After dropping a disappointing 3-2 loss to Parkway South early last week, the Oakville Senior High School baseball team bounced back with a 9-0 thumping of Kirkwood.

The Tigers’ (12-2, 4-1 Suburban West) loss to Parkway South (7-2, 3-1 Suburban West) on April 14 moved Oakville into a two-way tie with the Patriots as Fox (8-3, 3-0 Suburban West) climbed to the top of the conference standings.

“This was our first shutout of the season, which has been a big conversation for this team,” Oakville head coach Rich Sturm said of the April 16 victory over Kirkwood. “This was a big win for us in that we came back from the Parkway South loss and won like we did against Kirkwood.”

Oakville starting pitcher Bubba Bradshaw was solid on the mound as he threw a complete game of seven innings while shutting out the Pioneers on eight hits. He struck out five batters and upped his record to 4-0 overall with a 1.88 ERA.

“In each start he’s getting better,” Sturm said. “Anytime you can get a starter to throw a shutout, that makes the win even better.”

Oakville third baseman Brett Holloway had a two-hit performance while also scoring two runs. Holloway is batting .353 with six RBI.

“Brett had one of the best bunts I’ve seen in years,” Sturm said. “He really broke the game wide open with a 340-foot line drive into the wind. He’s really coming along.”

Tigers first baseman Dan Chambliss also had a two-hit performance that included one run scored and one RBI. Chambliss is batting a solid .378 with 13 RBI.

“Dan’s been pretty consistent throughout the year,” Sturm said. “He’s gotten a couple of big hits for us and has made decent contact just about every time he hits the ball.”

The Tigers are back in action at 4:15 p.m. today — April 24 — when they play host to St. Mary’s.

St. Mary’s (7-5, 3-1 AAA) is riding a three-game winning streak, which includes a 19-9 pounding of Lutheran South on April 16.

“St. Mary’s is a district opponent, so obviously it’s a big game for us,” Sturm said. “They’re very scrappy and aggressive and we’re going to need to hit the ball well against them.”