The College Heights Christian girls track and field squad won four events at the Mountaineer Relays on Thursday at Mount Vernon High School.
Addie Lawrence crossed the line first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.5 seconds, while teammate Grace Bishop won the 1600 in 5:41.
The College Heights girls won two relays, the 4×200 in 1:49 and the 4×400 in 4:17. The Cougars were second in the 4×100 and third in the 4×800.
Also for the Cougars, Jayli Johnson finished third in the 200, Bishop was third in the 800 and Lauren Ukena took third in the 300 hurdles.
Allie Fiscus finished seventh in the 300 hurdles and eighth in the 100 hurdles.
For the College Heights boys, Derrick McMillan finished third in the 800, while Colsen Dickens took seventh in the 400.
College Heights finished second in the 4×800 relay with a time of 8:51. The Cougars were fourth in both the 4×100 and 4×400 relays while also finishing fifth in the 4×200.
SENECA HIGHLIGHTS
The Seneca Indians also competed at the meet.
For the Seneca girls, Danessa Macy placed third in the 100 hurdles and Samarah Mittag finished fourth in the 200.
Isabella Renfro was fifth in the shot put, Kamryn Fox took sixth in the 400, Makenzie French was eighth in the 100, Amber Garrison took eighth in the javelin and Katelyn Fyock finished eighth in the long jump.
For the Seneca boys, Hayden Smith and Jacob Brown were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the pole vault.
Ethan Altic was fourth in the 1600, Max Golden took fifth in the 110 hurdles, Jaxson Graham was seventh in the 100 and Morgan Bryan finished sixth in the discus and eighth in the shot put.
LOCAL EVENT WINNERS
Mount Vernon standout Sadie Heisner won the 100 hurdles, the triple jump and the pole vault.
Other local event winners from the girls meet were Nevada’s Tylin Heathman (300 hurdles), Taylor Thompson (discus) and Claire Pritchett (shot put) and Mount Vernon’s Payton Dennis (javelin).
Area boys winning individual events were Greenfield’s Conner Lewandowski (100), Aurora’s Jacob Rohlman (200, 400), Southwest’s Christian Long (800) and Travis Sickles (1600, 3200), Mount Vernon’s Wyatt Cordray (110 H) and Nevada’s Drew Beachler (long jump).
The Neosho High School boys tennis team suffered a 9-0 loss to Nixa on Thursday.
In singles action, Isaac Forbis defeated Christian Williams 8-3, Ben Mills beat Melvin Lopez 8-0, Dallin Attwooll topped Ryno Lee 8-1, Mason Murray beat Brandt Gonzales 8-1, Brody Ball defeated Blaze McKay 8-0 and Trey Hartwell topped Caden Kelly 8-0.
In doubles, Forbis-Mills defeated Williams-Lopez 8-0, Attwooll-Murray defeated Lee-Gonzales 8-1 and Ball-Hartwell beat McKay-Kelly 8-0.
Neosho is scheduled to compete at the Republic Tournament on Friday.
Thomas Jefferson scored 184 as a team to best Sarcoxie’s 225 team score on the front nine at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club on Thursday.
Thomas Jefferson’s Owen D’Amour took first place medalist honors after carding an even-par 36. Sarcoxie’s Eli Ellis took second medalist honors with a 48, while Thomas Jefferson’s Jack Tyrrell and Jake Jarrett tied for third medalist honors after shooting 49s.
Caden Myers shot a 61 for Thomas Jefferson. Rounding out Sarcoxie’s scores were Matt Swayne (56), Tyler Cupp (58), Justin Mandera (63) and Kenzie Chrisman (70).
BASEBALL
OZARK 9, CARL JUNCTION 3
OZARK, Mo. — Ozark scored three times in the first inning and added two runs in each of the fourth and fifth frames on the way to a 9-3 win over Carl Junction in Central Ozark Conference action on Thursday.
The Bulldogs (12-7, 3-3 COC) were led at the plate by Alex Baker, who had an RBI single in the first and a run-scoring double in the third to lead the team in hits (two) and RBI (two). Carson Johnson hit a solo home run in the fifth and scored twice. Drew Beyer had two hits and scored a run.
Devyn Wright went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored for Ozark. Holden Sabor, Colton Casteel, Rhett Hayward and Cooper Buvid all doubled and had two hits each.
Brody Baumann earned the win after allowing three runs on six hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Baker took the loss after surrendering nine runs, eight earned, on 14 hits and four strikeouts.
Carl Junction is in Springfield on Saturday with games against Springfield Catholic and McDonald County.
BRANSON 5, NEOSHO 3 (8 INNINGS)
Neosho and Branson took a 3-3 tie into extra innings with Branson scoring twice in the eighth inning to earn a 5-3 win on Thursday at Roy B. Shaver Field.
Neosho took the initial lead with two runs in the third inning on a two-run triple to center field to score Brett Slavens and Lane Yost. Slavens walked and Yost doubled to left earlier in the inning.
