SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — After suffering their first loss of the season on Thursday night, the Webb City Cardinals bounced back nicely one day later.
Competing in the Blue and Red Classic, Webb City earned two wins on Friday, beating Glendale 14-2 in six innings before out-slugging Belton 13-9.
The Cardinals are now 7-1.
WEBB CITY 14, GLENDALE 2
The Cardinals scored two runs in the first and third innings before breaking the game open with a four-run fourth.
In the first, Treghan Parker drove in a run with an RBI single, while Shane Noel added a sac fly.
The Falcons pushed across single tallies in the first and second innings to tie the game.
Cole Gayman’s run-scoring groundout and Eli Goddard’s RBI single gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead in the third.
In the fourth, Aiden Brock singled and Eric Fitch walked. Both players later scored on an error, giving Webb City a four-run cushion.
Later in the frame, Noel lined a two-run single to right, scoring Devrin Weathers and Parker.
Webb City added a run in the fifth on Weathers’ RBI single to right. Gavin Stowell scored on the play, extending his team’s lead to 9-2.
The Cardinals added five more runs in the sixth. During the big inning, Goddard and Jeremiah Leaming both drew bases-loaded walks before Fitch contributed a two-run double to left.
Parker added a run-scoring groundout for a 14-2 advantage.
The game ended after the bottom of the sixth due to the run-rule.
Weathers went 3-for-4, while Parker, Noel, Brock and Fitch all had two hits apiece. Noel, Parker, Goddard and Fitch all had two RBI apiece.
Noel was the winning pitcher. He went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two. Goddard pitched a scoreless sixth.
WEBB CITY 13, BELTON 9
In a high-scoring affair, the Cardinals pushed across nine runs in the first inning, but the Pirates scored seven in the third.
Webb City added two runs in the third and fifth innings.
The Cardinals scored their 13 runs on 12 hits.
Parker had a big day for the Cardinals. The Missouri Southern recruit went 3-for-5 with a home run, a triple and four RBI.
Noel, Gayman and Goddard contributed two hits apiece, while Weathers drove in two runs. Matt Woodmansee, Parker and Noel scored two runs apiece.
Webb City used four pitchers—Stowell, Noah Mitchell, Cooper Crouch and Leaming. They combined to strike out 11 batters.
Stowell was credited with the win. He struck out six in 2 2/3 innings.
Belton had seven hits and took advantage of nine walks.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Cardinals have two games at Hillcrest High in Springfield on Saturday.
GALENA, Kan. — College Heights Christian and Thomas Jefferson Independent were among the schools competing at the Galena Bulldog Relays on Thursday.
BOYS HIGHLIGHTS
College Heights’ Gatlin Bender placed third in the shot put.
CHC’s Derrick McMillan finished fourth in the 800, while Steven Calandro took sixth in the 110 hurdles and ninth in the 300 hurdles.
Ethan Ukena and Dominic Gingerich finished seventh and eighth in the long jump, while Caleb Quade and Colsen Dickens were eighth and ninth in the 400.
The Cougars finished third in the 4×800 relay, fourth in the 4×400 and fifth in the 4×100.
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry placed fourth in the 1600 and seventh in the 800.
Levi Triplett finished fifth in the 100 hurdles and Elias Rincker was fifth in both the 300 hurdles and the long jump.
GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS
College Heights won two relays, the 4×400 and the 4×800. The Cougars were eighth in the 4×100.
College Heights’ Grace Bishop finished sixth in the 400, Allie Fiscus took third in the 300 hurdles and fifth in the 100 hurdles, while Sophia Moore was seventh in the triple jump.
Thomas Jefferson’s Alivia Beard was second in the 100 and fourth in the 200.
Sydney Stamps took second in the shot put and was fourth in the high jump.
Sarah Mueller took fourth in the 800 and Avery Hocker was fifth in the triple jump.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction baseball’s offense did most of its damage in the middle innings while Alex Baker was strong on the mound in the Bulldogs’ win over Frontenac on Thursday at Joe Becker Stadium.
