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Month: April 2021

PREP SOFTBALL: College Heights earns No. 3 seed for district tournament; Mount Vernon, Diamond earn No. 1 seeds 

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

College Heights Christian is the No. 3 seed for the Class 2 District 6 softball tournament.

The Cougars will take on sixth-seeded Sarcoxie at 6:30 on May 3 in a district quarterfinal at Spirit of 76 Park in Mount Vernon.

The other quarterfinals feature No. 4 Lamar vs. No. 5 Ash Grove at 3:30 and No. 2 El Dorado Springs vs. No. 7 Stockton at 5.

Mount Vernon is the No. 1 seed and awaits the Lamar-Ash Grove winner in the semifinals at 4:30 on May 4. 

The CHC-Sarcoxie winner meets either El Dorado Springs or Stockton at 6 on May 4 in the semifinals. 

The district championship game is slated for 5 on May 5.

 

CLASS 2 DISTRICT 5

Diamond is the No. 1 seed for the Class 2 District 5 tournament.

In quarterfinal games on May 3 in Clever, No. 4 Clever takes on No. 5 Marionville at 3:30, No. 2 East Newton meets No. 7 Spokane at 5 and No. 3 Pierce City plays No. 6 Southwest at 6:30.

The semifinals are May 4, with the title game scheduled for 5 on May 6.

PREP TRACK & FIELD: Webb City wins five events at SBU Bearcat Classic; Carl Junction also fares well

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

BOLIVAR, Mo. — Track and field squads from Webb City and Carl Junction competed at Southwest Baptist University’s Bearcat Classic on Monday. 

In a 19-team field, Webb City’s boys finished second in the team standings with 92 points. Waynesville was first with 101. Carl Junction’s boys finished 14th with 13 points.

Carl Junction’s girls finished ninth with 37 points, while Webb City was 11th with 34 points. 

Marshfield (89) and Ozark (80.5) were the top two girls teams. 

 

WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS 

Webb City’s boys had four event winners — Roman Borboa (1600), Pryce Mason (pole vault), Luke Brumit (high jump) and Mekhi Garrard (triple jump). 

Borboa’s winning time was 4:28 and Mason cleared 14-9 in the pole vault. Brumit went 6-4.75 in the high jump and Garrard recorded a leap of 45-3.75 in the triple jump. 

Zetthew Meister was the runner-up in the discus, while Brumit finished third in the javelin and Borboa placed third in the 800. Caleb Cook was fourth in the 300 hurdles. 

Fifth-place finishers for the Webb City boys were Grayson Smith (pole vault), Matt McDaniel (high jump) and Garrard (200). William Wolfe took seventh in the 200 and Dustin Brockmiller was seventh in the 3200.   

The team of Isaiah Brisco, Wolfe, Brumit and Garrard finished fourth in the 4×200 relay, while Webb City’s 4×800 relay team of Jose Antillion, Samuel Winesburg, Owen Weller and Joseph Dawson finished fifth. The 4×400 (Brumit, Brisco, Cook, Gustavo Sabbag) finished seventh.  

Webb City’s Emily Beres won the girls shot put with a toss of 40-10.5, giving the Cardinals five total event winners.

Also for the Webb City girls, Haidyn Berry was the runner-up in the javelin, while Riley Hawkins crossed the line fifth in the 1600, while Abi Street finished fifth in the 3200 and Ripley Shanks took fifth in the pole vault. 

Dawsyn Decker finished seventh in the javelin and Street was seventh in the 1600. 

 

CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Carl Junction’s Ally Montez won the girls 300-meter hurdles in 47.13 seconds and also placed second in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.06.

Shiloh Sluder took third in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200. 

Hannah Lee was fifth in the shot put, while Bryn Neria placed sixth in the javelin and Emerson Lundien finished eighth in the pole vault. 

For the Carl Junction boys, Brendan Jewell finished second in the high jump, while Collin Emmert was fifth in both the 1600 and 3200 and Drew Patterson finished eighth in the 110 hurdles. 

 

SBU BEARCAT CLASSIC

Boys team standings: Waynesville 101, Webb City 92, Nixa 77.5, Camdenton 77, Kickapoo 71, Bolivar 58.5, West Plains 51.5, Rolla 47, Lebanon 36, Ozark 35, Branson 33.5, Marshfield 26, Willard 17, Springfield Central 13, Carl Junction 13, Glendale 8, Republic 10, Hillcrest 7, Parkview 6. 

Girls team standings: Marshfield 89, Ozark 80.5, Nixa 78, Rolla 68, Republic 64, Kickapoo 61, West Plains 50, Branson 39, Carl Junction 37, Lebanon 36, Webb City 34, Glendale 33, Camdenton 26.5, Bolivar 23, Parkview 21, Waynesville 14, Hillcrest 12, Willard 10, Springfield Central 4. 