Branson added single tallies in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to take a one-run lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, River Brill kept the game alive for Neosho with an RBI single to left to tie the game at 3-3. Eli Zar led the inning off with a single up the middle.
In the top of the eighth, two batters following a leadoff walk, Carter Jenkins tripled to right field to score a run and give the Pirates a 4-3 lead. Jenkins scored later in the inning on a Neosho error to push the lead to 5-3.
Mark Bristow earned the win in relief after allowing one run on two hits and a strikeout in two innings of work.
Brill took the loss in relief after giving up two runs, one earned, on one hit, a walk and two strikeouts in one innings. Wyatt Keplar started and gave up one run on one hit, a walk and a strikeout in five innings.
Yost and Zar each had two hits to lead the Wildcats at the plate. Keplar had a hit and a team-high two RBI.
After inclement weather forced a change of venue, Republic erased an early deficit with four runs in the middle innings en route to a 5-3 win over Joplin in a matchup between teams holding the top two Central Ozark Conference records on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
The Eagles took the lead with a run in the first inning before the Tigers used a two-out, two-run home run in the third inning to take a 2-1 advantage. Republic added two insurance runs in the top of the fourth to push the lead to 4-1, but Joplin answered back with two runs of its own in the bottom half to trim the deficit back to one. The Tigers added an unearned run in the sixth and held off the Eagles for the win.
“If you are going to win big games against good teams—people talk about the little things, but it’s the winning things,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “Over the course of the game, we had some opportunities. … Some of the things like catching it and throwing it a little bit and being locked into a situation and understanding what we have to do there. We didn’t do a good job of that, and we need to compete a little better.”
With the win, Republic stays atop the COC standings with a 15-6, 7-0 conference record. Joplin falls to 13-8, 5-2 in the COC.
ON THE MOUND
Vincent Pyeatt earned the win after allowing three runs on three hits, six walks and five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Cole Iles didn’t allow a run while allowing two hits and striking out three in 3 1/3 relief innings.
Joplin’s Fielding Campbell was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs on eight hits, a walk and three strikeouts in three innings. Josh Harryman allowed one unearned run on one hit, three walks and five strikeouts in four innings of relief work.
“I don’t think Josh was as sharp today as he’s been, but he battled through things and got us some outs in big situations,” Wolf said of his reliever. “He kept us in a position where if we got some guys on and could get a hit, we could tie it up or win it. Good job on him just competing on the bump on a day he might not have had his best stuff.”
GAME ACTION
Joplin drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning when David Fiscus was walked with the bases loaded to plate Bodee Carslon, who reached with an infield hit to lead off the inning.
The Tigers broke through on the scoreboard with two outs in the top of the third inning. After Gavyn Beckner doubled to right field, Ryker Harrington unloaded for a two-run home run to right field in the next at-bat to give Republic a 2-1 lead.
Republic went to work with the bats in the top of the fourth when a single, walk and single loaded the bases with no outs. Gavin Walker followed with a two-run double to right field to make the score 4-1.
Joplin used two-out magic in the bottom of the inning when Carlson drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, while Campbell followed with an RBI infield hit to shortstop in the next at-bat with the bags still full to score another run and trim the Republic lead to 4-3.
The Tigers added an insurance run in the top of the sixth when Harrington reached second base on an error by Joplin. Kyle Hill singled later in the inning and Harrington was caught in a rundown between third and home, ultimately scoring on a throwing error while in a pickle to push the lead to 5-3.
“We had some good at-bats today, but I also thought we had some incredibly uncompetitive at-bats today as well,” Wolf said of his team’s offensive approach. “Really, that is the first time all year that I would say that is true.”
AT THE PLATE
Harrington had a home run, two RBI and scored twice to lead Republic. Hill had two hits, while Beckner and Walker each doubled.
Carlson had one hit, one RBI and scored a run to go along with two walks to lead Joplin. Campbell added a hit and an RBI.
UP NEXT
Joplin travels to Carthage for games against Smithville and the Tigers on Saturday.
The Joplin High School boys tennis team suffered a 9-0 loss to Willard on Thursday in Central Ozark Conference action at the JHS athletic complex.
“We knew going into today that Willard had a strong team with a lot of depth,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said.
At No. 1 doubles, Willard’s Caden Lingenfelser and Alex Crawford defeated Joplin’s Logan Merkley and Jeffrey Evenson 8-0.
In the other doubles matches, Luke Christiansen and Brayden Roth defeated Ben Wardlow and Colin Vermillion 8-1 and Austin Long and Seth Miller topped Josh Yarnall and Michael Mancipe 8-5.
“Josh and Michael started out well,” Stump commented. “Their opponents had some really strong serves to finish the match.”
In singles play, Willard’s Lingenfelser beat Merkley 8-0 and Crawford defeated Evenson 8-2.
“Despite the score, Jeff played well,” Stump noted. “He had long rallies against his opponent and got to deuce multiple times.”
