DUBOIS — Missed opportunities are part of sports.

Considering the stage, the ones the Moniteau baseball team experienced Monday will sting for a while.

The Warriors let Bald Eagle off the hook with both defensive and offensive struggles late in a PIAA Class 3A first-round playoff at Showers Field.

The Eagles then erupted for nine runs — aided by four Moniteau errors — in the ninth inning of a 15-6, season-ending defeat for Moniteau.

Moniteau held a 6-3 lead entering the seventh inning. After one out, starting pitcher Hunter Fitzingo was pulled from the mound after reaching his pitch limit. Chance Nagy came on and surrendered a run-scoring double to Matt Reese.

With two outs and runners on second and third, Hunter Brooks hit a fly ball to center field, which Jake Jewart appeared to catch, albeit awkwardly, for the final out. But it was ruled that Jewart had trapped the ball, allowing two runs to score to tie the game.

Nagy soon got out of the inning, but the Eagles had new life.

“Jake told me he caught the ball,” said Moniteau coach Ross Martin, “but the way he came down (on his stomach), I think that influenced the call.”

Moniteau appeared to have shaken off that missed opportunity, only to fall victim to another one.

In the bottom of the seventh, Wyatt Geibel hit a lead-off triple for the Warriors, which was followed by a pair of intentional walks to Jared Lominski and Nathan Sosigian to load the bases with no outs.

But Bald Eagle reliever Nick Maynard, who had entered the game with one out in the fourth inning, struck out Lee DeMatteis and Brice Williams and got Nagy to groundout to end the inning.

“We had a couple of big opportunities,” Martin said. “Hits we usually get, plays we usually make, they just didn't happen for us.

“We snatched defeat from the jaws of victory today.”

Bald Eagle (13-10) dealt the Warriors an incredibly frustrating top of the ninth inning.

Jewart began the inning on the mound and was victimized by a two-base error that allowed Grant King to reach. Two batters later, Reese gave the Eagles their first lead of the game with an RBI triple.

Three more errors followed in the frame. Reese came to the plate for a second time in the inning and delivered a two-run double.

Lominski was brought in to pitch and finally got the Warriors back to their bats, but Bald Eagle's Trent Donley worked a scoreless ninth to end the game.

“These guys have come back so many times this season, we tell them to never doubt themselves,” said Bald Eagle coach Jim Gardner. “You can't expect to do it every time, but you have to believe it can happen.”

The Warriors had earlier taken a 6-1 lead, sparked by Jewart's three-run triple in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Reese, who ended the game with six RBI, cut the Warrior lead to 6-3 with a two-run single in the top of the fifth.

Moniteau finishes the season with a record of 16-6.

“Any time you can win a district and subregional title, it's a good season,” said Martin. “We're proud of these guys.”

Bald Eagle 001 020 309 — 15 13 1

Moniteau 100 500 000 — 6 9 4

W: Nick Maynard 4.2IP (3K, 3BB). L: Jake Jewart 2IP (0K, 2BB).

Bald Eagle (13-10): Grant King 1B 2-R, Matt Reese 1B 2-2B 3B 2-R 6-RBI, Hunter Brooks 3-1B 2-RBI

Moniterau (16-6): Hunter Fitzingo 1B 2B, Jake Jewart 2-1B 3B 3-RBI, Wyatt Geibel 1B 3B RBI, Chance Nagy 1B R RBI