slow start and then I found it,” said Cooper Vaughan after the win. 

“The defense just picked me up when I needed them.”

Cooper Vaughan tossed a complete game shutout and allowed just three hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk, plus three hit batters.

“He gives us a chance every time he’s been on the bump this year,” Coach Miler said.

Lawson finished the game with three hits and one RBI; Brady Vaughan had his two RBIs; while Cooper Vaughan, Lopez and Drake each scored one run.

Norwood took on a 10-8 Leopold team in the Class 1 state sectionals on the Pirates’ diamond just after press time.

In the district semifinals, the Pirates scored at least three runs in each of the first four innings to easily dispatch of Eminence, 16-1.

Cooper Vaughan led the offense with three hits, three RBIs and four runs scored; Wyatt Bolfing added three hits and three RBIs; Lopez had two RBIs and four runs scored; Brady Vaughan tallied two RBIs and one run scored; Gary Williams had one RBI and scored four times; Lawson scored twice; while Laken Coatney scored one run.