Railsplitters win exhibition game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis

[June 01, 2021]  The game

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon for baseball in St. Louis as the Lincoln Railsplitters faced the Mount Vernon Rams. The Railsplitters took the field at Busch Stadium for a unique opportunity to play a game on a major league baseball field and they took away so much more than a 6-2 win from the experience. A lifetime of memories will follow these young athletes. The game featured 36 players, five coaches, a couple managers and a lot of Railer fans cheering from the stands of Busch Stadium. It was undoubtedly a very cool experience for everyone in attendance.

Left-handed pitcher Sam Gleason took the mound for the Railsplitters to start the game versus Mount Vernon. The game was underway at 4:15 p.m. and the first pitch by Gleason was fouled off by the Rams’ batter. The leadoff hitter would get a base hit to left-center but the Railsplitters were quick to stop any scoring threat. Trent Koehler fielded a hard hit ball and flipped it to Singleton covering second for the first out. Singleton then fired to first and just like that, the double play was turned. The double play was impressive on the big field, but equally as exciting was the replay on the Jumbotron and the big smile on Koehler’s face after the play. Singleton made a nice play on the next ground ball. He charged it and quickly fired to first to end the inning.

Now it was time for Lincoln to rattle the bats.

Singleton was the first Railsplitter to step in the batter’s box. With a crack of the aluminum bat heard throughout the stadium, Singleton flew out to center for the first out.

Koehler came up to bat next and hit a grounder to second. The second baseman overthrew the ball to first and after Koehler ran into the first baseman, he regrouped and scrambled down to second base.

Keagan Ferguson then sent a single to the outfield and the Railsplitters were mounting a threat of their own.

Tanner Strampp was then hit by a pitch and he trotted down to first base as the infamous movie scene in the batting cage from “Happy Gilmore” played on the Jumbotron.

The bases were loaded for Sean Raffa. Raffa got his bell rung with a pitch to the helmet and he trotted off to first base. That sent Koehler jogging home from third with the Railsplitters first run of the game.

Lucas Konczyk made the score 2-0 with a sacrifice fly that scored Ferguson.

In the top of the second inning, Aidan Nemeth took the mound for Lincoln. The Rams no. 4 hitter crushed a long foul ball down the line in right field. Nothing but a noisy strike, but impressive power nonetheless. The Rams would get baserunners on back-to-back walks and after two outs, Brock Holloway singled up the middle to drive in the first run for Mount Vernon. After Singleton caught an infield pop fly to end the inning, the Railsplitters were hanging tough with a 2-1 lead.

Seth Tungate walked to leadoff the second inning. Patrick McCraith advanced Tungate to second on his grounder back to the pitcher. Trent Butterfield grounded out and Daulton Miller flew out to end the Railsplitters half of the second inning, leaving Tungate stranded on base.

Wyatt Mammen strolled out to the mound in the top of the third inning for Lincoln. Mammen walked the first batter, but got out of the inning without any harm. He got TyShawn Johnson to fly out to left field and then retired the next two batters on a groundout and strikeout.

Moving to the bottom of the third inning, Andrew Graue hit a line drive to left field that was caught. Drew Eimer hit the ball to second and reached on a throwing error. Eimer would advance to second on a wild pitch. Alex Hoffert followed Eimer in the batting order and he walked. The Rams pitcher retired Jake Baker and Sam Gleason on strikeouts to take away the Railsplitters chances of scoring.

In the top of the fourth inning, left-handed pitcher Jaron Woods came in to pitch for Lincoln. Woods issued one walk but no further damage was done in the inning. In fact, the Rams batter ripped a line drive to first that hit off Hoffert’s glove and was scooped up quickly by the second baseman and the Railsplitters still recorded the out at first. Great play.

The Railsplitters bottom half of the fourth inning went 1-2-3.

Jacob Langley made an appearance on the mound for Lincoln in the top of the fifth inning. With one out the Rams batter hit a rocket to third and Trey Schilling came up firing to first. The ball bounced and was scooped up on a great play by Hoffert at first, but despite the big stretch by the lanky first baseman, the runner was safe. That runner would try to steal second but he was thrown out by Raffa. The Rams would sneak a base hit up the middle, just past the second baseman, but a pop out to Schilling ended the inning with the Railsplitters still on top 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, TyShawn Johnson was on the mound for the Rams and he was dealing. Johnson transferred to Mount Vernon from New York his senior year. He was throwing heat and retired the Railsplitters in order quickly.

Jarrett Evers took the mound for Lincoln in the top of the sixth inning. Evers allowed a single in the inning, then recorded two outs. The third out was recorded when the baserunner was trying to score on a wild pitch and Raffa was quick to recover the ball and tag him out. The 2-1 lead was preserved.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Railsplitters got their second hit of the day. Konczyk singled on a pop fly to center, but he would be stranded as Seth Tungate, Patrick McCraith and Trent Butterfield were all retired.

