KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- Just one win shy of securing a spot in the final four for the first time ever, the Poplar Bluff baseball team's historic playoff run came to an end.
Poplar Bluff starter Tanner Tibbs' arm was a blur of motion Friday afternoon, but the Mules' hot offense met its match and couldn't back him up against Vianney in a pitcher's duel.
After six scoreless innings, Vianney junior Luke Mann smoked a line drive into left-center field to score the go-ahead run from first base as the Griffins defeated Poplar Bluff 1-0 to punch their ticket to the MSHSAA Class 5 semifinals.
"It's going to hurt for a little bit but it should hurt after everything we accomplished this season," Poplar Bluff coach Steven Edwards said. "No matter the outcome of this game, people are going to look back and remember 2017 because these boys worked hard to make history."
It was just the second loss in nearly two months for the Mules (20-6), who started the season 1-4 before winning 20 of their last 22.
"It's not the way we wanted it to end but this season is something I'll remember forever and ever," Tibbs said. "I've been playing with these guys all my life and we accomplished so much."
Added senior Jared Moses, "I wouldn't want to play for or with anybody else. This is the best team I've ever played on for sure and I'm definitely going to miss it."
Vianney (31-6) will play Fort Zumwalt West (23-14) at 4 p.m. June 2 at CarShield Field in the semifinals.
Griffins junior Noah Niznik outdueled Tibbs in a game where the teams combined for five hits.
Niznik went all seven innings, gave up two hits and struck out seven with only 72 pitches thrown.
"We had a plan at the plate but he had us guessing a little bit," Edwards said of Niznik. "He threw a lot of off-speed stuff at us. It was a great job by him."
Niznik kept the Mules off balance but when they did put the ball in play, Mother Nature took over.
"I'd say the wind played a factor for sure," Ronin Rice said. "We put a lot of hard-hit balls in play and whenever we did it would just hang there. Made it tough to get anything going."
Tibbs nearly matched Niznik's outing and retired 16 consecutive Vianney batters over the course of six innings before Andrew Keck's leadoff single in the top of the seventh.
On an 0-1 count, Vianney coach Scott Brown called a hit-and-run with Mann at the plate.
"I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and force it to the other side," Mann said. "I was just trying to make contact and see where it goes. I put a good swing on it and the ball just kind of jumped."
Keck, who was going full tilt on the pitch, throttled back when he saw Poplar Bluff senior Michael Anagnostopoulos getting closer to making a spectacular play in the center field.
But when the ball hit the ground and scooted away past a diving Anagnostopoulos, Keck was back to full speed again and determined to score.
"As soon as it hit the ground I was already on second and I was going all the way," Keck said. "We were going to get that run there."
Keck scored standing up as Mann cruised into second base with a double. Keck had two of Vianney's hits.
It was only the third hit Tibbs allowed all game. The left-hander struck out two and walked one on 77 pitches.
Tibbs (7-3) induced 10 groundouts and eight pop outs in his nearly flawless complete-game loss.
"He pitched amazing. The best he's probably pitched ever," Edwards said. "Everything was working, we kept their batters off balance throughout, but one play, one hit is the difference in the game."
Poplar Bluff, which beat Summit 2-1 in the sectional round, managed its second hit of the game in the seventh inning when Tyson Cox singled with two outs. But Niznik closed out a complete-game victory by inducing a pop up to the second baseman.
"No one likes to lose a game like this where both pitchers throw great in a 1-0 game, but you can't hang your head," Edwards said. "It was a well-played game all around and unfortunately we were the ones that came on the bad side of a pitcher's duel."
Tibbs gave up the first hit of the game to Keck who doubled with two outs in the top of the first. After intentionally walking Mann, Tibbs got Anthony Altobella to pop out and end the inning.
Niznik kept the Mules hitless and without a base runner through two innings until Tibbs' one-out single in the third. But the Griffins turned a double play one pitch later to end the threat.
Niznik retired 11 straight over the next four innings.
Tibbs was equally stingy, extending a scoreless streak to 16 innings over four appearances that included a complete-game shutout of Jackson in the district final. Over the past three seasons and 28 games, Tibbs went 16-4 with three saves and a 1.69 ERA.
The loss ended perhaps Poplar Bluff's best season, which featured a second straight SEMO Conference Tournament title after winning the regular season crown, then winning a state playoff game for the first time in the program's 44-year history and third appearance.
Vianney advanced to its sixth final four since 2002 and first since 2014 after beating Poplar Bluff 8-0 in the opening round.
Since that loss, the Mules had not been shutout until fifth game of this season, ending a string of 59 games.
The 5-0 loss to state-ranked Lee's Summit West also marked a turning point. Poplar Bluff won its next seven before a 4-2 loss to Notre Dame -- the first loss at new Bobby Strenfel Field -- then carried a 13-game win streak that included four wins over ranked teams into Friday's quarterfinal against third-ranked Vianney.
The Mules lose nine seniors -- Tanner and Tyson Tibbs, Rice, Anagnostopoulos, Matt Lambert, Jared Moses, Trevor Fredwell, Joe Darlin and Kolby Bess.
Combined, the group played 425 varsity games and helped the Mules go 81-21-1.
"Hard work, dedication and being all in is what we've said all year and these seniors were leaders of that the whole time," Edwards said. "We're going to miss them but I'm proud to say that every senior that's played here all four years now has a chance to go play college baseball."