At No. 3 singles, Joplin’s Wardlow suffered an 8-3 loss to Christiansen.
“Ben started out pretty far behind but was able to win a few games near the end of his match,” Stump said.
In other singles matches, Roth defeated Yarnall 8-2, Long topped Mancipe 8-2 and Miller beat Vermillion 8-2.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City kept its Central Ozark Conference title hopes alive by earning a 5-3 win over Nixa on Thursday at Chuck Barnes Field.
Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Webb City hiked its record to 16-5 overall and 5-2 in the COC.
“This is a great win,” Webb City coach Flave Darnell said. “Nixa’s a great team and a great program. This win keeps us in the conference race a little bit. Hopefully someone can knock off Republic along the way.”
Republic is now the lone unbeaten team in the conference, while Webb City, Joplin and Nixa all have two COC setbacks apiece.
Webb City has just two COC games remaining, as the Cardinals host Neosho on Tuesday and Republic on Thursday.
“We’ve got Neosho and Republic next week, so it should be a fun week for sure,” Darnell said.
Ranked seventh in the Class 6 poll, Nixa fell to 16-4 and 4-2 in the conference.
GAME RECAP
Thursday’s game was moved to Webb City due to wet playing conditions in Nixa, and the Cardinals set the tone right from the start with a three-run first inning.
The visitors on the scoreboard, Webb City got going early against Nixa starting pitcher Keith Piepmeier.
Leadoff batter Devrin Weathers walked and stole second before Treghan Parker lined an RBI double into right.
After Shane Noel reached on a bunt single, Matt Woodmansee followed with a sacrifice fly to right.
Cole Gayman made it 3-0 with a run-scoring double into left.
“That was big,” Darnell said of his team’s quick start. “Devrin and Treghan have been doing a great job at the top of the order. Shane’s bunt base hit was awesome. We’ve really been stressing small ball. I thought we did well on Tuesday and we did a pretty good job of that again today. We need to keep doing that stuff to put pressure on the defense.”
Nixa got on the board in the bottom of the second against Webb City right-hander Eric Fitch, as Alek Johnson singled and later scored from third on a balk.
The Cardinals got the run back in the third, as Parker singled and later went to third on Woodmansee’s infield single. Gayman’s sac bunt brought home Parker and made it 4-1.
Webb City extended its lead to 5-1 in the fourth, as Jeremiah Leaming singled, Fitch was hit by a pitch and Weathers reached on an infield single to load the bases.
Next, Parker lifted a sacrifice fly into center, with Leaming sprinting home.
Nixa trimmed its deficit to three in the bottom half of the fourth.
Johnson walked, stole second and later scored on a Webb City miscue in the field, cutting Webb City’s lead to 5-2.
Nixa pulled within two runs in the sixth, as Quinn Gundelfinger doubled to start the frame. At that point, Fitch was relieved by Noel.
Nixa’s Rylan Michel delivered a run-scoring single to left to cut Webb City’s advantage to 5-3.
But Noel struck out the final two batters of the inning to maneuver out of trouble nicely.
Back out for the seventh, Noel retired the Eagles in order to secure the win.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Parker went 2-for-4 with two runs scored for the Cardinals, while Gayman drove in two runs on two hits. Aiden Brock, Parker and Gayman all hit doubles.
Webb City had a number of chances to break the game open, but the Cardinals stranded 10 runners on-base.
“We had guys on-base and we had some other chances to execute some sac bunts and we were unable to do that today,” Darnell noted. “But their lefty came in and kept us at bay. We’re going to keep working.”
A junior, Fitch was the winning pitcher. He went five innings and allowed just two runs on four hits. He struck out one and walked one.
“It was good to see his start today,” Darnell said. “Eric competed. We went hitter by hitter and Eric kept us in the game. Eric’s a competitor and it was good to see his outing.”
Noel earned the save by going the final two frames, striking out three.
“Shane definitely came into a tough situation, but Shane’s a competitor,” Darnell said. “I’m very happy with Shane. This was a good win.”
The Eagles were limited to six hits.
Piepmeier took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Left-hander Sam Russo tossed three scoreless innings in relief.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City travels to Marshfield on Saturday for a pair of non-conference games, one against the hosts and another against Ste. Genevieve.
College Heights Christian, McAuley Catholic and Seneca were among the local squads who competed at the Monett Invitational track meet on Tuesday.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
College Heights Christian’s girls once again had a stellar showing, as the Cougars won five events.
College Heights’ 4×100-meter relay team of Allie Fiscus, Jayli Johnson, Addie Lawrence and Lauren Ukena took first with a time of 51.64 seconds.
Johnson, Lawrence, Ukena and Katie Moss won the 4×400 relay with a time of 4:21. The CHC girls finished fifth in the 4×200 relay.
Lawrence crossed the line first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.83 seconds. Lawrence and Johnson finished first and second, respectively, in the 200. Lawrence crossed the line at 26.47, while Johnson finished in 27.07.