PREP BASEBALL: Kickapoo rallies back to beat Joplin 6-5

Posted on by Lucas Davis

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Joplin built an early three-run lead but Kickapoo rallied back to earn a 6-5 win on Monday.

Joplin (12-7) scored twice in the first inning on a two-run home run by Kohl Cooper and scored two more times in the third to hold a 4-1 lead through three complete. Kickapoo answered with two runs in the fourth to trim the lead to one before the Eagles added a single tally in the top of the fifth on a solo homer by Cooper to push the lead to 5-3. The Chiefs crossed home three times in the bottom of the fifth to take the 6-5 lead while holding off Joplin the rest of the way.

Zach McKinnis earned the win after allowing five runs on seven hits, two walks and six strikeouts in a seven-inning complete-game effort.

Ethan Guilford took the loss after allowing six runs on nine hits, two walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Josh Harryman pitched a scoreless inning in relief, striking out one.

Cooper led Joplin with three hits, including two home runs, a team-high four RBI and two runs scored. Bodee Carlson, David Fiscus and Justin McReynolds all added hits for Joplin.

Luke Quackenbush had a home run, three RBI and scored a run to lead Kickapoo at the plate. 

UP NEXT

Joplin is at Ozark on Tuesday.

BOYS TENNIS: Joplin suffers road loss at Ozark

Posted on by Jason Peake

OZARK, Mo. — A short-handed Joplin High School boys tennis team suffered an 8-1 loss at Ozark on Monday.

The Eagles played without Colin Vermillion and Josh Yarnall played doubles but was unable to compete in singles.

“We ended up having two junior varsity players fill in for us,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. 

At No. 1 doubles, Ozark’s Gavin Reese-Major Cardin defeated Joplin’s Logan Merkley-Jeffrey Evenson 8-2, while Clinton Quirk-Nathaniel Bottarel edged Ben Wardlow-Yarnall 9-7 at No. 2 doubles.

“Ben and Josh started out with a lead in the match and were a game away from winning,” Stump noted.

Ozark’s Ethan Fast and Anthony Psarev nipped Joplin’s Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley 9-8 (8-6 tie-breaker) at No. 3 doubles.

“Michael and Hunter played well together and were one hit away from winning the tie-breaker,” Stump said. 

Joplin’s lone win of the night came at No. 3 singles, as Wardlow defeated Quirk 8-6.

“Ben won a close match,” Stump commented. “He played smart and kept the ball in play on the close points.”

In other singles matches, Reese beat Logan Merkley 8-1, Cardin defeated Evenson 8-5 and Bottarel edged Mancipe 9-7.

“Michael traded serves with his opponent for most of the match, but had his serve broken at 6-6,” Stump commented. “He played up one rank since Josh Yarnall was unable to play singles.” 

Also, Brady Goss defeated Hunter Merkley 8-2 and Fast defeated Joplin’s Caleb Cantero 8-0.

Joplin hosts Carl Junction at 4:30 on Tuesday. 

 

PREP SOCCER: Webb City moves to 14-2 after a 4-1 win over Rogersville on a windy Monday

Posted on by Lucas Davis

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City girls soccer added another win on the season after handing Rogersville a 4-1 loss on a windy afternoon at Cardinal Stadium on Monday.

The Cardinals improved to 14-2 on the season after scoring once in the first half and adding three goals in the final 40 minutes of play.

“I think the wind sort of disjointed things a little bit in terms of possession and ball control,” Webb City coach Nick Harmon said. “It wasn’t our cleanest game, but a win is a win. We earned our 14th win and we are proud of that. I think we just put today behind us and focus on a tough one tomorrow.”

Playing with the wind, which was consistently gusting at more than 20 MPH, Webb City’s offensive pressure was relentless in the first half, as the Cardinals spent little time on the defensive end in the first 40 minutes of play. When Webb City did find itself on defense, there was little room for advancement by the Wildcats. Webb City didn’t allow a quality shot on goal in the first half.

Webb City’s Mileah Metcalf battles with Rogersville’s Kita Wood for possession in the Cardinals’ win over the Wildcats on Monday. Photo by Israel Perez

“The wind definitely helped, but our defenders — in the first half — locked them in pretty well,” Harmon said. “They made it difficult for them to break out. They did a good job today.”

Webb City got the scoring started early, as Mileah Metcalf found the back of the net from in close during the second minute of play.

Webb City looked to have a 2-0 lead with a goal in the 18th minute, but the goal was negated with an offside call.

Early in the second half while playing against the wind, the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead when Metcalf converted from in close at the 42nd minute of play for her second goal of the game.