Baker earned the win after pitching five shutout innings, scattering three hits, walking one and striking out six. Drew Beyer allowed one unearned run in two innings. He allowed one hit, walked four and struck out three.
Colin McCartney took the loss after allowing two runs on one hit, three walks and three strikeouts in three innings. Clay Jameson allowed five runs on four hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings, while Mario Menghini gave up one run on one hit and three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.
The Bulldogs (6-2) broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the third inning before Carson Johnson drew a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth to force home a run and give CJ a 3-0 lead. Carl Junction scored its first run of the four-run fifth when Brendyn Downs brought home Noah Southern with an RBI groundout. Back to back walks with the bases loaded later in the inning pushed the lead to six before Johnston scored on a wild pitch to wrap the scoring. The Bulldogs added a run in the sixth before Frontenac broke through with a run in the seventh.
Southern had two hits and scored twice to lead CJ, while Johnson, who doubled, Baker, Dylan Eck and Jordan Woodruff all had hits.
Kaston Fields, Jeremy Raio, Bree Cleeland and McCartney all had hits for Frontenac.
SPRINGFIELD CATHOLIC 8, WEBB CITY 5
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Caden Davis launched a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win while handing Webb City its first loss of the season on Thursday.
The Cardinals (5-1) rallied from a 5-2 deficit with three runs of their own in the seventh. With a run already in, Shane Noel singled home Treghan Parker to cut the lead to 5-4 before an RBI single up the middle by Eli Goddard to score Noel tied the game at 5-5.
After a groundout to start the bottom of the seventh, Hans Kaiser reached on a dropped third strike before Jeremy Rader walked, setting up Davis’ home run.
Rader started and took a no-decision after allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits, two walks and five strikeouts over five innings. Danny White earned the win in relief after allowing three runs on three hits, a walk and three strikeouts in two innings.
Cole Gayman started and took a no-decision after giving up five runs, two earned, on five hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Cooper Crouch took the loss after allowing three runs on one hit, a walk and two strikeouts in one relief inning.
Noel led Webb City with three hits, including a triple, two runs and two RBI. Devrin Weathers added two hits.
MCDONALD COUNTY 5, CARTHAGE 4
ANDERSON, Mo. — McDonald County scored the lone run of the first inning before matching Carthage the rest of the way to earn the win.
Cross Dowd brought home Cole Martin with a sacrifice fly to right field in the first inning to give the Mustangs an early 1-0 lead.
From that point forward, the scoring on the scoreboard was a mirror image for both teams. Carthage (1-5) scored once in the top of the second, twice in the third and once in the sixth, but McDonald County answered with the same number of runs in the bottom half of each inning.
Logan Carmickle, Grant Collier, RyLee Barker and Sylas Browning all recorded hits for Carthage.
Martin doubled and had two hits while scoring twice to lead McDonald County. Ethan Lett had two hits, drove in one and scored a run.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS 10, VERONA 8
College Heights scored five early runs and then used a five-run fifth to earn the win at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
Kelton Welch, Nick Breggman and Lincoln Martin all had two hits apiece for the Cougars, with Breggman driving in three runs. Welch scored three times, while Rolen Sanderson and Breggman crossed the plate twice apiece.
Josh Allen and Ben Thomas all had RBIs for CHC.
Breggman went five innings on the mound, allowing six earned runs on nine hits while striking out six. Thomas pitched two scoreless innings.
Verona’s Jacob Stellwagen struck out seven in four innings, while Seth Freiburger allowed five runs, three earned, in two frames.
Alex Campbell and Sam Rees drove in two runs apiece for the Wildcats.
The Cougars (2-2) are at Purdy on Monday.
SOFTBALL
COLLEGE HEIGHTS 9, VERONA 0
Maddy Colin threw a gem and the College Heights offense started early and added on throughout in the win over Verona at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
Colin dazzled with her second no-hitter of the season. She struck out 15 batters and walked just two in seven innings.