In the top of the seventh inning it was Noah Rachall getting an opportunity to pitch for Lincoln. He struck out the first batter and then allowed back-to-back singles. Both runners advanced bases on a groundout to first. A hit by pitch loaded the bases for the Rams. The next batter bounced a pitch by the pitcher’s mound and the second baseman couldn’t recover it fast enough and a run scored. The game was now 2-2 and the bases were still loaded. Rachall got out of the inning by striking out the next two batters.

The bottom of the seventh inning flew by in a flash. Daulton Miller was out on a nice play by the shortstop and Graue and Eimer were retired on strikeouts.

Ryan O’Donoghue made his Busch Stadium debut in the top of the eighth inning with a 2-2 game on the line. After a walk, he settled in and retired the Rams with a little help from his teammates. Catcher Colbie Glenn ended the inning for Lincoln by throwing out the runner trying to steal second.

The bottom of the eighth inning would be really good for the Railsplitters and really bad for the Rams. With one out, Jake Baker started the rally with a single to right. Baker took second on a wild pitch and the Railsplitters were pumped. Baker moved to third when the catcher dropped the ball and things just escalated from there. Singleton drew a walk. Koehler popped up and the ball dropped and the bases were loaded with Railsplitters. Ferguson stepped into the batter’s box and he was quickly hit by the pitch, forcing Baker home with the go-ahead run. With the bases still full, Strampp drew a walk and forced in another run.

With a 4-2 Lincoln lead the Rams went to their bullpen again to bring in a new pitcher. Raffa was struck out by the new guy but leave it to Lucas Konczyk to come up clutch. His single up the middle scored two more Railsplitters. As Koehler and Ferguson crossed home plate, Lincoln held a pretty sweet 6-2 lead. Tungate ended the inning on a strikeout and the game was headed to the top of the ninth.

Emerging from the dugout to take the ball for the ninth inning was Trey Schilling. Schilling didn’t waste any time retiring the Rams. He recorded two quick strikeouts and then a fly ball to left caught by Wes Tedrick ended the game.

Lincoln wins by a final score of 6-2 over Mount Vernon.

Ryan O’Donoghue earned the win for Lincoln. The Railsplitters had four hits in the game. Lucas Konczyk collected two hits. Keagan Ferguson and Jake Baker each had one hit.

Players thoughts

Dylan Singleton, was the first player to step in the batter’s box for Lincoln on Sunday. As a die-hard Cub fan playing on the field that is home to the rival Cardinals, he said the experience was awesome. “It was awesome playing on a field like that,” said Singleton. “It was perfect. Everything was awesome. There aren’t words to really explain it. Warming up was fun. Going out there on the field and playing catch and getting to see everybody was really a good time.”

Keagan Ferguson, who had the first hit of the game for Lincoln in the first inning also thought the experience was pretty awesome. “I thought one of the coolest parts was seeing us up on the Jumbotron,” said Ferguson, “And getting to watch ourselves on the replays. Being on the field was pretty awesome, too. It was completely flat. There were no lumps or bumps so every play was perfect.”

Lucas Konczyk, a Cub fan who had two of the Railsplitters four hits on the day, was all smiles about the once in a lifetime experience for a high school senior. “A lot of us just talked about how cool it would be to crank one out, you know, so everyone just kind of stepped up to the plate like, ‘Oh I could get this one’ but honestly just being able to put those balls in play and get on base and obviously shake it up with my first base coach (Mike Brennan) was pretty awesome. Looking up on the Jumbotron and seeing yourself and what you just did was really fun and I enjoyed it.”

Sean Raffa, one of the Lincoln catchers who threw out a runner trying to steal second, is a Cardinal fan and he was obviously thrilled with his experience at Busch Stadium. “Growing up my favorite player was Yadier Molina and being able to do what he does, I thought that was awesome,” said Raffa. “It was just crazy being there. I thought it was awesome. Looking around, it was just crazy to think that we were there.”

Tanner Strampp is a Cardinal fan and a senior who is having a great season on the mound and in the batter’s box for Lincoln. “It was a great experience being able to play where the Cardinals play,” said Strampp. “You get out on the field and it’s huge. It is bigger than it looks. It’s awesome.”

Sam Gleason, the starting pitcher for the Railsplitters at Busch Stadium, admitted to being a bit nervous to take the mound first but he settled in pretty quick. “It’s a big place but I had to stay focused and get the job done,” said Gleason. “Once I got through the first batter I was okay though. It was a good experience.”

Jake Baker, a Cardinal fan who started the Railsplitters rally in the eighth inning with a one-out single, echoed the sentiments of his teammates. “Being in the dugout and in the stadium, taking it all in, was pretty awesome.”

Trent Koehler, another Cardinal fan, loved the experience this year and alluded to the team returning in 2022. “That’s like your dream,” said Koehler. “As a kid you watch all the MLB players play there and then you finally get to be where Paul DeJong was and to get to make a play right there, it’s sweet. And then to look at the Jumbotron and watch it over again, it was pretty cool. We had fun and soaked it all in. I can’t wait to go back next year.”