Rogersville cut the lead in half with its first goal of the game coming off the foot of Nikki Wood on a breakaway at the 45th minute when a clearing pass with the wind got past everybody.

Webb City answered back shortly after when Melia Blair found the back of the net from just inside the 18-yard box to push the lead back to two, 3-1, in the 52nd minute of play.

“It was very important,” Harmon said of his team’s quick response on the scoreboard. “I am very proud of them for taking the mistakes on the goal we conceded in stride and responding in a positive way by getting it right back.”

Webb City’s Velissia Perez takes a shot on goal in the Cardinals’ win over Rogersville on Monday. Photo by Israel Perez

 

 

Webb City put the finishing touches on the win when Haven Stanley scored from 15 yards out with less than 13 minutes to play to make the score 4-1.

“I think we wore them down a little bit and kept plugging away to create good chances,” Harmon said. “Credit to them for finishing those chances.” 

UP NEXT

Webb City hosts Carl Junction for a 6:30 p.m. contest on Tuesday.

 

 

 

Pictured is Webb City’s Sage Cranford. 

Webb City’s Melia Blair and Rogersville’s Audrey Davis battle for possession on Monday. Photos by Israel Perez.

PREP SOFTBALL: College Heights splits a pair in Golden City

Posted on by Jason Peake

GOLDEN CITY, Mo. — The College Heights Christian softball team split a pair of games on Monday.

College Heights beat Golden City 14-4 in six innings in the opener, but Pierce City defeated the Cougars 5-4 in the nightcap. 

College Heights is now 14-3. The Cougars will host Wheaton on Friday. 

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS 14, GOLDEN CITY 4

The Cougars were already up 5-0 when they erupted for seven runs in the third inning. 

College Heights led 13-0 after the top of the fourth when Golden City scored four unanswered runs, once in the fourth and three in the fifth.

The Cougars added a run in the sixth and the game ended early due to the run-rule when the hosts failed to score in the bottom half.

Maddy Colin did not allow a hit and struck out seven in three innings in the circle. Addie Lawrence pitched two innings, striking out three, and Jayli Johnson went one inning. 

Kloee Williamson went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored, while Avery Good went 3-for-3 with four runs scored.

Johnson homered, drove in two runs and scored three times, while Colin contributed two hits. Layne Jackson, Sarah Painter, Lauren Ukena and Good had one RBI apiece.

Golden City’s Brooke Beerly and Maggie Reed both tripled. 

Beerly pitched three innings and allowed eight earned runs on 13 hits while striking out three. Sienna Wirth also went three innings and gave up one earned run and fanned two. 

 

PIERCE CITY 5, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 4

The Cougars scored twice in the first when Williamson scored on an error before Lawrence delivered a run-scoring double to center. 

After the Eagles tied the game in the second, CHC added a run in the third when Colin hit an RBI triple to left, scoring Johnson. 

Pierce City tied the game in the bottom half of the third when Riley Gripka tripled and later scored on Mollie Beeson’s groundout. 

The game was still deadlocked in the bottom of the sixth when Pierce City’s Hailey Gripka hit a two-run double to left field.

College Heights got a run back in the seventh, as Colin walked and scored on Lawrence’s RBI triple. But the Cougars were unable to tie the game, as Lawrence was stranded.

Lawrence went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Colin had two hits. 

Ari Calandro struck out three in one inning. Colin went five innings, striking out six while allowing three earned runs on seven hits. 

Beeson was the winning pitcher. She went the distance and gave up two earned runs on eight hits while striking out eight. 

Hailey Gripka went 3-for-3 with four RBI for the Eagles (14-5). 

 

PREP BASEBALL: Updated Central Ozark Conference standings

Posted on by Jason Peake

CENTRAL OZARK CONFERENCE BASEBALL STANDINGS

              COC          ALL

Republic      7-0         15-6

Webb City     5-2         16-5

Joplin        5-2         13-8

Nixa          4-2         16-4

Willard        4-3         16-8

Ozark          4-3         8-11

Carl Junction  3-3         12-7

Carthage       1-6         7-12

Branson        1-6         5-14

Neosho         0-7         3-19


Updated April 30

PREP BASEBALL: Webb City drops a pair of close games to Class 6 schools

Posted on by Jason Peake

Webb City suffered a pair of one-run losses to state-ranked Class 6 opponents on Saturday in non-conference prep baseball action at Southern Boone High School. 

Class 6 No. 3 Francis Howell defeated Webb City 5-4 and No. 9 Rock Bridge topped the Cardinals 6-5.

Ranked second in Class 5, the Cardinals are now 14-5 overall. 

Webb City is at Class 5 No. 6 Carl Junction at 4:30 on Tuesday in a key Central Ozark Conference clash. 

