STEELE, Mo. -- For three straight innings, the Van Buren Bulldogs were victims of, "That's just baseball."
It was enough to end their season as South Pemiscot won 3-2 in the first round of the MSHSAA Class 2 playoffs.
"A play here, a call here at second base, anything could have changed the outcome but that's just baseball. We can second guess everything, but we never second guess is the work that these guys put in," Van Buren coach Jacob Black said. "We're not satisfied by no means, but we are proud. We are proud to be from Van Buren and proud to be Bulldogs."
In the bottom of the fourth with two on, South Pemiscot's Kevin Burton hit a line drive to center field.
One run scored easily. Burton tried for second on the throw home. The throw back to second was close and the ball dribbled loose on the slide and tag, allowing a second run to score from third and put South Pemiscot ahead 3-0.
Black was quickly on the field to argue the call. He felt Burton slapped the ball out of the glove, and should have been called out while the second run should have to go back to third base.
The umpires didn't change their minds and in the top of the fifth with Van Buren hitting, Black continued to argue from his spot at third base.
"Everything was fine," said Black, who was relegated to the bench, but not ejected. "It worked. We got a couple runs. It fired them up. Whatever I can do to help them, that's what I want to do."
Van Buren (16-3) got its leadoff runner on in the fifth via an error and tried to bunt.
In another "That's just baseball" moment, the small ball move backfired. The bunt popped up to the pitcher, who threw to first for a double play.
Van Buren had one hit, by Spencer Burnham, going into the top of the sixth inning when Burnham made it two with a leadoff single and Todd Wilcoxon singled behind him.
Justin Chilton hit a grounder to second and reached on a throwing error that also scored Burnham.
With one out, and runners on second and third, Ethan Ponder hit a RBI groundout toward second.
In one last "That's just baseball" moment, Ponder got tangled up with the first baseman on a close throw at first and both fell to the ground.
Watching the play, the pinch runner at third saw a chance to tie the game and took off for home. The first baseman jumped to his feet and threw in time for an inning-ending, lead-preserving double play.
Logan Damesworth, who allowed three hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts in the win, retired the Bulldogs in the seventh on five pitches to finish with 99 total.
"He was mixing in his pitches good. His fastball had a lot of run to it, a lot of life to it. He mixed in curveball, fastball, slider and cutter," said Wilcoxon, who was 1 for 2 with a run and a walk against Damesworth.
Burnham threw 5 1/3 innings in the loss and allowed six hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.
Wilcoxon came in with the bases-loaded and one out in the sixth and didn't allow a run.
"I was just trying to throw strikes. I knew I had a good defense behind me," he said.
He threw splitter after splitter, using off-speed to counter the hard-throwing Burnham. It had South Pemiscot out in front and Wilcoxon got a strikeout and a slow roller to end the inning.
South Pemiscot (15-7) scored its first run in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Riley Cain, who was 2 for 4 with a run, beat out an infield single, took second on a passed ball, third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a line drive to left.
"They're warriors. That's going to be their legacy. They're warriors. It's been an absolute honor. It's been my privilege to get to be with these guys. They're not my players, they're my kids and they are going to do great things in life," Black said of his team. "They've put Van Buren baseball on the map. If we do our jobs, they are never going to be forgotten because we are going to back one day on this day right here and say this season is what got Van Buren out there."