The Crusaders scored single runs in the third (a foul-out sacrifice fly by Trevor Austin) and fourth (Griffin Buschjost's RBI-single --- and Buschjost wasn't done getting big hits) to get within 4-2. But the Blue Jays countered with single runs in the fifth and sixth to rebuild the four-run cushion at 6-2.

That's where it stood going to the bottom of the seventh.

"There was a little pessimism," Helias senior Zach Woehr said, "but I knew that we were going to come through. This is a group of special guys, I know they'll never let our coaches down or let their teammates down.

"So I believed in them every second."

That belief had to be a bit shaky, didn't it?

"You've got three outs," Wyrick said, "so you always have a chance until that third out, that 21st out, is recorded. I knew we had some work to do and we were going to need a little bit of help, and we were fortunate enough to get it."

The comeback started when the No. 9 hitter, Buschjost, singled sharply to center.

"That was big, that was awesome," Woehr said. "Griffin did a great job today."

One on, nobody out, and here came the potent top of the lineup for the Crusaders. That sounds a lot better than one out and the bases empty.

"If our 7, 8, 9 are getting on base," Wyrick said, "we're tough to beat because our 1-4, those guys are so solid up there.

"Everybody in the lineup had to get it done, and that's exactly what happened."

Leadoff man Woehr, who had two doubles, walked and Zach Paschal singled to load the bases with nobody out. Austin's sacrifice fly made it 6-3 and Jacob Weaver's single cut the margin to two.

"I told the guys (heading to the bottom of the seventh) that if we get back down to Davidson and Wolken, we're going to win the game," Wyrick said.

Well ... Davidson then hit a shot to the shortstop to make it 6-5 on a play when the stumbling and bumbling Blue Jay made two errors on the play, further sparking the rally.

After Wolken walked, Michael Snyder laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to tie it.

"Obviously," Wyrick said, "that was huge."

Up came Alex Loethen, who hit a sharp grounder to the second baseman. The throw came home, but Jason Hazelhorst, who was running for Davidson, beat the throw to end this wildly improbable affair.

And the folks went crazy.

"They pulled it off, they executed when they had to," Wyrick said. "Hopefully, we can keep it going because they're a fun group to be around.

"They never quit --- I'll go to battle with these guys any time."

James Schaefer pitched a scoreless seventh to get the win for the Crusaders, who left Wednesday evening to spend the night in Monett. They'll meet the seventh-ranked Cubs (19-6) --- who advanced with a 5-4 sectional win over Springfield Catholic --- at 5 p.m. Thursday.

"They're scrappy," Wyrick said of Monett, "they're a lot like these guys (Marshfield)."

Scrappy is good.

But refusing to lose is even better.