DES MOINES - Three failed bunt attempts. No clutch hits. Highway robbery in the outfield.

Man-oh-man-oh-man, it turned out to be a frustrating night for the Xavier Saints at the Class 4A state baseball tournament Wednesday at Principal Park in Des Moines.

The Saints left 11 runners on base and wasted an excellent pitching performance by Mitch Keller in a 1-0 loss to Sioux City East in the opening round.

"It's just disappointing," said Keller, a 6-foot-4 junior who has committed to North Carolina. "We had guys on all the time. We hit the ball pretty good. It just wasn't falling for us."

The Saints (25-16) loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, but hot-hitting Jordan Ratz struck out on a high fastball to end the threat and the game.

"The biggest frustration is not scoring at state," said Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel. "We have a ballclub that should be able to score a bunch of runs. We just couldn't get it done."

Xavier shortstop Corbin Woods belted a shot to deep left-center in the third inning, but Sioux City East left fielder Brandon Carlson made a terrific running catch near the wall. It probably would have been a home run in most high school parks, but not at the Triple-A home of the Iowa Cubs.

"Most parks, yeah. I'd like to think so," said Woods. "I hit it just about as good as I can hit it. This is a big park and the walls are high."

They don't have a sign on the wall in left-center, but it's a good distance.

"It's probably 370 feet, and he hit it 365," said Schemmel, a half-smile and half-grimace on his face. "It's just tough. That's a real good poke."

Sioux City East outfielders made two other sensational catches to rob the Saints of base hits. "Just a foot here or there is huge," the veteran Xavier coach remarked.

Keller and Sioux City East right-hander Davis Camarigg put zeroes on the scoreboard for four innings before the Black Raiders broke through in the fifth inning for the only run of the game.

Keller (5-5) hit J.J. Stephens with a 3-2 pitch to put a runner on base with nobody out. Stephens was bunted to second base and advanced to third on a sharp single to center field, putting runners on the corners with one out.

Keller tried to jam Dom Thompson-Williams with a pitch but left it over the plate. Thompson-Williams hit a sharp single to left-center and Sioux City East (31-9) had its 1-0 lead. As it turned out, it was the only run it needed.

Sioux City East Coach Jared Ocker appeared to do the Saints a favor when he made a pitching change as the Saints came to bat in the top of the seventh inning. He took Camarigg out of the game, moved catcher Trey Lapke to the mound and things got interesting in a hurry.

Lapke walked Keller and hit Bryce Grimm with a pitch, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Woods was supposed to bunt them along, but bunted foul on a 2-1 pitch and was called out on a curveball on next pitch.

"He made a good pitch," said Woods. "I just have to tip my cap to him. I didn't do my job."

Adam Pick struck out on a high fastball, leaving the runners on first and second with two outs. Zach Brown walked to load the bases, but Ratz struck out on a high fastball to leave them stranded.

Ocker said he did not hesitate to change pitchers in the seventh inning, even though Camarigg (10-0) was pitching a strong game.

"Trey's been closing for us for three years," said Ocker. "That was his time to go in the game. I wish it would have gone a little smoother than that. There was no doubt it was time to go give him the baseball."

"He had faith," said Lapke. "That's all I can say. It was a pitchers' game. One run luckily got the job done."

The Saints left six runners in scoring position and also left the bases loaded in the fourth inning when Keller flied out to right field. Keller hit a three-run homer to beat Prairie in the substate finals, but none of the Saints were able to produce in the clutch in Des Moines.

"Oh my gosh," said Schemmel. "You win tough games with two-out hits. You can write that in the book before the game starts. If we had broken the ice and gotten on the board I think we would have relaxed a little bit."

It never happened.

"You know what? You can't beat yourself up," said Woods. "I'm proud of all the guys out here. Mitch threw a heck of a game. The balls just didn't fall tonight."

Keller struck out six batters, walked only one and allowed five hits. He had one sub-par inning and it turned out to be the difference in the game.

"Mitch probably pitched the best game of his career tonight," said Schemmel. "We couldn't get him any runs. If we get him two runs, we win. He threw every pitch for a strike and he was in command of all the pitches. He didn't back down."

Xavier won the Class 3A state title in 2006 and was trying to win the first game in school history in a Class 4A state tournament. The Saints will return to Class 3A next year, according to preliminary IHSAA enrollment figures for the 2013-14 school year.

XAVIER (0): Grimm, cf, 3 0 0 0, Woods, ss, 3 0 0 0, Pick, 1b, 3 0 0 0, Brown, 3b, 3 0 1 0, Ratz, rf, 3 0 1 0, Hammerberg, c, 2 0 1 0, Drahozal, cr, 0 0 0 0, Meaney, lf, 3 0 1 0, Helms, dh, 3 0 1 0, Keller, p, 2 0 1 0, Miller, cr, 0 0 0 0, Dlouhy, 2b, 0 0 0 0. Totals 25 0 6 0.

SIOUX CITY EAST (1): Thompson-Williams, cf, 3 0 1 1, Carlson, lf, 3 0 0 0, T.Franko, 3b, 2 0 2 0, Westphal, ss, 3 0 0 0, Lapke, c/p, 3 0 1 0, Stilwell, cr, 0 0 0 0, Godfrey, 1b, 2 0 0 0, Stephens, dh, 1 1 0 0, McDonald, rf, 1 0 0 0, S.Franko, 2b, 2 0 1 0, Camarigg, p, 0 0 0 0, Blatchford, c, 0 0 0 0. Totals 20 1 5 1.

Xavier              000 000 0 - 0 6 0
Sioux City East  000 010 x - 1 5 0

Keller and Hammerberg. Camarigg, Lapke (7) and Lapke, Blatchford (7). W - Camarigg (10-0). L - Keller (5-5). S - Lapke (2). SB - T.Franko 2.