 

FRANCIS HOWELL 5, WEBB CITY 4

Francis Howell scored once in the second and three times in the third. The Cardinals pushed across two runs in the fifth, but the Vikings added a single tally in the sixth. 

The Cardinals rallied in the seventh, as Treghan Parker’s two-run double trimmed the deficit to one, but it wasn’t enough. 

Webb City was limited to five hits.

A senior shortstop, Parker went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI. Devrin Weathers, Cooper Crouch and Eric Fitch recorded one hit apiece. Weathers scored twice. 

Fitch took the loss. He allowed three earned runs on five hits in five innings. Crouch pitched two scoreless innings. 

Francis Howell’s Andrew Brackenseik was the winning pitcher. He struck out eight, walked four and scattered five hits in a complete-game effort. 

ROCK BRIDGE 6, WEBB CITY 5

Webb City led 4-3 when Rock Bridge plated three runs in the sixth inning. 

The Cardinals scored once in the seventh on Cole Gayman’s RBI single with one out. But Gayman, the tying run, was stranded. 

Webb City recorded 13 hits. 

Shane Noel and Gayman had three hits apiece, while Weathers had two hits. Weathers, Parker, Matt Woodmansee, Gayman and Aiden Brock had one RBI apiece.

Noah Mitchell was charged with the loss. He surrendered four earned runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked none. Noel tossed 2/3 of an inning.

Rock Bridge’s Peyton Messer earned the win. He gave up four runs on 11 hits and struck out five in six innings. 

 

PREP BASEBALL: Pittsburg upends Carl Junction 6-4

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Pittsburg, Kansas, scored six runs in the first two frames and held off No. 6 Carl Junction for a 6-4 win in an interstate matchup at Joe Becker Stadium.

Pittsburg’s offense started with a bang in the top of the first by pushing across four runs on two hits, three walks and a hit-by pitch. The Dragons added two runs in the top of the second inning with the Bulldogs (12-5) breaking through for a run in the bottom half of the second to trim the lead to one. Carl Junction added two tallies in the fifth and scored once in the seventh before the rally ended.

Jackson Turnbull earned the win after allowing three runs, one earned, on five walks and a strikeout in 4 1/3 innings. Cooper Hayden pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits and two strikeouts.

Dylan Eck started and took the loss after allowing four runs on two hits, three walks and a strikeout in 1/3 of an inning. Kyler Perry allowed two runs on two hits, four walks and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 relief innings. 

After the first three batters reached to start the game via a hit-by-pitch and back to back walks, Cole Jameson came through with a one-out, bases-loaded single to give Pittsburg a 2-0 lead. Blaine Dunstan followed with an RBI double to left. The fourth run came in on an RBI groundout two batters later by Matt Cicero.

Pittsburg added a run in the second on an RBI groundout from Jameson and scored a second in the next at-bat on a first-and-third double steal play, with Tyler Sutton crossing home.

Carl Junction’s Eck scored on a wild pitch after walking earlier in the second inning for CJ’s first run.

Carson Johnson added a two-run single to left in the fifth inning to trim the Bulldogs’ deficit to 6-3.

Perry doubled to left field to lead off the bottom of the seventh and Keaton Johnston followed with an RBI single through the right side to make the score 6-4. Carl Junction followed with three straight outs to end the game.

Carl Junction hosts Webb City at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Missouri Southern holds scrimmage

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Missouri Southern football team welcomed in fans into Fred G. Hughes Stadium for just the first time in 17 months and the team didn’t disappoint as the White team defeated the Green team 21-7 today.

Reggie Hemphill took in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Dawson Herl to put the Green team on top 7-0 with less than a minute left in the first half.

Not to be out-done, the White team answered right back and drove the length of the field to tie the game at seven on a rushing touchdown from Travier Fields-Jackson heading into the locker room.

Taylor Thomas picked up the lone score in the third quarter as the White team went up 14-7 on a three-yard rushing score.

With the game winding down, Jaylon Banks hooked up with Ty Harvey for a six-yard passing touchdown to make the final tally 21-7, White.

Herl finished the game 19-for-32 passing for 149 yards and a touchdown. Banks was 9-of-14 for 131 yards and a score. Thomas and Fields-Jackson rushed for 49 and 43 yards, respectively each recording a score. Hemphill finished with five catches for 56 yards and a score, while Harvey caught two passes for nine yards and a score.

Defensively, Dylan Wright led the way with six tackles, while Malachi Broadnax had four stops and a sack. Jamie Tago had three sacks, while William Williams had three tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Zach Thomas had an interception, while Emilio San Roman had three tackles and an interception with two pass break ups.