College Heights (5-0, 2-0 Ozark 7) scored twice in the bottom of the first before taking control with a five-run third inning. The Cougars added a run in the fifth and sixth innings.
Jayli Johnson doubled twice on the way to a team-high three hits. She drove in one and scored one. Avery Good, Colin, Sarah Painter, Aaliyah Perez, Lauren Ukena and Ari Caldandro each had hits for College Heights.
Mount Vernon defeated Neosho 6-3 in a boys tennis dual on Thursday.
The Wildcats won two singles matches, as Melvin Lopez defeated Isaac Burks 8-2 and Ryno Lee topped Gabe Newman 8-6.
Mount Vernon won the other four singles matches, as Chase Strong defeated Kuhio Sohl 8-0, Isaac Barker beat Landon Austin 8-3, Curtis Meyer defeated Christian Williams 8-5 and Justin Moore beat Brandt Gonzales 8-4.
In doubles, Neosho’s Williams and Lopez defeated Meyer and Burks 8-5.
Mount Vernon’s Strong-Barker defeated Sohl-Austin 8-5 and Moore-Newman edged Gonzales-Lee 9-8 (7-2 tie-breaker).
CARTHAGE, Mo. — For the first time since May of 2019, track and field athletes from Joplin, Webb City, Carl Junction, Carthage and Neosho competed against each other at the same location.
After the 2020 season was completely wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s safe to say Thursday’s Carthage Invitational track meet was a welcome sight for all those involved.
“We were really disappointed about losing last year, so I’m really excited just to get back out here today,” Webb City boys coach Dustin Miller said. “It’s nice to hear the sound of the starter’s pistol and just watching the kids compete is great. We’ve got a really good team this year, so I’m really excited about this season. And it’s a great feeling seeing all these seniors out here who have dedicated themselves to track and field.”
Miller had another reason to be excited, as Webb City’s boys and girls squads both captured team titles at what was the season-opener for many of the schools in attendance.
The Webb City boys finished with 138 points. Joplin was second with 132, while Neosho (89) and Carthage (76) were third and fourth. There were 12 teams competing.
The Webb City girls compiled 117 points. Nevada (106), Bolivar (94.5) and Carl Junction (82) rounded out the top four teams. Neosho’s girls were fifth (81), Joplin was eighth (48) and Carthage ninth (30).
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
The Webb City boys won four events and took second in three others. Webb City’s depth was on display, as the Cardinals scored points in 17 events.
Luke Brumit won the high jump by clearing 6-4.25, while Pryce Mason went 14-7.25 to win the pole vault, a meet and school record.
Caleb Cook crossed the line first in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.43 seconds.
The Cardinals won the 4×200 relay in 1:35, with Isaiah Brisco, William Wolfe, Mason and Mekhi Garrard competing.
Garrard was the runner-up in both the triple jump and the 200, while Zetthew Meister took second in the discus.
Third-place finishers were Matt McDaniel (high jump), Grayson Smith (pole vault), Meister (shot put) and Roman Borboa (1600). Finishing fourth were Jacob Shonk (long jump) and Gustavo Sabbag (110 hurdles).
The Cardinals were fourth in the 4×100, with William Headrick, Joshua White, Tyler Shields and Brisco running. Webb City was sixth in the 4×400 (James Morgan, Shonk, Cook, Brumit).
McDaniel placed fifth in the javelin and Justin Allen was fifth in the pole vault. Borboa, Joseph Dawson and Dustin Brockmiller were sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 3200.
Webb City’s girls won five events and took second in four others.
Webb City’s Riley Hawkins won three events on Thursday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Junior Riley Hawkins won three events — the 800 in 2:33, the 1600 in 5:28 and the 3200 in 11:49.
Haidyn Berry won the javelin (127-10) and teammate Dawsyn Decker was second (114-10).
Kaylyn Gilbert took first in the discus (98-9) and fourth in the shot put. Emily Beres took second in the shot put and fourth in the discus.
Ripley Shanks was second in the pole vault and Jaydee Duda was the runner-up in the 200.
