Wet, rainy, chilly, firemaking type days and nights in mid-April may present a weather whammy for some teams.

The Coach must contend with several variables that have emerged during the first few weeks of the season.

Some players now see their reduced roles as insignificant. Pitchers may lose some of their control due to inactivity, batters may become obsessed with their batting numbers during this lull and overall energy about the season is diminished for some due to senior or prom activities.

Often pitchers dominate during the first couple of days back in action and batters may lose some confidence. Highly successful coaches deal effectively with these issues to mold their teams into highly focused, driven teams that look to improve and to win in May.

Walk-off home runs aren't real common in high school. This week, Prepcasts had not one, but two walk-off dingers.

Lutheran South (7-3) had a two-run poke by Jordan Stoulp in the eighth inning to win 4-2 over a very talented Hillsboro Hawks team (11-3). South is turning around their program under Steve Pfund, who won state last year as St. Dominic’s coach.

This game was like a postseason game in its intensity and energy. Listen to replay on www.prepcasts.com. One might think that it drained both teams so much that each lost on Saturday in the DuBourg Tournament.

Later Saturday night, the Oakville Tigers remained unbeaten at 13-0 with a three-run blast. Brett Holloway's shot in the eighth inning provided the Tigers with a hard-earned 11-8 win over intra-district rival, Mehlville Panthers (6-8). Hear this replay on www.prepcasts.com.

Easter was last week but there were plenty of goose egg games around the state this week. Hop around with me.

Jacob Turner, one of the hottest pitching prospects in Missouri, shut out the Whitfield Warriors 2-0 on two hits. Turner (2-1) of Westminster Christian Academy has 38 strikeouts in only 18 innings of pitching. Look for Turner to be chosen in first round of MLB draft and then decide between college or pro baseball.

In a game where neither pitcher surrendered an earned run, Union (3-4) edged New Haven (4-5) 2-1. Auston Goudeau recorded the win as he hung up eight Ks. Josh Riegel gave up two unearned runs while banging out two hits himself in the losing cause for the Shamrocks.

Chris Pettit of Mark Twain High (6-2), scattered four hits on way to his 4-0 whitewash of South Shelby. At the plate, Mark Twain was led by Austin Leake (2 of 3, two doubles and an RBI).

Ala Greg Maddux, Chad Faulstich would strike out only three but went the distance in Seckman’s (8-3) 3-1 win over Parkway Central (6-3). Faustich permitted only four hits as the Jaguars scored two runs in the first inning and made it stand up.

Scoreless through four innings, Carthage (6-7) scored a single tally in fifth and sixth with two runs in the seventh to beat Joplin (5-7) 4-1. Southpaw Josh Mason, who gave up five hits with three Ks, went the distance in this pitcher's dual.

In a heartbreaking defeat, Fort Zumwalt West (11-3) led 1-0 with two outs in the seventh over Fort Zumwalt South. Two back-to-back errors opened the door and the Bulldogs walked off with a 2-1 win over the Jags. Hear this crushing (or thrilling, depending upon your team) game on www.prepcasts.com . These were the only errors of the game as the Jags outhit South 9-2 for the game. AJ Walkenhorst went the distance for the Bulldogs with 10 strikeouts.

After a nine-day break, Mexico (2-5) made the most of the two-hit offense and beat Centralia 4-0. The Panthers committed eight errors making all the runs unearned. Sheldon Turek struck out seven in five innings while registering the win for the Cardinals.

Jesse Long produced the win for Woodland as they were able to sneak by Delta 2-1. The winning run scored on a sacrifice fly. How many times do you see that in high school?

RED HOT TEAMS FOR THE WEEK

Ladue Rams are 7-1 for the year. These Rams have outscored their opponents 85-14 for the season.

Eureka Wildcats have won five consecutive games while raising their record to 9-5. A big win over Parkway West started this streak. Oftentimes, once a team beats a really strong team, their confidence elevates and the level of their play also bounces upward. Looks like the Wildcats are in that elevated mode right now.

Lafayette Lancers, under Coach Steve Miller, have chalked up six straight as they season mark now stands at 9-2. The Lancers have scored 38 runs in the last four games. By the way, Lafayette will square off with Eureka on May 5.

LONGEST GAME OF THE WEEK

Vianney went 11 innings to grab a narrow 4-3 Metro Catholic Conference win over DeSmet. The Spartans scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to send it into extra innings.

BEST COMEBACK OF THE WEEK

The St. Charles Pirates (7-5) scored both of their runs in the bottom of the seventh to gallop off the field with a 2-1 victory over the Ft. Zumwalt East Lions in Gateway Athletic Conference action this week.