Johnson won the 400 in 1:02.
Also for the CHC girls, Ukena finished second in the 300 hurdles, Moss placed third in the 800, Maddy Colin took fifth in the high jump, Fiscus was fifth in the 100 hurdles and Madi Carson took sixth in the 800.
College Heights’ boys won the 4×800 relay in 8:51 and took second in the 4×400 with a time of 3:44. The Cougars finished fourth in the 4×200 relay.
Colsen Dickens took second in the 400, while Steven Calandro finished third in the 110 hurdles and Rolen Sanderson was third in the 800.
Also for the Cougars, Matt Williams finished fourth in the 200, Derrick McMillan placed fourth in the 1600 and Corbin Thomas was fourth in the 300 hurdles. Gatlin Bender placed sixth in the shot put, while Jace Edwards was sixth in the 3200.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS
McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey finished second in the girls 1600 (6:11) and took third in the 3200 (14:21).
McAuley’s Jacob Bracich placed fifth in the boys long jump.
SENECA HIGHLIGHTS
Leading the way for the Seneca girls was Rylee Darnell, who won both the high jump and the triple jump and also took second in the pole vault.
Katelyn Fyock took second in the long jump and teammate Samarah Mittag finished fourth in the same event. Danessa Macy finished third in the 100 hurdles.
The Seneca girls placed fourth in both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays while also finishing fifth in the 4×400.
For the Seneca boys, Hayden Smith was the runner-up in the pole vault, with teammate Jacob Brown fourth. Jaxson Graham took second in the 200.
Finishing fourth in their respective events were Morgan Brown (discus), Eli Phillips (javelin), Max Golden (110 hurdles), Graham (100) and Trevor Cargile (400).
The Indians were third in the 4×200 relay, with Morgan Vaughn, Golden, Jordan Allen and Graham competing. The 4×100 relay finished fourth, while the 4×400 was fifth.
OTHER EVENT WINNERS
Winning individual events in the girls meet were Monett’s Ashtyn Blakey (long jump), Caitlyn Calhoun (discus) and Gabby Zengotita (100 hurdles, 300 H), Cassville’s Annie Moore (pole vault), Kyren Postlewait (shot put) and Jolie Evans (800), McDonald County’s Mariana Salas (javelin) and Jasper’s Alexis Durman (1600, 3200).
Individual event winners on the boys side were Monett’s Eduardo Trujillo (110 hurdles, 400), Jose Salas (800) and Julio Cruz (3200), Cassville’s David Oliphant (100, long jump, triple jump), Peter Littlefield (high jump) and Bradan Dickinson (shot put), McDonald County’s Jr. Eliam (discus), Jasper’s Juan Rivera (pole vault) and Aiden Hartgrave (300 hurdles), Southwest’s Travis Sickles (1600) and Wheaton’s Chad Meyer (200, javelin).
It is always a special day when you realize your dream of playing collegiate sports.
On Wednesday, four Joplin Eagles did just that as Kohl Cooper (Crowder College), David Fiscus (St. Louis Community College) and Josh Harryman (Three Rivers College) all inked their name to play collegiate baseball, while Ben Wardlow signed his letter of intent to swim at William Jewell College.
“Being able to compete at the college level is a big deal,” Wardlow said. “It was always a dream of mine. … Seeing all of the work I have put in over the last four years pay off, it means the world to me.”
Growing up as the son of former Joplin baseball coach and current administrator Kirk Harryman, Josh Harryman always wanted to play baseball at the college level. Josh went to his dad, a former pitcher himself in college, and had a heart-to-heart talk early in his high school career. Understanding his bat wasn’t strong enough to be at the college level and knowing he didn’t throw hard enough to be a traditional college pitcher, Josh knew he had to get creative to reach his goals. It was one of the best pieces of advice Josh received from his father because it ultimately led to a college baseball career at Three Rivers.
With his junior season lost to the pandemic, Josh used that time to transform himself into a very successful submarine relief pitcher, a style his father was forced to do in college after dealing with injuries.
“I got the opportunity a lot of kids don’t, and I didn’t think I was going to get that opportunity either,” Josh Harryman said. “I was a 5’8 kid that threw maybe 74 mph. Now, I drop down low, throw 74 mph and I get people out. It is crazy the little things you can tweak that make a world of difference. … Covid affected a lot of people. Besides sitting on the couch, the one thing I felt sane doing was going and playing catch. My dad did it in college. All I needed was my dad, a glove and a baseball. We practiced every day to get better in the areas I could in that difficult time.”
Crowder has a long-standing tradition of baseball excellence at the JUCO level. The Roughriders are a year-in-year-out force to be reckoned with in Region 16, regularly making deep postseason runs while sending players off to excellent four-year universities when they aren’t being drafted to the majors. That pedigree is the exact reason why Cooper, a corner outfielder/pitcher and middle-of-the-order bat for the Eagles, was thrilled with the opportunity to play for Crowder coach Travis Lallemand.