The girls 4×100 relay took fourth, with Morgan Brannon, Rachel Davison, Kylie Jennings and Danecca Heffren running.
Jennings placed fourth in the 300 hurdles, while Alanna Bundy was fourth in the 800.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s boys won six events, including two relays.
Donovyn Fowler won the long jump with a school record and meet record leap of 23-10.25. Teammate Trayshawn Thomas was second (21-6.75).
A junior, Fowler also won the triple jump (45-10.5), with Thomas third (44-6.25). Fowler placed third in the 200.
Joplin junior Donovyn Fowler competes in the long jump on Thursday at the Carthage Invitational. Fowler won both the long and triple jump. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Joplin won the 4×800 relay in 8:28, with Evan Matlock, Zaben Barnes, Ryan Byers and Hobbs Campbell competing.
Campbell crossed the line first in the 1600 (4:30) and took second in the 3200 (9:52).
The Eagles won the 4×100 relay in 44.57, with Nathan Glades, Thomas, Dominick Simmons and Fowler competing.
Glades finished first in the 300 hurdles and was the runner-up in the 100.
In the shot put, Donovahn Watkins took second and Dontrell Holt was fifth.
Fourth-place finishers for the JHS boys were Luke Vieselmeyer (high jump) and Barnes (3200), while Micah Bruggeman was fifth in the 1600 and sixth in the 800.
For the JHS girls, Jennalee Dunn was second in the 1600 and third in the 3200.
Joplin’s girls took fourth in the 4×200 relay, with Kylie Anderson, Jackaline Triplett, Allie Lawrence and Bailey Ledford competing.
The Eagles were also fourth in the 4×400 (Triplett, Isabeela Yust, Alexandra Carson, Mya Ndedi-Ntepe).
Alayna Merriman was fourth in the javelin, Lawrence finished fifth in both the 200 and the pole vault, Carson took fifth in the 400, Anderson was sixth in the 100 and Yust took seventh in the 400.
Joplin’s Camryn Ledford broke a 20 and under national record in the para-javelin with her heave of 41-5.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Leading the way for the Carl Junction girls with two event wins apiece were Shiloh Sluder and Ally Montez.
Sluder won the 100-meter dash in 12.79 and the 200 in 26.98. Montez took first in the 100 hurdles (15.04)and the 300 hurdles (48.1).
Salma Lewis was the runner-up in the high jump, while Olivia Vediz finished third in both the 100 and the triple jump and took fourth in the long jump.
Also for the CJ girls, Emerson Lundien finished fourth in the pole vault and Bryn Neria took fifth in the javelin.
Carl Junction’s Brendan Jewell was the runner-up in the boys high jump, while Colton Talken took fourth in the 100.
Carl Junction’s Ally Montez won both hurdle races. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Caleb Calvin won the javelin with a toss of 161-1 for the hosts’ lone first place finish.
The Tigers were second in the 4×800 relay, with Malcolm Robertson, Ty Lewis, Richard Contreras and Miquel Solano competing.
Carthage’s Solano, Tyler Burt, Aiden Rogers and Calvin took second in the 4×400.
Tyler Burt finished third in the 400, while Aiden Logan placed fourth in the shot put and fifth in the discus.
Zachary Lansford took fourth in the javelin, Rogers finished fifth in the 100 and sixth in the 200, while Calvin was fifth in the 300 hurdles and Solano placed fifth in the 800.
For the Carthage girls, Kenedy Smith finished second in the triple jump and third in the high jump.
Carthage’s girls were fourth in the 4×100, with Katie Crowe, Joey Hettinger, Ashlynn Patrick and Karly Sullivan competing.
The 4×200 relay of Trisha Kanas, Hettinger, Patrick and Sullivan finished fifth. Lilly Holmes was fifth in the discus.
NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS
Neosho’s Kaden Cole won the 3200 in 9:52 and was the runner-up in the 1600.
The Wildcats were second in the 4×200 relay, with Marcus Duncan, William Howell, Evan Haskins and Tristan Clanton competing.
