Southern Bank hoists Pony trophy

Despite the delays and postponements Mother Nature threw at them, the Southern Bank Slammers found a constant to carry them through.

Backed by timely hits and heads-up baserunning from his teammates, Dalton Gatewood dazzled on the mound with a no-hitter in Southern Bank's 4-1 victory over Xtreme Family Fun in the Poplar Bluff Park Department Pony League Tournament championship Monday at McLane Park.

"We've ridden his arm all year long and the boys respond when he's throwing," Southern Bank coach Doug Gatewood said. "When it's your kid out there you've got to maintain that player-coach relationship on the field, but after the game I was dad. I'm just so happy that I could share this with him, my other son Devin and the whole team. These are the most respectful kids I have ever coached and they deserve it."

With the win, Southern Bank won its first championship in three title game appearances. The Slammers completed a perfect season, going undefeated in both regular season and tournament play and only allowed four runs against them all year.

"These older boys have just dominated this league over the years and it just feels good to win," Coach Gatewood said. "The team practiced hard, played patient baseball and delivered throughout the lineup game after game."

Dalton Gatewood struck out 16 and needed 105 pitches to get his seventh no-hitter of the season. He retired nine straight at one point and only walked three.

"I felt great tonight and just pitched my heart out I guess," Dalton Gatewood said.

His first free pass of the game, however, looked costly when he put Xtreme's Phoenix Hanley on with one out in the top of the first. Hanley stole second and third before scoring on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.

"We tried to fire it up and everybody felt good at that point," Xtreme coach Tommy Rucker Sr. said. "We were in it the whole game, but all we had to do was hit a little more."

While the hits never came for Xtreme, they showered consistently for the Slammers.

Coach Gatewood's other son and Dalton's twin brother Devin led off the bottom of the first with a bunt single then came around to score on a passed ball after stealing second and third. The Slammer's offensive spark came just a few minutes after Devin injured his left thumb while catching for Southern Bank. Devin relieved his catching duties and was replaced by Trenten Stroup, but remained in the game for a key moment.

"I wasn't going to let him quit because we're not quitters at any time, and he comes up with a big hit to get us going," Coach Gatewood said.

Added Devin Gatewood, "I wanted to stay in there. There was no way I was coming out because my team needed me."

Stroup walked to begin the second and scored one batter later on Aedan Dawe's RBI single to give Southern Bank the lead for good.

Dalton Gatewood, meanwhile, retired the next seven he faced, including six strikeouts during that span.

He walked Hanley with two outs in the fourth to end that streak but got mowed down the next batter on four pitchers to end the inning.

Southern Bank tacked on two more runs on consecutive errors in the fourth. Ben Colclasure added a double in the fifth and Romeiro Coleman had a single in the sixth to round out the Slammer's day at the plate.

Dalton Gatewood retired the side in order in the fifth thanks to a pair of dazzling stops by first baseman Logan Massey to preserve the no-hitter.

"Just knew I had to stay in front of them," Massey said. "They were hit pretty hard but I stayed down and kept them in front of me."

Dalton Gatwood walked one more in the sixth before his 1-2-3 seventh inning gave the Slammer's the title.

"As the kids just told me, it was a slamma-ramma season every single game," coach Gatewood said. "It's all about them and I was proud to have the honor of coaching them."