SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Carthage baseball hit the road to start the 2021 baseball season, falling to Glendale in the first game before losing to Kennett to end the day.
GLENDALE 6, CARTHAGE 3
In the opener, Carthage took the initial lead with a run in the top of the first before Glendale answered with the tying run in the second. The Falcons scored twice in the third and once in the fourth and fifth innings to build the lead to 5-1. Carthage rallied with two runs in the sixth but got no closer to the lead.
Brooks Kittering earned the win after giving up two runs on five hits, one walk and one strikeout in three innings. Mason Utter took the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits, a walk and five strikeouts in three innings. Zach Geter and Parker Copeland combined to allow two runs (one earned) in three innings of relief work.
Zach Bently led Glendale with two hits, including a double, two RBI and a run scored.
Will McCombs led Carthage with three hits, including a double, and two runs scored. Kanen Vogt, Micah Lindsey, Grant Collier and Max Templeman all added hits for Carthage.
KENNETT 10, CARTHAGE 2
Carthage held a 2-1 lead after five innings before Kennett erupted for three runs in the sixth and seven runs in the seventh to pull away to win the Tigers’ nightcap.
JT Williams earned the win after allowing one run on one hit, two walks and four strikeouts in four innings.
Kaden Arr started and took a no-decision after giving up one unearned run on one hits, four walks and four strikeouts in three innings of work. RyLee Barker allowed three runs on two hits, a walk and a strikeout in 2 1/3 relief innings. Geter, Kaden Kralicek, Vogt and Templeman all worked in relief, combining to give up six runs on five hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.
Tanner Pierce led Kennett with two hits and three runs scored. Reese Robinett and Williams each had doubles.
McCombs, Kralicek and Templman all had hits for Carthage. McCombs scored a run and drove in a run, while Kralicek added the other RBI.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — It couldn’t have been a more exciting debut for Webb City coach Flave Darnell, who saw his Cardinals earn a 7-6 walk-off win against Rogersville in nine innings to start the 2021 season with a victory.
“I guess a win is a win, and we will take it,” Darnell said with a laugh. “I just wish we could have finished it a little earlier, I suppose. We used a little more pitching than we wanted. We stayed in it and made some good defensive plays when we needed to, and so did they. It was a good high school baseball game. … We are really happy to beat a team with the quality of Rogersville.”
Webb City took the early momentum with a three-run bottom of the first before pushing the lead to 4-0 with a single tally in the third. The Wildcats crossed homes three times in the fifth to trim the lead to one before the Cardinals added another run in the last of the fifth to make the score 5-3. Rogersville tied the game up in the top of the seventh with two runs to send the game into extra innings. After both teams notched runs in the eighth, Cole Gayman sent the Cardinals home happy with a walk-off line drive to the gap in right-center with the bases loaded on a 3-2 pitch with two outs.
“It’s a long game, and Cole had a chance to end it in the seventh and didn’t,” Darnell said. “He was pretty down about it, but the one thing about baseball is you just have to stick with it. He ended it (his next at-bat), so I am very proud of him for that.”
Gayman started the game and took the no-decision after allowing three runs on three hits, six strikeouts and four walks in five innings. Noah Mitchell allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits, a walk and a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings, while Eli Goddard earned the win after allowing one run on five hits, a walk and five strikeouts in the final 3 2/3 innings.
Drew Cornelison took the loss after allowing one run on two hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning.
Devrin Weathers had three hits to lead the Cardinals, while Matt Woodmansee had a double, a triple, scored two runs and drove in one. Gayman had two hits and a team-high two RBI. Eric Fitch added two hits and scored a run.
Clay Palen, who doubled, had three hits, three RBI and two runs scored to lead Rogersville at the plate. Cornelison had two doubles and an RBI.
Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said prior to opening day that the early portion of the season would be key for the Eagles building confidence.
The Eagles couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2021 campaign after earning an 11-1 win in five innings over Parkview before defeating Hollister 9-3 in the nightcap.
