OZARK — Springfield Catholic head coach Courtney Spitz told the Fightin' Irish that sometimes baseball is beautiful and reminded them that it can also be cruel.
The beauties of Catholic's 2022 season included phenomenal pitching performances, many wins over some of the best teams in the state and a run-rule win in the state semifinal to put the program in the championship for the first time since winning it all in 2014.
After Thursday night's 8-4 loss to Father Tolton in the Class 3 championship game, the Fightin' Irish experienced the game's cruelty. The ultimate goal the Irish felt they were capable of achieving escaped their grasp and ended in heartbreak.