Clanton was second in the 400, Jeremiah Larson finished second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 110 hurdles, while Cole placed third in the 800.
Isaiah Green was fourth in the triple jump and fifth in the high jump. Haskins was fifth in the 400.
The Wildcats finished fourth in the 4×400 (Duncan, Haskins, Larson and Clanton).
For Neosho’s girls, Jayden Browning won the triple jump (35-4.5) and took second in the long jump (16-1). She was also fifth in the high jump.
Madilyn Ebbinghaus was second in the 400.
The Wildcats’ 4×800 team of Makenna Davis, Bailey Miller, Heaven Kivett and Michelle Lindsay took second.
Neosho was also second in the 4×200, with Taigen Mitchell, Claire Burghart, Kivett and Ebbinghaus running. The Wildcats were second in the 4×400 (Mitchell, Burghart, Lindsay, Ebbinghaus).
Riley Kemna finished fifth in the 1600 and sixth in both the 800 and 3200, while the Wildcats were fifth in the 4×100.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
McDonald County’s Garrett Gricks won the boys shot put (45-6.25) and Lamar’s Trace Willhite won the discus (139-4).
Logan Crockett of Lamar took first in the 100 (11.62) and Kelton Sorrell of East Newton won the 800 (2:01).
Monett’s team of Ian Hilderbrand, Konner Poynter, Eduardo Trujillo and Jose Salas won the 4×400 in 3:35.
Nevada’s Lillian Hart won the girls high jump (4-11.75) and long jump (16-4.5), while teammate Claire Pritchett took first in the shot put (40-6.25).
Monett’s girls won the 4×100 in 54.10, with Ashtyn Blakey, Jenna Herald, Londi Torres-Ramos and Mary Jane Martinez competing.
Nevada’s girls took first in the 4×400, as Jade Feller, Bailey Ast, Clara Swearingen and Madyson Majors finished in 4:31.
McDonald County’s Mariana Salas was third in the javelin and Kaycee Factor took third in the 400.
Carl Junction’s Brendan Jewell competes in the high jump. Jewell finished second in the event. Photo by Jason Peake.
Joplin’s Nathan Glades competes in the hurdles. Photo by Shawn Fowler.Area athletes compete during Thursday’s Carthage Invitational. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
CARTHAGE INVITATIONAL
Boys team scores: Webb City 138, Joplin 132, Neosho 89, Carthage 76, Bolivar 63, Lamar 55, Grove 44, Monett 34, East Newton 33, Nevada 31, McDonald County 22, Carl Junction 21.
Girls team scores: Webb City 117, Nevada 106, Bolivar 94.5, Carl Junction 82, Neosho 81, Monett 62.5, Grove 51, Joplin 48, Carthage 30, Lamar 21, McDonald County 20, East Newton 12.
The Joplin High School boys tennis team opened the 2021 season by suffering a 9-0 home loss to Kickapoo on Thursday.
Eagles coach Aaron Stump said there were positives in the loss.
“Kickapoo was a tough opponent for our first match of the season,” Stump said. “Their team has a mix of experienced players, with many who started playing before they reached high school. As a team, we played some good games, frequently getting to deuce, but we weren’t able to capitalize on some of our opportunities.”
The dual began with three doubles matches.
At No. 1 doubles, Kickapoo’s Caden Hillman and Cayden Danzer defeated Joplin’s Logan Merkley and Jeffrey Evenson 8-2.
“This is our most experienced doubles team,” Stump commented. “Logan is in his fourth year, and Jeffrey is in his third.”
The Chiefs won the No. 2 doubles match by the same score, as Patrick Terry and Hart Hillman beat Ben Wardlow and Colin Vermillion.
At No. 3 doubles, Kickapoo’s Jonathan Chou and Jackson Musil edged Joplin’s Josh Yarnall and Michael Mancipe 8-6.
“Josh and Michael played with consistency and kept the match close,” Stump said.