PREP TRACK & FIELD: College Heights, Seneca athletes fare well at Lamar 

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

College Heights Christian and Seneca were among the area schools competing at the Lamar Rotary Relays track and field invitational on Thursday. 

College Heights, Lamar, East Newton, Mount Vernon, Monett, Nevada and Jasper were among the schools that had individual event winners.

 

GIRLS MEET HIGHLIGHTS

The College Heights girls won two events.

Addie Lawrence won the 200-meter dash in 26.54, while CHC’s 4×400 relay took first with a time of 4:23. 

Also for CHC’s girls, Allie Fiscus was seventh in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 300 hurdles, Katie Moss took ninth in the 800 and Riley Peterson was ninth in the long jump. The Cougars were competing one day after winning the Ozark 7 Conference Meet.

Mount Vernon’s Sadie Heisner won four events—the 100 hurdles (15.94), the long jump (16-7.5), triple jump (35-0) and the pole vault (10-6).

Other individual event winners were Lamar’s Kiersten Potter (1600, 3200), Marcy Miller (high jump) and Phajjia Gordon (discus), Monett’s Mary Jane Fernandez (100) and Gabby Zengotita (300 H), Nevada’s Jerica Collins (javelin) and Claire Pritchett (shot put), Stockton’s Jenna Rickman (400) and Lockwood’s Kelyn Holman (800). 

Mount Vernon won the 4×100, Monett took first in the 4×200 and El Dorado Springs was first in the 4×800. 

 

SENECA GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS

Seneca’s girls were second in the 4×100 relay and third in the 4×200.

Kamryn Fox took second in the 400, Makenzie French finished fifth in the 100, while Samarah Mittag took sixth in the 200. 

Rylee Darnell and Mallorie King finished third and fourth, respectively, in the high jump. 

Danessa Macy finished sixth in the 110 hurdles, while Darnell finished seventh in the triple jump and eighth in the pole vault. Katelyn Fyock was eighth in the long jump and Isabella Renfro took eighth in the shot put.  

 

BOYS MEET HIGHLIGHTS

The host Lamar Tigers won eight events in the boys meet. Winning individual events for Lamar were Logan Crockett (100), Cade Griffith (200), Joe Kremp (1600), Trace Willhite (discus, javelin) and Rylan Wooldridge (shot put).

Lamar’s boys won the 4×100 and the 4×200 relays, while East Newton took first in both the 4×400 and 4×800.

Winning individual events were Monett’s Eduardo Trujillo (400, 110 H) and Konner Poynter (triple jump), East Newton’s Kelton Sorrell (800) and Michael Crowe (high jump), Jasper’s Aiden Hartgrave (300 H), Nevada’s Drew Beachler (long jump) and El Dorado Springs’ Daelen Ackley (3200) and Collin Hunter (pole vault). 

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

College Heights Christian’s Colsen Dickens finished third in the 400-meter run, while Derrick McMillan placed seventh in the 1600 and also took eighth in the 800. 

CHC’s Jace Edwards finished eighth in the 3200 and Steven Calandro was eighth in the 110 hurdles. 

The CHC boys were fourth in the 4×200 relay, fifth in the 4×800 relay, sixth in the 4×400 and eighth in the 4×100.

 

SENECA HIGHLIGHTS

Seneca’s Jaxson Graham was the runner-up in the boys 100-meter dash and also finished seventh in the 200. 

Trevor Cargile was fifth in the 400, while Max Golden took fifth in the 110 hurdles and Morgan Bryan was fifth in the discus and eighth in the shot put. 

The Indians were sixth in the 4×200 and seventh in the 4×100. 

PREP BASEBALL: Carthage wins River City Festival tournament opener

Posted on by Lucas Davis

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Carthage opened the River City Festival tournament with an 8-4 win over Shawnee Mission West on Friday.

After both teams traded runs in the first inning, Shawnee Mission West took a brief lead with a run in the top of the third before Carthage answered right back with a four-run bottom of the third. The Vikings cut the lead to two with a run in the fifth before the Tigers put the game out of reach with a three spot in the last of the sixth.

After Kanen Vogt tied the game in the third inning with an RBI single to right, Grant Collier reached on a bunt single that also scored Kaden Kralicek to give Carthage a 3-2 lead. In the next at-bat, Micah Lindsey came through with a two-run triple to center field to push the lead to 5-2.

The Tigers scored their first run in the sixth on a Viking error. Two batters later, Vogt doubled through the left side to score Caden Kabance and Sylas Browning to push the lead to 8-3.

Vogt also earned the win on the mound after allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits, two walks and two strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

Brandon Stone took the loss after allowing eight runs, four earned, on nine hits, two walks and four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Browning led Carthage with three hits, including a double, and a team-high three runs scored. Vogt doubled on the way to two hits and a team-high three RBI. Lindsey had two hits and an RBI, while Collier had one hit, scored once and drove in one. 