“Opening day is an awesome time,” Wolf said. “There is just a different type of buzz. You can play all of the scrimmages and jamborees you want, but when you know it counts for real, there is just a different feeling.
“I thought the kids did a good job of being focused, but playing relaxed and enjoying the game. Overall, I thought we played really well.”
JOPLIN 11, PARKVIEW 1
Joplin pushed across three runs in the bottom of the first before adding four runs in the third to push the lead to 7-1. The Eagles added a single tally in the fourth and scored three more times in the fifth to end the game via run rule.
“Fielding (Campbell) did a good job on the mound of throwing strikes and keeping them off balance,” Wolf said. “We caught it and threw it when we had to. We found ways to get guys on base and came up with some timely hits when we needed, and we took advantage of some of their mistakes to score some runs. Overall, it was a good opening game.”
Fielding Campbell earned the win after allowing one unearned run on five hits and five strikeouts in a complete-game effort. He didn’t allow a walk.
Campbell added a double at the plate and scored twice, while Alex Curry and Kirk Chandler each led Joplin with two hits. David Fiscus doubled, while Kohl Cooper and Kyler Stokes each added triples. Curry, Stokes, Bodee Carlson and Byler Reither all had an RBI in the win.
JOPLIN 9, HOLLISTER 3
Joplin broke a scoreless tie after two innings with a run in the third to take the lead over the Tigers in the second game. Joplin added three more runs in the last of the fourth before Hollister matched that output in the top of the fifth to make the score 4-3. The Eagles scored again in the bottom of the fifth and put the game out of reach with a four-run sixth inning.
Ethan Guilford earned the win after allowing three runs on two hits, five strikeouts and one walk. Josh Harryman, Kirk Chandler and Fielding Campbell all worked scoreless outings in relief.
Bodee Carlson, Kohl Cooper and Chandler each led Joplin with two hits, while Carlson and Cooper, who both doubled, also had a team-high two RBI each. David Fiscus had a team-high three RBI after connecting on a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth.
NEOSHO, Mo. — What is better than showing off your brand new fully turfed field on opening day? After a set of games that were originally slated for Lebanon had to be moved because of field conditions due to recent weather, Neosho stepped up and welcomed the Yellowjackets and Carl Junction to the new Roy B. Shaver Field on Saturday.
“We are really blessed to have it,” Neosho coach Danny Powers said. “Our community really deserves it, and it is something we are very proud of. We are in a position now with rainouts, we can always move the locations. We can get more games in, and we can get more practices in, too. We are grateful for the community and school district supporting us.”
Carl Junction’s Noah Southern (22) celebrates at home plate with teammates after hitting a home run against Neosho on Saturday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Carl Junction, which earned an 11-1 win over Lebanon early on Saturday, opened with four runs in the top of the first before adding on insurance in the middle innings en route to the six-inning 13-1 win over Neosho to start the season 2-0.
“I thought our guys did a good job,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “Our pitchers commanded two pitches for strikes. Offensively, we came out with some confidence and fed off each other to manufacture some runs when we needed to. There are still some things we can get better at, but it was certainly nice to see that offensively today.”
CJ’s Carson Johnson, Drew Beyer, Noah Southern, Dylan Eck and Brendyn Downs all had two hits in the win over the Wildcats. Southern hit a three-run home run in the top of the fourth and led the Bulldogs with a game-high four RBI. Eck had two RBI, while Johnson and Beyer led CJ with three runs scored each. Cole Stewart doubled and scored twice.
Neosho’s Lane Yost connects on a pitch against Carl Junction on Saturday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
“We had a plan coming into this season where we need to strike first on offense,” Stevenson said. “I thought our guys did that today. … Today it felt like the ball went our way a little bit. It’s not always going to be that way. So, we still need to continue to find ways to get guys into scoring position and get that timely hit, working on those small things that will be big things later on.”
Brett Slavens and Eli Zar each had hits for Neosho (0-2).