At No. 1 singles, Caden Hillman defeated Merkley 8-0.
“Despite losing 8-0, Logan frequently played to deuce in this match,” Stump said.
Kickapoo’s Terry topped Evenson 8-0 at No. 2 singles and Wardlow suffered an 8-1 loss to Hart Hillman at No. 3.
“Known more for swimming, Ben is playing his first year on the tennis team as a senior,” Stump said. “He participated in the summer camp and decided to give tennis a shot.”
Danzer beat Yarnall 8-3 at No. 4 singles, while Chou defeated Mancipe 8-4 at No. 5.
“Michael was resilient in his match,” Stump noted. “He has come a long way since our shortened season last year.”
NEOSHO, Mo. — Joplin pushed five runs across in the top of the ninth inning en route to a 7-2 extra-inning win over Neosho to open Central Ozark Conference play on Thursday at Roy B. Shaver Field.
“At the end of the day, it’s a good win,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “Credit to their lefty (Wyatt Keplar). He gave us fits. We didn’t do a good job of adjusting. And I told the kids they picked me up and found a way to win that game. We missed some signs and things, but I have to manage the game better and get my guys ready to play better.”
The Eagles (7-1, 1-0 COC) and the Wildcats (1-8, 0-1 COC) found themselves in a pitcher’s duel with the game scoreless after three innings.
Joplin scored an unearned run in the top of the fourth to break the seal, and Neosho answered right back with a run in the bottom half to keep the game tied. Joplin scored another unearned run in the sixth to take a 2-1 advantage, but the Wildcats rallied in the seventh for a run to force extra innings.
Neosho loaded the bases with one out in the eighth only for Joplin to get out of the jam with an unconventional double play, with the Eagles parlaying the momentum into a five-run ninth inning to earn the conference win.
“I’m proud of the way we battled back after being down 2-1,” Neosho coach Danny Powers said. “We still are putting too many on base for free. Unfortunately, we had two bad errors early in the game that led to two runs. Combine that with eight walks, and your pitcher is at 105 pitches and you have to take him out of the game. It’s encouraging that hopefully we understand now that we are good enough to compete with anybody. We just have to learn to finish games out.”
ON THE MOUND
Joplin’s Ethan Guilford started and took the no-decision after surrendering two runs on eight hits, a walk and six strikeouts in seven-plus innings of work. Josh Harryman earned the win after pitching two scoreless relief innings, allowing one hit, walking three and striking out two.
“Ethan is a competitive son of a gun,” Wolf said. “He is a bulldog. He’ll fight with you. … He was really efficient. … He had a great outing … and gave us a chance to win by throwing really, really well.”
Neosho’s Wyatt Keplar started and took a no-decision after allowing two unearned runs on one hit, eight walks and five strikeouts over six innings of work. River Brill allowed four runs on three hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings and took the loss. Carson Thomas allowed one run on one hit and two walks in 2/3 of an inning.
GAME NOTES
Joplin struggled with the bat against Neosho in terms of stringing together hits, but the Eagles’ plate discipline played a major role in the win. Joplin drew a total of 13 walks in the win, and all three innings the Eagles scored were started with a leadoff walk.
“In a game like that when you are struggling to get some hits, you have to find a way to get it done,” Wolf said. “Whether that’s getting hit by a pitch, taking a walk or getting a bunt down. It’s finding ways to get on base and moving some people around.”
In the fourth, Kohl Cooper led off with a walk before moving to second on a sac bunt from David Fiscus. He moved to third on a groundout and scored after Neosho mishandled a line drive off the bat of Guilford to take a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats answered back in the bottom half of the inning when Keplar reached on an infield hit to third that scored Lane Yost, who singled to lead off the inning.
“That was big for us because it’s a momentum thing,” Powers said. “If (Guilford) comes out and has a 1-2-3 inning, that is a bit of a momentum killer for us and a boost for them. It was a good job of responding. I thought we responded twice very well offensively to put us in a position to win the game.”