“They have a great baseball history and a great line of coaches there,” Cooper said. “I have toured the facilities and stuff like that and it is some of the best stuff I have ever seen. I really love the discipline there. That is the biggest thing. I want to be a part of that. …What better opportunity than a place like Crowder to come your way. That was a sign from God to me and I am excited to see where God takes me.”
Asking student-athletes why they chose the school they did will get you a lot of different answers. Some prefer the closeness to home, while others really enjoyed their time on campus and the prospects life as a student offers. For Fiscus, Joplin’s starting catcher, he was really impressed with the coaching and structure of St. Louis CC.
“I really liked the coaching and how they talked and had things laid out,” Fiscus said. “One of the key things I really looked at was how they went through practice and what their main focus was. I really liked their answers. And I asked about catchers. As much as I like practice, I value the individual time I get to work on catching. That is how I am going to get better. I talked with them about that a lot and I really liked what I heard.”
Of course, deciding on what college to attend while being a student-athlete can be a mentally-daunting task. With so many factors coming into play, it can come down to that one outlier that other schools may not offer. For Wardlow, he found out about a prestigious academic program he qualified for at William Jewell that would give him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity all while fulfilling his love for competitive swimming—the Oxbridge Honors program.
“My freshman and sophomore year, I will get accustomed to the tutorial style of learning,” Wardlow said. “Then in my junior year, I will get to go be a student over at the University of Oxford [Oxford, England]. All of that on top of being able to swim four years in Kansas City — home of the Chiefs — it is a no-brainer for me. It is a blessing from above.”
Carthage High School Director of Athletics & Activities Mark Holderbaum has announced a number of coaching changes for the 2021-22 school year.
Longtime track and cross country coach Andy Youngworth is retiring from coaching at CHS with the conclusion of the spring season, a press release stated.
Logan Wilson will be the new head coach for the boys track and field squad. Wilson is currently an assistant coach in the program.
Wilson is a Neosho native who earned a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Southern and a master’s from Northwest Missouri.
Wilson has coached at Neosho, McAuley Catholic and Seneca, where he was the head track coach for three years before arriving in Carthage in 2016.
Nicole Sipes is the next head girls track and field coach.
A native of Frontenac, Kansas, Sipes has been an assistant under Youngworth since 2010 and has been at CHS since 2008. She’s previously coached volleyball and basketball.
Sipes played basketball, volleyball and softball at Labette Community College before playing basketball at Pittsburg State.
Sipes has coached at Northeast and Sarcoxie, where she led the school’s softball team for 11 years, the volleyball program for 10 years and the girls hoops program for two seasons.
Brian Crigger will take over the reins of the CHS cross country program.
Crigger has been an assistant under Youngworth and currently leads the junior high cross country and track programs. Crigger hails from Springfield, where he was a standout runner at Parkview.
After running collegiately at Missouri State, Crigger joined the faculty at Carthage Junior High School in 2006.
Crigger will be an assistant coach for the high school track teams next year as well. Volleyball coach Bradyn Webb will also join the track and field coaching staff.
Also, Andy Hogenmiller will join Nathan Morris’ boys basketball coaching staff. A native of Washington, Missouri, Hogenmiller currently coaches basketball at Sarcoxie. Jaren Hulette will join the softball coaching staff.
The 2021-22 head coach for boys' track at Carthage High School will be Logan Wilson. pic.twitter.com/WzSitoeTf7
With retirement from coaching at Carthage High School, Andy Youngworth will wrap up his Tiger tenure this spring. Thank you for your dedication to CHS cross country and track programs! You'll always be a Tiger! pic.twitter.com/KubJ5NJIvl
Thomas Jefferson’s boys tennis team improved to 11-0 with a 7-2 win over Springfield Central on Tuesday a the TJ tennis courts.
Thomas Jefferson’s Noah Hamlett and Tyler Brouhard defeated Alexei Shunyakov and Anthony Trimble 8-4 at No. 1 doubles, while Ian Ding and Hari Nagarajan beat Pranav Mandava and Wooyoung Park 8-4 at No. 2. Christopher Wheelen and Prithvi Nagarajan beat Ethan Gravely-Kiprotich Togom 8-5.
In singles, Ding defeated Mandava 8-5, while Hamlett lost to Shunyakov 8-2.
Brouhard beat Trimble 8-5, while Wheelen defeated Gravely 8-1.
Hari Nagarajan lost to Park 8-4, while Prithvi Nagarajan beat Cole Brodeur 8-4.
Webb City earned a 9-0 win over Neosho on Tuesday in boys tennis action at Millennium Family Fitness.
In doubles action, Webb City’s Trenton Hayes and Cale Stephens defeated Kuhio Sohl and Landon Austin 8-0, while Jackson Dill-Drake Miller beat Christian Williams-Melvin Lopez 8-1 and Caiden Johnson-Tyler Wade topped Ryno Lee-Blaze McKay 8-0.