PREP BASEBALL: Neosho splits two games in Lebanon Wood Bat Tournament

Posted on by Lucas Davis

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho split a pair of games on Friday, earning a 1-0 walk-off win over Ava before falling 4-1 to Lebanon in Game 2 as part of the Lebanon Wood Bat Tournament at Roy B. Shaver Field.

The tournament games were moved to Neosho because of field conditions in Lebanon.

 

NEOSHO 1, AVA 0

The Wildcats (3-17) and Bears were in a pitcher’s duel in the opener, as neither team pushed across a run through the first six innings of play. It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh with two outs when Neosho found some life with the bats.

Still in need of their first hit, the Wildcats got it in a big way when Wyatt Keplar smacked a line drive into center field for a double. In the next at-bat, Ryan Cargile promptly ended the game in walk-off fashion with an RBI single through the left side 

Lane Yost earned the win for the Wildcats after pitching a scoreless 1/3 of an inning. Keplar started and took a no-decision after pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering four hits, walking four and striking out 11 on 105 pitches.

Zach Richards took the loss for Ava after allowing one run on two hits, a walk and nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

Keplar went 1-for-3 with a double at the plate with a run scored, while Cargile went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

 

LEBANON 4, NEOSHO 1

Lebanon scored single tallies in the second, third and fourth innings to build a lead over Neosho. The Wildcats broke through for a run in the sixth, but the Yellowjackets responded with a run in the seventh and kept Neosho at bay in the last half of the frame.

Keaton Miser earned the win after allowing one unearned run on three hits and two strikeouts. 

Lane Yost took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and seven walks in three innings.

Wyatt Keplar went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while River Brill had one hit and a run scored. Lane Yost added a base hit.

Drew McBride led Lebanon with two hits and two runs scored, while John Greenwood added a hit and an RBI. Gavin Smith had a hit and scored a run.

UP NEXT

Neosho is at Carthage at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference action.

 

PREP TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson wins Joplin invite; stellar spring continues for Cavs

Posted on by Jason Peake

The spring season continues to be a successful one for the Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers.

Competing against larger schools, Thomas Jefferson claimed the team championship at the Joplin Invitational boys tennis tournament on Friday at the JHS athletic complex. 

The Cavaliers went 13-3 overall in the invite’s four divisions. Willard went 12-4 and finished second in the team standings. The event was a five-team round-robin. 

Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers also won their own invite earlier this month and are also 10-0 in dual matches.

Pictured is Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding.

THOMAS JEFFERSON RESULTS

Both of Thomas Jefferson’s doubles teams won their respective brackets.

At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Noah Hamlett and Tyler Brouhard went 4-0. 

The Cavaliers defeated Joplin’s Ben Wardlow and Colin Vermillion 8-1, beat Branson’s Nathan Bartram and Gavin Brown 8-4, topped Carl Junction’s Cade Wilkerson and Easton Sztamenits 8-1 and defeated Willard’s Luke Christiansen and Brayden Roth 8-5.

Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Lele Qian went 4-0 at No. 2 doubles. 

The Cavaliers beat Joplin’s Hunter Merkley-Caleb Cantero 8-2, Branson’s Caleb Buxton-Jacob Decker 8-5, Carl Junction’s Jose Figueroa-Jordan Markham 8-1 and Willard’s Austin Long-Seth Miller 8-4.

At No. 1 singles, Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding went 3-1 to finish second. 

Ding beat Joplin’s Jeffrey Evenson 8-0, Branson’s Hayes Stark 8-3 and Carl Junction’s Blaine Wilkerson 8-0. Willard’s Caiden Lingenfelser defeated Ding 8-1.

At No. 2 singles, TJ’s Christopher Wheelen went 2-2. 

Wheelen beat Joplin’s Michael Mancipe 8-0 and Carl Junction’s Connor Sztamenits 8-0. 

Branson’s Garrett Beckham defeated Wheelen 8-5 and Willard’s Alex Crawford edged Wheelen 8-6. 

 

JOPLIN RESULTS

Pictured is Joplin’s Ben Wardlow.

Evenson went 2-2 at No. 1 singles. He edged Branson’s  Stark 8-6 and defeated Carl Junction’s Wilkerson 8-3 and lost to TJ’s Ding (8-0) and Willard’s Lingenfelser (8-1). 

At No. 2 singles, Mancipe went 1-3, beating Carl Junction’s Sztamenits 8-2 and falling to Thomas Jefferson (8-0), Willard (8-0) and Branson (8-0). 

