After so many games during baseball season, it can all come down to one game.

Community R-6 at Pilot Grove Photo Gallery

In an improved season by Community R-6 that saw the team playing for a Central Activities Conference title in its final conference game, the Trojans were limited to three hits and struck out 12 times against Pilot Grove’s Connor Rohrer to lose 3-0. The Tigers took conference on their home field and on their Senior Night as the Trojans led off the game with a single and didn’t reach base via hit until the seventh inning.

"Today I felt like I let my kids down," head coach Joel Krato said. "I felt like we weren't prepared to hit that sort of velocity. That was the first time this year where we weren't ready to hit, not ready to compete the way we wanted to. I didn’t push them hard enough in practice and haven’t had them face that kind of velocity enough in practice. They’re not just going to wake up, roll out of bed and be able to hit that kind of pitching.”

The senior and Kansas Wesleyan signee Rohrer racked up seven strikeouts the first time through Community’s order. While Rohrer struck out 39 in 23 innings with a 2.44 ERA last season, he also hit .425 with four home runs, leading Krato to intentionally walk Rohrer twice as he said he didn’t want his bat hurting the Trojans (11-5, 5-2 CAC) too.

The plan was to have Rohrer’s teammates beat Community, and in the first inning, the Tigers (13-8, 7-1 CAC) started strong. They began the first inning with back-to-back doubles in a two-run inning. Waylan Christy hit a home run in the third inning for more insurance.

“Gavin competed his heart out,” Krato said. “We stopped throwing fastballs because apparently, all they do is hit fastballs. We started throwing the slider more and started throwing the splitter more. We’d go fastball with two strikes and then they’d still sometimes hit it. They’re a good offensive team. The fact that we held them to three runs is an accomplishment.”

Allen stranded two runners to prevent more damage in the first inning thanks to two strikeouts. He had two other innings within the first four frames end with Pilot Grove stranding two runners on base and owned a final line of seven strikeouts, six hits, four walks (two intentional to Rohrer), and three runs (two earned) in six innings.

“Gavin has been working on that (splitter) the last two years,” Krato said. “I think he left two up, but you could tell the kids were way out in front of it.”

Krato said Community’s defense played a huge role in keeping the Tigers from making the deficit even more daunting. At every place he could think of around the diamond, the Trojans had a defender make a nice or spectacular play, Krato said. 

A moment that stuck out was in the middle of the game as centerfielder Ayden Meranda, who finished 2-for-3 from the leadoff spot, dove to snare a potential double from dropping. The senior pounded gloves with rightfielder Mason Rohan after he landed with the balls secured, providing one gem out of many in the field for the Trojans.

“Ayden Meranda dropped a fly ball (Monday) but makes one of the best plays I’ve seen in high school baseball today,” Krato said.

“Defensively, we played a great game,” Krato continued. “Pacey Cope and Drake Welch turned a 5-4-3 double play, (Mason) Carroll made a good backhanded play at shortstop and tagged second, and we did a lot of good things. Eli (Johnson) is great every day and does a great job of getting our pitchers strikes just by the way he receives it. That’s a kid who has never really caught before until last year.”

The Trojans’ wins have increased by four since last year — with three remaining regular season games as of Tuesday — and own their best record since 10-5 in 2015. Despite the conference title goal disappearing, Community still has a chance to meet its other goals, namely a district title.

"It's bittersweet because if you were to tell me going into the season that we'd only lose two conference games, that's a good season," Krato said. "After a loss where we had a chance to win it, it stings. To see my kids put all the work in, like we go six days a week, we come in the morning, we stay late, we go long hours, we do stuff in the fall, we do stuff in the summer, we do stuff in the offseason. It’s frustrating because I want to see my kids’ hard work pay off, and it’s not at the level that I want to see it at yet.”

Community played at Mark Twain (2-15) on Thursday prior to competing in its final game against a district opponent before the postseason at 5 p.m. Monday at Higbee (13-1).

Speaking of districts, Community has the No. 2 seed and will face conference foe and No. 7 Madison (0-14) at 2 p.m. on Thursday in Glasgow.