A group of fans waved signs, cheered and released red and black balloons as the Houston baseball team left about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday for Springfield.
It will be a historic day in an already memorable season Wednesday when the Tigers square off with West County at 10 a.m. in the MSHSAA Class 2 semifinals. It’s the first final four in team history for Houston, which also won the program’s first sectional and quarterfinal games this season.
The other semifinal includes defending state champion and undefeated Blair Oaks, which will face Lexington at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at Meador Park.
The Tigers (17-6) will send right-hander Gus Durst to the mound against West County. Durst, who threw a three-hitter and struck out seven against Purdy, is 7-2 with a 1.58 ERA. He has struck out 53 batters in 53 innings.
The championship game will be played at 1 p.m. Thursday. The third-place game is at 10 a.m.