Neosho coach Nick Hays told SoMo Sports that the singles matches were shortened due to the threat of bad weather.
Webb City’s Hayes beat Sohl 6-1 at No. 1 singles, while Stephens defeated Austin 6-0 at No. 2.
In other singles matches, Dill beat Williams 6-3, Miller topped Lopez 6-1, Johnson defeated Lee 6-0 and Wade beat McKay 6-0.
Neosho hosts Nixa on Thursday, while Webb City is scheduled to compete at Wednesday’s Monett Invitational.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage and Neosho battled back and forth throughout the Central Ozark Conference contest with the Tigers outlasting the Wildcats 3-2 on Tuesday at Carl Lewton Stadium on Senior Night.
Carthage honored seniors Kaden Kralicek, Wil McCombs, Grant Collier and Mason Utter prior to the game.
Neosho (3-18, 0-6 COC) struck first with a run in the second before Carthage (7-11, 1-5 COC) matched with a single tally in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead on an RBI single to left from Micah Lindsey in the bottom of the first to score Sylas Browning.
The Wildcats tied the game up in the top of the fifth when Brett Slavens reached on an error that allowed River Brill to score.
Carthage regained the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kralicek singled up the middle to plate McCombs, who tripled to lead off the inning, to make the score 3-2.
Utter started and earned the win for Carthage after allowing two unearned runs on seven hits, a walk and three strikeouts in six innings. Kaden Arr pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
Carter Fenske started and took the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits, a walk and two strikeouts in four innings. Brill allowed one hit, one walk and struck out two in two relief innings.
Kralicek doubled and had a team-high two hits to go along with an RBI and a run scored for Carthage. Browning doubled and scored a run, while McCombs tripled and scored a run.
Chase Flynn picked up an RBI single in the second inning on the way to two hits to lead Neosho. Kael Smith also collected two hits.
OZARK, Mo. — Joplin built a 9-4 advantage by the end of the fourth inning and held off Ozark to earn a 10-8 win in Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday.
Justin McReynolds earned the win after allowing eight runs, six earned, on eight hits, a walk and six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Josh Harryman pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, striking out three while allowing one hit.
Holton Miller started and took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits, a walk and three strikeouts in two innings.
The Tigers (7-11, 3-3 COC) built an early lead after scoring three times in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Brody Banmann.
Joplin (13-7, 5-1 COC) rallied back with five runs touching home in the top of the fourth to take a two-run advantage. Carson Wampler and Bodee Carlson each had RBI singles, while Kyler Stokes and Fielding Campbell each drove in a run with sacrifice flies. Ethan Guilford also picked up an RBI after drawing a bases-loaded walk.
Guilford picked up another RBI in the third with a sac fly to center, but Ozark’s Cooper Buvid singled in a run in the bottom of the inning to make the score 6-4.
Joplin’s Alex Curry singled up the middle to plate Carlson and Campbell in the last of the fourth to double the lead at 8-4. Joplin added its ninth run of the game later in the inning on an Ozark error.
The Tigers charged back with four runs scoring in the last of the fifth to trim the lead to 9-8. Holden Sabor and Banmann both picked up run-scoring hits in the inning.
Guilford drew another bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth to add an insurance run for the Eagles.
Carlson doubled while finishing with two hits, an RBI and a run scored for Joplin. Campbell had two hits, scored twice and drove in one. Curry and Kirk Chandler each had two hits. Curry drove in two and scored once, while Chandler scored a run.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — A clash between state-ranked close rivals went Webb City’s way.
Ranked second in Class 5, Webb City took the lead early and added plenty of insurance late on the way to a convincing 11-5 win over sixth-ranked Carl Junction on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference baseball action.
For the Cardinals, it was a solid overall performance.
“It was a big win,” Webb City coach Flave Darnell said, noting conference and district implications. “Carl Junction just had a big win against Willard. Carl Junction is a great team. They’ve got really good pitching and we were fortunate to get some timely hits today.”
“Credit to Webb City,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “They’re athletic, they run the bases well and they put pressure on the defense. We weren’t able to stop the bleeding when we needed to early and they were. It was a learning experience for our guys.”
The Cardinals improved to 15-5 overall and 4-2 in the COC, while the Bulldogs fell to 12-6 and 3-2 COC in conference action.
Webb City’s Cole Gayman was the winning pitcher on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Getting production from up and down the batting order, Webb City scored its 11 runs on 13 hits. The Cardinals pushed across runs in four different innings and threatened in every frame.
“I thought we did some damage at the bottom of our lineup,” Darnell said, noting bunting and drawing walks were keys. “Those (7-8-9) guys have been turning the lineup over and we’ve got some guys at the top of our lineup that can do some damage. Their pitchers struck us out 10 times today, but we battled when we needed to toget guys on and put some pressure on them.”
Another key to victory was the fact that Webb City senior right-hander Cole Gayman had a stellar outing on the mound.