Bodee Carlson walked to lead off the sixth frame before a walk to Cooper put runners on first and second. With one out, Alex Curry appeared to ground into a potential double play, but the relay throw from second sailed out of play in the first-base dugout to score Carlson while putting Joplin on top 2-1.
Keplar led off the seventh for the Wildcats with an opposite-field triple to left and came around to score the tying run two batters later when Jose Ortega singled sharply through the right side.
“Wyatt had a big hit for us,” Powers said. “And Jose followed with a great at-bat, hitting the ball on the ground through the right side, which is exactly what he is supposed to do.”
Neosho had a real chance to end the game in the bottom of the eighth after River Brill had an opposite-field double to left to lead off the inning. With Harryman in for Guilford, a sacrifice bunt moved Brill to third with one out. Wolf decided to intentionally walk the next two Wildcats to load the bases. The move paid off, as Brett Slavens hit a shallow fly ball to Cooper in right, who caught the ball and fired it to first to double off the Wildcat baserunner and end the threat.
“That was great awareness by Kohl,” Wolf said. “Most guys are thinking, ‘I have to keep that run from tagging.’ He knew immediately when he caught it that he had a play at first base. That’s good awareness on the field in a big moment by him.”
Joplin loaded the bases with one out in the top of the ninth after a walk from Kirk Chandler, an infield from Byler Reither and a walk by Fielding Campbell. Carlson scored the go-ahead run with a single through the left side past an outstretched glove. After back-to-back RBI walks with the bags full by Cooper and Fiscus, Curry doubled to right field to bring home two runs and push the lead to 9-2.
“Bodee is a player, and every time he comes up to the plate (in that situation), you feel like he is going to come up with one of those hits,” Wolf said. “Alex is the one guy who I felt had a good approach last night and a good approach today. … Alex, all 6-foot-4, 290 pounds of him said I am going to take it and serve it to right field if that’s what you’re giving me.”
AT THE PLATE
Curry had two hits, including a double, and a team-high two RBI, while Carlson and Copper each had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored. Cooper and Campbell each walked three times.
Keplar led Neosho with three hits, including a triple, and had an RBI and a run scored. Brill and Yost each had two hits, with Yost scoring a run.
UP NEXT
Joplin travels to McDonald County for a 10 a.m. matchup on Saturday, while Neosho is at Aurora for a 10 a.m. matchup on Saturday.
Dustin Miller has the goals set extremely high for his Webb City boys track and field squad this spring.
In fact, with a talented group of returning state qualifiers, Miller is confident the Cardinals have the pieces in place to compete for a state championship in Class 4.
“We were disappointed about losing last year,” Miller said. “We thought we had a good shot at a trophy if not winning a state championship. That’s what we want to do this year. We’ve got a lot of great guys on the team…a lot of good character guys. We’ve had a lot of guys step up, so I’m just excited to see how the season goes.”
Miller said there are seven or eight athletes on the squad who have the ability to reach the state podium, if not claim a state title, in their respective events.
Luke Brumit (high jump), Mekhi Garrard (long jump, triple jump), Zetthew Meister (discus), Asa Morgan (hurdles), Roman Borboa (800, 1600, 3200), Pryce Mason (pole vault) and Grayson Smith (pole vault) are athletes who Miller expects to not only score big points at every meet, but also make some noise during the postseason.
Joseph Dawson (distance) and Matt McDaniel (high jump) are other athletes who should contribute nicely.
Miller added the team’s 4×100 and 4×200 relays could be strong by the end of the season.
Several Cardinals gained valuable experience back in 2019.
In fact, Garrard was a state medalist in the triple jump, placing third.
Dawson finished 10th in the 1600 at the state track meet in 2019, while Morgan was 12th in the 300 hurdles and Mason was 12th in the pole vault.
Pictured is Webb City’s Roman Borboa.
Meister was 13th in the discus and Brumit took 14th in the high jump.
Webb City’s girls will also be led by a number of returning state qualifiers.
Haidyn Berry placed eighth in the javelin (133-6) as a sophomore, and none of the athletes who placed higher than her are still in high school.