At No. 1 doubles, Wardlow and Vermillion went 1-3, beating Carl Junction 8-6 and falling to Willard (8-0), Branson (8-1) and Thomas Jefferson (8-1). 

Joplin’s No. 2 doubles team of Hunter Merkley-Caleb Cantero went 0-4. The Eagles lost to Thomas Jefferson 8-2, Willard 8-2, Branson 8-4 and Carl Junction 8-2.

 

CARL JUNCTION RESULTS

Carl Junction’s lone win of the day came at No. 2 doubles, where Figueroa-Markham beat Joplin 8-2.

WILLARD SWEEPS SINGLES 

Willard’s singles players, Lingenfelser and Crawford, both went 4-0 in their brackets. 

 

Joplin Invitational 

Team standings: Thomas Jefferson 13-3, Willard 12-4, Branson 10-6, Joplin 4-12, Carl Junction 1-15.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Missouri Southern set to host Green and Gold Scrimmage

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Missouri Southern football team will welcome fans into Fred G. Hughes Stadium for the first time in almost 17 months as the Lions will take part in the Green and Gold Scrimmage this Saturday afternoon.

The Lions are under first year head coach Atiba Bradley. Southern got a win in its only spring contest this year as the Lions defeated Southern Nazarene 21-20 back in mid-March.

The team will be broken down into two rosters that were chosen draft style with one team wearing Green and the other wearing White.

Gates will open at noon with the kickoff set for 1:25 pm from Fred G. Hughes Stadium. The game will consist of four, 15-minute quarters with the first half being timed normally. The second half will feature a running clock unless the score difference is seven or less in the last four minutes of the game.

There will be a five-minute halftime where the Southern Cheer Squad will perform for the crowd.

Admission is free and there will be donation boxes at the front of the of the stadium where we will be collecting donations of non-perishable food items for the Lion Co-Op.

PREP BASEBALL: College Heights earns win over Liberal

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The College Heights Christian baseball team earned a 6-4 win at Liberal on Thursday. 

The Cougars scored twice in the first, fifth and seventh innings to take a 6-1 lead. Liberal rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh before the Cougars recorded the final out. 

Joshua Allen went 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored for College Heights. He had two doubles. 

Nathan Williams drove in two runs, while Ethan Coggeshell scored twice.

Nicholas Brueggemann was the winning pitcher. He went all seven innings and allowed four earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight. 

Liberal’s Max Dingman took the loss. He gave up four earned runs on five hits and struck out four in 4 1/3 innings. 

Payton Morrow had three hits for the Bulldogs, while Justin Payne and Chase Ray had two hits apiece. Gunner Miller homered. 

College Heights (5-7) is at Pierce City on Tuesday.

GIRLS SOCCER ROUNDUP: Joplin, Neosho suffer losses; Webb City, McAuley earn wins

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

In Thursday’s girls soccer action, Joplin suffered an 8-0 loss to Nixa, while Neosho dropped a 5-0 decision to Ozark, Webb City beat Branson 6-0 and McAuley Catholic topped McDonald County 5-0. 

 

NIXA 8, JOPLIN 0

Nixa had 12 shots on-goal, while Joplin had one shot on-goal. 

Joplin goalkeeper Reece Schroer made four saves.

Nixa’s Ashlynn Stoneberger scored three goals early in the contest, with goals coming in the 11th, 17th and 22nd minutes. Katie Kamies assisted on two of Stoneberger’s goals, with Kelsi Moore assisting on the last.

Bailey Reynolds, Emma Hartley, Abby Harrison, Josie Karlson and Kaya Cocanougher all had one goal apiece for Nixa. The final goal came in the 38th minute. 

Joplin hosts McDonald County at 6:30 on Monday. 

 

OZARK 5, NEOSHO 0

Neosho had three shots on-goal, two by Erika Ornelas and one by Breanna Alvarado. 

Ozark had 19 shots on-goal. 

Neosho goalie Shelby Roberts made 14 saves. 

Neosho hosts Carthage at 6:45 on Tuesday. 

 

WEBB CITY 6, BRANSON 0

Webb City improved to 13-2 and 4-0 in the COC. 

The Cardinals host Logan-Rogersville on Monday.

 

MCAULEY CATHOLIC 5, MCDONALD COUNTY 0

McAuley Catholic improved to 10-1. 

The Warriors are at New Covenant Academy at 4 on Monday. 

PREP TRACK & FIELD: Joplin boys take third at Willard; Dunn wins two events for JHS girls

Posted on by Jason Peake

WILLARD, Mo. — Joplin’s boys won three events and finished third out of 20 teams at the Jason Pyrah Invitational track meet on Thursday at Willard High School.

Competing in the Class 4-5 division, Joplin compiled 103.33 points. Willard took first with 122.5 points and Nixa was second with 112. 