A Missouri Southern recruit, Gayman scattered three hits and did not allow an earned run while striking out five in 5 1/3 innings.
“I thought Cole Gayman pitched a heck of a game,” Darnell said. “He attacked the zone early. We made the defensive plays when we needed to and it was a good win.”
The Bulldogs managed just one baserunner in the first three frames and plated only a single tally against Gayman through five innings.
“Credit to Cole Gayman,” Stevenson said. “He’s an outstanding arm and he did a nice job today. He kept us off-balance. We were attacking first pitch strikes and just weren’t able to get our timing down. We had some quick innings and he was able to settle in.”
GAME RECAP
A pair of extra-base hits allowed the Cardinals to push across a single tally in the first inning, as Treghan Parker tripled to right field and later scored on Matt Woodmansee’s RBI double to left.
The visitors added three runs in the second. Eli Goddard reached on a dropped third strike and went to second on Aiden Brock’s sacrifice bunt. Jeremiah Leaming then delivered an RBI single to left. After Eric Fitch singled, he charged home on Devrin Weathers’ run-scoring triple into right-center.
Weathers later sprinted home from third on a wild pitch, giving the Cardinals a four-run cushion.
Carl Junction finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth.
Noah Southern reached on an error, stole second and went to third on another Webb City miscue. Southern scored on Dylan Eck’s bunt, beating Gayman to the plate.
The score remained 4-1 until the top of the sixth when the Cardinals erupted for five runs.
The big inning started off when Brock drew a walk, chasing Carl Junction starting pitcher Drew Beyer.
After Leaming sacrificed, Fitch and Weathers both reached on infield singles, loading the bases. Parker then lined a two-run single into right.
After Shane Noel walked, two runs crossed the plate on a CJ error.
A bunt off the bat of Gayman allowed another run to score, giving Webb City a comfortable 9-1 advantage.
“Aiden was down 0-2 in the count and he battled and battled to get a leadoff walk and that was huge,” Darnell said. “It was huge to extend the lead. It was good to see our guys come through and get timely hits when we needed it.”
Down eight runs, the Bulldogs answered with four runs in the bottom half of the sixth.
With one out, Southern walked, Alex Baker singled and then Eck reached on an error. Goddard replaced Gayman on the mound and he surrendered a bloop RBI single to Brendyn Downs.
After an out, Keaton Johnson smacked a two-run single to right. Downs later came home on a wild pitch, trimming Carl Junction’s deficit to 9-5.
Stevenson noted he was proud of his team’s resiliency.
“This group is going to compete and battle,” Stevenson said. “It would have been real easy to give up down 9-1. But our guys did a nice job of trying to put a big inning together. It was just a little too late.”
The Cardinals added two insurance runs in the seventh, as Noel and Woodmansee both contributed RBI singles before Goddard tossed a scoreless bottom half to secure the win.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Gayman earned the win. He threw 80 pitches and tossed a first pitch strike to 17 of 23 batters. Goddard went the final 1 2/3 and allowed one run on three hits while striking out one.
Seven different players had hits for Webb City.
Fitch and Weathers had three hits apiece for the Cardinals, while Parker and Woodmansee contributed two hits apiece.
Woodmansee drove in four runs, while Parker had two RBI.
Beyer took the loss, but he struck out nine while allowing six hits and five earned runs. Carson Johnson and Eck pitched in relief.
All six of Carl Junction’s hits were singles. Beyer, Southern, Baker, Eck, Downs and Keaton Johnson had one hit apiece.
NOTES: These two teams could see each other again, as the Cardinals and Bulldogs are both in Class 5’s District 6.
Both squads hit the road on Thursday, as Webb City is at Nixa and Carl Junction is at Ozark.
Webb City’s Devrin Weathers scores after a wild pitch during Tuesday’s game at Carl Junction. Weathers had three hits and the Cardinals beat the Bulldogs 11-5. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Carl Junction’s Drew Beyer delivers a pitch to the plate against Webb City. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Carl Junction’s Noah Southern reaches first base just ahead of the throw during Tuesday’s game with Webb City. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Thomas Jefferson earned a 185-205 team win in a duel with Carthage JV on Tuesday at Schifferdecker Golf Course.
Playing the par-36 front nine, Thomas Jefferson’s Owen D’Amour finished with top medalist honors after carding a two-over 38. Thomas Jefferson’s Luke Miller shot a 46 to take second medalist, while Carthage JV’s Ben Nicholas and Eli Scott tied for third medalist after each shot a 48.
Rounding out the Cavaliers’ scores—Caden Myers finished with a 50, while Jack Tyrrell and Tony Touma shot a 51. Jake Jarrett finished with a 52.
For Carthage JV, Ben Rogers shot a 54, while Eli Cox scored a 55. Michael Sheehan shot a 59.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a matchup between two teams with double-digit wins that are area, conference and district rivals, it was Webb City that got the better of Carl Junction by the sound of the final whistle with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday at Cardinal Stadium.