Riley Hawkins went to state in the 1600 as a freshman, finishing 13th.
Emily Beres finished 10th in the Class 4 shot put as a sophomore.
A number of varsity newcomers, including Ripley Shanks and Kaylyn Gilbert, will also play key roles.
“We’re excited to see our girls progress and hopefully win another district title,” Miller said.
After missing out on a highly-anticipated junior season, Micah Bruggeman is extremely motivated to end his prep track and field career on a high note.
A standout senior distance runner, Bruggeman and the Joplin Eagles kicked off the 2021 season on Thursday by competing at the Carthage Invitational. It was the team’s first track meet since the end of the 2019 season.
“It’s crazy to think about how long it’s been,” Bruggeman said. “My last race on this track was two years ago.”
After making an immediate impact at the varsity level as a freshman and sophomore, Bruggeman is now the elder statesman of area runners.
Bruggeman reached the state podium in his signature event, the 800-meter run, in both of his first two years of high school.
As a sophomore, Bruggeman finished third in Class 5. He was fifth as a freshman. Bruggeman also reached the podium in the 1600 as a sophomore, finishing sixth.
After such a stellar sophomore season, which also included conference, district and sectional championships in the 800, Bruggeman was poised to have a big junior year.
Then came the pandemic.
“We didn’t know if we’d have a season, but we were holding out hope,” Bruggeman said of last March. “We were training like a regular year and we had a really good team going into the season. We were hoping to do some big things as a team. It was disappointing.”
With that, Bruggeman enters his final prep campaign determined to make up for lost time.
Joplin’s Micah Bruggeman competes during Thursday’s Carthage Invitational. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Adding to the high expectations is the fact that Bruggeman recently received some significant preseason publicity.
According to MoMileSplit, Bruggeman has the state’s top returning time in the 800 (1:55) from the 2019 state meet, regardless of class. The next closest is 1:58.
Bruggeman also has the state’s fastest 1600 time (4:18) among returning runners. The next fastest is 4:23.
As a result of that impressive distinction, Bruggeman is likely running with a target on his back this spring.
“I love it,” Bruggeman said of opponents gunning for him. “That’s what is going to motivate me even more. It’s my senior year. It’s my turn. I’ve been to state. I led the mile for half the race. I have the experience. And I want to use that experience not only for myself but also to help my teammates.”
That last point speaks volumes. Bruggeman said he’s focused not only on his individual objectives, but also on helping the team reach its lofty goals.
“Coming into this year, my main individual goal is to win the 800 and the mile,” Bruggeman said. “We’d love to win the 4×800 relay too. But I see that we have a really good team this year. We’ve got a great distance team. We’ve got good jumpers, sprinters and throwers…we’re good in everything. I want to win a team state championship. That goal is above anything else for me.”
Micah Bruggeman is a returning state medalist for the JHS track team. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Bruggeman is coming off a nagging injury, but he hopes to be at his best when it matters most—the postseason.
“I’m going to do my thing by hitting the workouts hard,” he said. “I’ve got the experience, I believe in myself and I know what I can do. My mindset is that I want to do my job, take care of myself and lead. We have some inexperienced guys who haven’t competed at a varsity track meet, so I want to be a leader and help show those guys how it’s done.”
Bruggeman, who has not yet made his college decision, appeared right at home on Thursday afternoon inside David Haffner Stadium.
When he wasn’t competing, Bruggeman could be seen cheering on his teammates or chatting with JHS distance coach Dustin Dixon or head coach Brandon Taute.
After missing out on a season last year, there’s no doubt Bruggeman is more than ready to make up for lost time.
“This is the best time of the year,” he said. “I’m at my happiest this time of the year. It’s beautiful outside and I just love running around around the track.”
Joplin’s Micah Bruggeman (center) runs with a pack during the mile run on Thursday at the Carthage Invitational. Bruggeman finished fifth in the event, with teammate Hobbs Campbell taking first. Photo by Jason Peake.