Trey Schilling, who said he’s a huge Cardinal fan, got the nod to pitch the ninth inning for Lincoln and he preserved that 6-2 lead. “I knew ever since the first inning I was pitching because I looked at the paper and I knew that my name was up there,” said Schilling. “It was a big opportunity for me and it was awesome. It was a great experience. It was fun.”

Schilling called the atmosphere in the dugout “a dream come true.”

“You always see it on TV and you’re like, ‘Man, I wish I was there’ and we actually got to be there this time,” said Schilling.

To recap the ninth, Schilling, a freshman, struck out two batters and then induced a fly ball to left that was caught by another freshman, Wes Tedrick.

Pretty cool ending to a great game.

Coach’s comments

Lincoln head coach August Casson gave out some details about the game and told how he played a game at Busch Stadium when he was a senior in high school playing for the Williamsville Bullets. He explained the game on Sunday was an exhibition game agreed on by both coaches and how he and the Mount Vernon coach discussed saving on pitchers for the postseason that starts later this week. “That’s why we threw nine different pitchers,” said Casson. “And we threw young guys. We had two juniors and seven underclassmen on the mound.”

Casson also said the intent was to get everyone in the game, playing different positions. “It’s just a lot of fun for the program. It’s a great opportunity for kids to get to play on a major league field. So everybody got a couple innings. Some young guys pitched. The older guys hit. All around everybody was a part of that win. So that was really awesome. A lot of guys got to play different positions. We kind of moved some guys around to where they play normally. The young guys really stepped up and made the plays. It was great.”

Casson continued talking about the experience. “After the game I called one of my coaches and I said, ‘It couldn’t have went any better than what it did…for everybody….from the kids playing the field, to the kids batting, to the coaches, to the fans, to the kids watching the games up in the stands.’ I know my family had a great time and a lot of other families had a great time. I got a lot of positive feedback from parents. I talked to my representative with the Cardinals and he said he’s putting us on for next year as well.”

Now that is truly awesome.

Casson also shared some of his favorite moments from the experience. “I think the best memory for me was just walking down and seeing all the kids in the dugout, super happy and just almost in awe of the surroundings,” said Casson. “It was pretty surreal seeing the seniors run out together. They didn’t get to play last year so it was nice to see those guys run out first on the field. I think all the seniors and one junior ran out there to start the game. So that was pretty cool. I remember when I played there and this is a memory they are going to have forever. They’ll talk about it to their kids.”

Casson would like to do this every year and create something for the younger kids to look forward to.

An awesome day

Everything about the day was really awesome. The weather was perfect. The temperature was around 70 degrees at game time with a slight breeze moving around the ballpark. The sunshine was beautiful in the late afternoon and as evening set in, the ballpark was even more gorgeous.

The atmosphere at Busch Stadium was fun too. Everyone loved the Jumbotron. The neat thing was everyone had a 50-50 chance of knowing who was on the Jumbotron. With the stands made up of just Rams and Railsplitter fans, every face on the big screen was a familiar face to someone. And while one or two fans may have turned camera shy, for the most part the fans really hammed it up on the big screen, something the players really enjoyed seeing from the dugout.

The music playing throughout a big stadium is always cool, too. There is just something about loud music that gets athletes pumped up. The Railsplitters took the field in the first inning with Motley Crüe’s “Wild Side” blaring over the loud speakers. Van Halen, Aerosmith, The Village People, ABBA, AC/DC, Fresh Prince, Bruno Mars, Hanson, One Direction and a slew of other artists were featured throughout the game. An impromptu dance-off, let’s call it, between Leslie Singleton and Craig Strampp was a highlight. The crowd loved it.

The players and fans were also treated to the voice of John Ulett, the Cardinals public address announcer. A voice familiar to Cardinal fans, Ulett introduced each player as they approached the batter’s box and he also had to remind several players not to throw their bats as they headed to first base.

The day was so enjoyable, even the foul balls were a hit. The children of Coach Casson enjoyed fetching foul balls and returning them to the ushers all day long. The first ball returned was in exchange for a Cardinals pin. “Only one per customer,” the Cardinal usher told S.J. Casson, as he returned one of many balls. S.J. finally brought his little sister, Anya, on one of his many trips and he told the usher, “She wants a pin.” Although she didn’t quite understand having to give up the baseball in exchange.

Bo O’Donoghue even single-handedly caught a foul ball in the stands. Craig Strampp caught one immediately after O’Donoghue and Strampp was so excited he was ready to take a bow. The crowd roared as Strampp grinned from ear to ear.

While there was plenty of fan reaction to plays, the ballpark also had a quiet peacefulness to it at times. So peaceful, in fact, the players cheering and chanting from the dugout could be heard easily and this drew laughs from the crowd.

For Railer fans and players the entire day was memorable and it certainly looks like a back-to-back experience is in the works. Stay tuned for a date in 2022.


[Teena Lowery]