The Cardinals broke a scoreless tie midway through the second half with the game’s only goal to move to 15-2 overall with a Central Ozark Conference best 5-0 record.
“I was definitely proud of the girls for pulling out the win,” Webb City coach Nick Harmon said. “I thought there were nerves on both sides and it was disjointed at times. I thought we showed the composure needed to win the game when it mattered.”
Carl Junction falls to 10-4, 2-3 COC on the year.
Webb City’s Velissa Perez battles for possession against Carl Junction’s Lauren Burgess in the Cardinals’ win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
“I thought the first half we matched their intensity and we played well,” Carl Junction coach Ed Miller said. “In the second half, we came out a little flat and a lot of the play was on our end at the beginning. Once they scored, I think it was a little wakeup call and we started playing a little bit. … We had some opportunities but the ball didn’t bounce our way. It was a hard-fought game.”
The first half played out much like a chess match between two teams who are very familiar with each other. While both teams had their moments of offensive pressure, it was largely a defensive-oriented first 40 minutes.
“We got them fired up and ready to play,” Miller said of his Bulldogs’ play in the first half. “They knew they were in a battle, in a fight, and they came out and it was back and forth. They had a little confidence (playing that way). I think we connected passes well in the first half.”
The tone changed to open the second half, as Webb City played very aggressively on offense, pressuring with the ball on Carl Junction’s end constantly.
“We just needed to show more composure and believe in ourselves in what we can do with possession,” Harmon said when asked what his halftime message to the team was. “(I told them) to not give into the nerves and the atmosphere of the game. … We made a couple minor tactical changes that led to us getting a little more offensive-zone possession.”
Webb City broke through on the scoreboard near the midway portion of the second half when Anea Bemo drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box and left the game because of injury. The Cardinals were awarded a free kick from 20 yards out, with Haven Stanley ripping a shot on goal over everyone and finding the back of the net to make the score 1-0 in the 64th minute.
Carl Junction’s Hannah Franks passes the ball with Webb City’s Melia Blair defending in the Cardinals’ win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
“Anea has been relentless all season long (attacking),” Harmon said. “She created plenty of opportunities tonight and took one for the team with the foul. With Anea going out injured on the same play, for Haven to convert that set piece was just huge for our momentum.”
Carl Junction’s offensive intensity turned up after the goal. The Bulldogs spent the next several minutes of action on the offensive end. The opportunities at tying the game came up empty as the Cardinals held off CJ for the win.
UP NEXT
Webb City hosts Nixa on Thursday, while Carl Junction hosts Ozark on Thursday.
Led by four wins in singles play, the Joplin High School boys tennis team defeated Carl Junction 5-4 on Tuesday at the JHS athletic complex.
The Eagles dropped two of three doubles matches, but then won four of the six singles matches to earn a close dual victory.
“Carl Junction played well,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “They had an interesting doubles lineup, pairing their No. 1 and No. 11 ranked players, which worked to their advantage. We were able to win four singles matches to take the match.”
At No. 1 doubles, Joplin’s Logan Merkley and Jeffrey Evenson defeated Connor Sztamenits and Cade Wilkerson 8-4.
“Logan and Jeffrey communicated well during their doubles match,” Stump commented. “They played with confidence and had few unforced errors.”
Carl Junction’s Josecito Figueroa Quezada and Jordan Markham defeated Joplin’s Ben Wardlow and Colin Vermillion 8-4.
“The Carl Junction team had nice lobs and placed the ball well against us with any short hits,” Stump said.
In the No. 3 doubles match, Carl Junction’s Blaine Wilkerson and Nicholas Neal edged Josh Yarnall and Michael Mancipe 8-6.
At No. 1 singles, Merkley beat Blaine Wilkerson 8-2.
“Logan studied his opponent’s style of play early in the match and was able to counter it,” Stump noted. “He kept the ball in play and attacked when he had the opportunity.”
Evenson beat Connor Sztamenits 8-2 at No. 2 singles.
“Jeffrey played with consistency,” Stump said. “He had a strong serve and placed subsequent shots with power and efficiency.”
Wardlow defeated Cade Wilkerson 8-4 at No. 3 singles.
“Ben brought his A-game into the singles match,” Stump said. “He was hitting his serves better than I’ve seen in recent matches.”
Yarnall beat Easton Szatamenits 8-1 at No. 4 singles.
“Josh adjusted his strategy from previous matches and competed well,” Stump commented. “It was nice to have him available for singles, especially since his victory won the match for Joplin.”
Carl Junction won at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, as Quezada defeated Mancipe 8-4 and Markham topped Vermillion 8-3.
“Michael and Josecito were very evenly matched,” Stump said of the No. 5 match. “They played some of the longest rallie we’ve seen all season.”
Joplin hosts Willard on Thursday, while Carl Junction hosts Branson on Thursday.
Joplin’s Logan Merkley serves during the No. 1 doubles match against Carl Junction on Tuesday. Submitted photo.