Joplin’s girls finished fifth in the team standings with 51 points. The top four schools were Marshfield (117), Nixa (117), Ozark (101) and Ash Grove (61). 

 

JOPLIN BOYS HIGHLIGHTS

Joplin’s boys won the 4×800 relay in 8:08, with Micah Bruggeman, Hobbs Campbell, Evan Matlock and Ryan Byers competing.

The JHS team of Nathan Glades, Trayshawn Thomas, Luke Vieselmeyer and Donovyn Fowler finished second in the 4×100 relay with a time of 44.06. Willard was first in 44.03. 

Joplin’s 4×400 relay team of Nicholas Horton, Ashton Ventura, Campbell and Byers took fourth. 

Fowler won the long jump (21-6.75), while Thomas won the triple jump (44-0.75) and took second in the long jump (20-9). 

Campbell and Bruggeman finished second and third, respectively, in the 1600, while Campbell also crossed the line second in the 800. 

Donovahn Watkins finished third in the shot put. Horton and Ventura were fourth and fifth in the 800, while Zaben Barnes and Matlock placed fourth and seventh, respectively, in the 3200. 

Glades finished sixth in both the 100-meter dash and the long jump. 

Barnes took eighth in the 1600, Triston Stogsdill was eighth in the 300 hurdles and Blake Farmer tied for eighth in the high jump. 

 

JOPLIN GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS

Jennalee Dunn won two events for the Joplin girls.

A junior, Dunn crossed the line first in the 1600 in a school record time of 5:17. Dunn also took first in the 3200 (11:51). 

Joplin’s Alayna Merriman was the runner-up in the javelin, while Allie Keizer (3200) and Allie Lawrence (pole vault) finished third in their respective events. 

The JHS girls were fifth in the 4×100 relay, with Kylie Anderson, Lawrence, Isabella Yust and Abigail Eckert competing. The 4×200 relay team of Anderson, Eckert, Yust and Lawrence finished seventh. 

Alexandra Carson finished sixth in the 400, while Keizer was seventh in the 1600. 

Note: McDonald County’s Mariana Salas won the girls javelin with a toss of 114-2.

 

JASON PYRAH INVITATIONAL

Boys team standings: Willard 122.5, Nixa 112, Joplin 103.33, Lebanon 63, Ozark 60, Buffalo 39, Springfield Catholic 34.83, Spokane 32, Logan-Rogersville 30.5, Marshfield 29, Reeds Spring 28, New Covenant 20, Pittsburg 20, Clever 10, Greenfield 8, Hartville 7, Riverton 7, Fair Grove 5.5, McDonald County 5.33, Marion C. Early 4.

Girls team standings: Marshfield 117, Nixa 117, Ozark 101, Ash Grove 61, Joplin 51, Lebanon 49, Clever 34, Pittsburg 31.5, Logan-Rogersville 22.75, Fair Grove 22, Willard 21, McDonald County 20.75, Summit Prep 18, New Covenant 16, Riverton 12, Hartville 11, Springfield Catholic 10, Greenfield 9, Spokane 8, Reeds Spring 8, Buffalo 1. 

 

PREP TENNIS: Neosho drops COC match at Branson

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Neosho High School boys tennis team fell 9-0 to Branson on Thursday in Central Ozark Conference action. 

In singles action, Gavin Brown defeated Christian Williams 8-0, Nathan Bartram beat Melvin Lopez 8-0, William Stark topped Ryno Lee 8-0, Garrett Beckham knocked off Brandt Gonzales 8-0, Caleb Buxton beat Blaze McKay 8-0 and Jacob Decker defeated Caden Kelly 8-2. 

In doubles, Brown-Stark defeated Williams-Lopez 8-0, while Bartram-Buxton beat Lee-Gonzales 8-0 and Beckham-Decker defeated McKay-Kelly 8-0.

Neosho is at Webb City on April 27. 

 

PREP BASEBALL: Republic pulls away from Carthage in COC action

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARTHAGE Mo. — Republic struck for three runs in the top of the first before Carthage tied the game up with a three spot in the fifth before RHS scored five unanswered runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings to earn the win.

Wil McCombs took the loss for Carthage (5-11, 0-5 COC) after allowing six runs, one earned, on three hits, three walks and nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Parker Copeland allowed two runs on four hits, two walks and a strikeout in 1 2/3 relief innings.

Vincent Pyeatt earned the win for Republic (11-6, 4-0 COC) after allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits, two walks and three strikeouts in six innings.

McCombs had a hit, drew a walk and scored a run. Kaden Kralicek walked and drove in a run, while Kanen Vogt, Sylas Browning and Grant Collier all added base hits.

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