Beyer earned the win after allowing one run on two hits, two walks and four strikeouts in five innings of work. Eck pitched a scoreless inning in relief, striking out one.
Carter Fenske took the loss after allowing four runs on one hit, six strikeouts and five walks in 2 2/3 innings. Slavens allowed four runs on seven hits in two innings in relief.
In earlier action, Neosho fell to Lebanon 7-5.
“I thought we played pretty well in the first game,” Powers said about Neosho’s opening day. “Lebanon threw two good arms at us. We are fairly young, but our kids put the ball in play and were in a position to win it. We just had some mental and physical errors at the end of the first game, and that seemed to carry over into the second game.”
Noesho’s Carter Fenske delivers a pitch to home during the Wildcats’ game against Carl Junction on Saturday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
The Missouri Southern baseball team split a pair of games on getaway day as the Lions took the opener against Central Oklahoma 12-5, but dropped the finale 11-6 in extra innings to the Bronchos today at Warren Turner Field.
The Lions (15-3, 9-3 MIAA) outscored UCO (8-6, 5-4 MIAA) 6-1 over he final six innings to claim the opener.Will Bausinger started the game and went seven and two thirds, striking out six to move his record to 4-1 on te Year.Cole Woods threw a third of an inning, whileScott Duensing threw the ninth.
Southern scored a run in the first on an RBI single fromTommy Stevenson. After the Bronchos had scored two in the top of the second, the Lions plated three runs in the bottom half of the inning on a three-run bomb fromDexter Swims to re-take the lead.
UCO added two more in the third to tie the game, but the Lions broke it open in the fourth. After a double fromBrad Willis,Matt Miller tripled to left center to score Willis.Joe Kinder was hit by a pitch andJordan Fitzpatrick singled through the right side to score Miller.Troy Gagan singled home Kinder for the final run of the inning.
UCO added a single run in the eighth before the Lions exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the inning. Kinder had an RBI single before Fitzpatrick capped the scoring with a grand slam.
Fitzpatrick went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and five RBIs. Swims drove in three and went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Miller and Kinder scored twice, while Willis crossed the plate three times.
The Bronchos led 5-0 in game two heading to the bottom of the fourth before the Lions picked up three runs to get back into it. RBIs from Swims and Milas highlighted the inning.
After UCO scored in the sixth, the Lions added another run in the eighth to get within two on an RBI double fromGrant Harris. Gagan homered to lead off the ninth and an RBI from Milas tied the game and forced extra-innings.
The Bronchos, however, scored five runs in the tenth to seal the game.
Gagan went 3-for-5 in the game with a home run, while Milas drove in a pair and scored once. Kinder and Swims had a pair of hits each.
Chase Beiter started and went three and a third innings, andCorey Cowan struck out five in two and two thirds of relief.
Southern will be back in action next weekend as the Lions travel to Hays, Kan. to take on Fort Hays State. The Lions and Tigers will have a single game on Friday with a doubleheader on Saturday.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Grant Berendt will always remember this year’s Mount Vernon girls basketball team for its resiliency.
Displaying grit and determination until the final horn, Mount Vernon trimmed a 22-point deficit all the way down to four with under two minutes to play.
But the late comeback fell short, as the big deficit was too much to overcome for the Mountaineers in a 58-52 loss to Boonville in the championship game of the MSHSAA Class 4 state tournament on Saturday at JQH Arena.
“You can’t measure heart and fight in kids,” Berendt said when asked about his team’s late comeback. “I never felt out of it. I felt we ran out of time. For all of our kids to step up and play huge minutes, and do different things, it was special. This is a special group.”
Mount Vernon senior guard Lacy Stokes accepts the runner-up plaque after Saturday’s state title game.
In a state title game for the first time since 2012, Mount Vernon concludes a stellar season with a record of 28-4. The Mountaineers had won 15 straight games ahead of Saturday’s title game appearance.
“Two years ago, when we lost some great seniors, there probably weren’t a lot of people who thought we’d get to .500 the next year,” Berendt said. “We had two juniors, two sophomores and 11 freshmen. And we ended up with 23 wins. Carrying that over to this year, and bringing back everybody, there was so much excitement. We knew we had the opportunity to maybe go do something special. Things started to align for us.”
The Pirates led 43-21 with 4:39 left in the third period, but the Mountaineers didn’t quit. Instead, they used a spirited 26-8 surge to pull within four with 1:40 remaining. But the Pirates would never relinquish their lead.
Mount Vernon standout senior guard Lacy Stokes noted her team left it all on the court.
“I’m going to remember these girls so much for all the heart they had,” Stokes said. “All of my teammates gave their heart for this sport and I couldn’t ask anything more of them.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Senior guard Ellie Johnston scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She made four 3-pointers and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Stokes added 14 points, seven assists, five boards and three steals.
Juniors Raegan Boswell and Cameryn Cassity contributed eight points apiece, while sophomore Kadence Krempges rounded out the scoring with one point. Boswell had a team-high nine rebounds.
The Mountaineers made 18-of-46 field goal attempts (39 percent) and went 9-for-14 at the foul line.
Addison Brownfield scored 19 points for Boonville (27-2), while Kourtney Kendrick had 17 and Jodie Bass added 11. The Pirates shot 41 percent for the game (16-of-39) and made 18-of-24 free throws.
It’s Boonville’s first state championship in girls basketball.
GAME RECAP
Mount Vernon led 6-3 after treys from Johnston and Stokes, but the Pirates scored eight straight points to go up 11-6. Cassity’s hoop in the paint cut Mount Vernon’s deficit to three at the end of the first quarter.
The hot-shooting Pirates hit four treys in the second period and used a 15-3 run to pull away at 33-16.
Johnston knocked down a much-needed 3-pointer, but the Mountaineers trailed 33-19 at the break.
“The difference was their ability to make baskets and our inability to,” Berendt said of the first half. “They shot the lights out. They had kids step up and make shots.”
“We were kind of discombobulated on the offensive end and that falls on me,” Berendt added. “I didn’t get us in the right alignments and we just started chucking it up. And if you do that against a team that’s hot, you get down 22 real quick…and that’s what happened.”
The Pirates extended their advantage to 22 at 43-21.
Boonville led 45-24 when Mount Vernon started to shift the momentum. The Mountaineers scored the final eight points of the third quarter, trimming their deficit to 45-32 entering the final frame.
While the Pirates went cold from the field, Cassity, Boswell, Johnston and Stokes all contributed points during Mount Vernon’s fourth quarter rally, and a Krempges free throw cut her team’s deficit to 51-47 with 1:40 remaining.
Boonville’s Kendrick made one attempt at the charity stripe and the Mountaineers had an empty possession before Brownfield hit two free throws.
Cassity’s hoop inside pulled the Mountaineers within five with 45 seconds left before the teams traded turnovers. Brownfield hit two more free throws at the 13-second mark before Johnston’s 3-pointer once again cut Mount Vernon’s deficit to four. But there were only eight seconds left.
Brownfield drew a foul and made two charities for the final margin. Overall, the Pirates made their final seven free throw attempts.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
The Mountaineers were limited to 19 points in the first half, but they erupted for 33 after the break, including 20 in the fourth quarter.
Mount Vernon made just 7-of-20 field goal attempts in the first half (35 percent), while Boonville hit 12-of-26 shots (46 percent).
The Mountaineers turned the ball over nine times in the opening half against Boonville’s aggressive pressure defense, while the Pirates had just four turnovers.
But it was a different story after intermission.
The Pirates hit only 4-of-13 field goal attempts in the second half, while the Mountaineers made 11-of-26. Boonville had nine turnovers in the second half, while Mount Vernon had only five.
“We’ve always been a second half team,” said Stokes, who will play collegiately at Missouri Southern. “We dug ourselves a hole, but we have a lot of heart and a lot of fight. We tried to do what we needed to, but a lot of things just didn’t fall for us tonight like they usually do. It just wasn’t our night.”
