COC ALL
Joplin 3-0 11-5
Republic 3-0 9-6
Nixa 2-0 12-2
Webb City 2-1 13-2
Willard 2-1 13-6
Carl Junction 1-1 10-4
Ozark 1-2 4-9
Carthage 0-3 5-9
Branson 0-3 3-10
Neosho 0-3 2-14
(Standings updated on April 17)
The College Heights Christian softball team went 2-1 and finished third at the Jasper Tournament on Saturday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
The Cougars defeated Liberal 16-8, fell to Lamar 2-0 in the semifinals and beat Archie 6-4 for third place.
College Heights is now 10-2.
Maddy Colin once again had a stellar outing in the circle. Colin struck out 16 batters, scattered five hits and allowed just two earned runs in eight innings.
Colin also went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Jayli Johnson, Kloee Williamson and Layne Jackson all contributed two hits apiece.
College Heights plated two runs in the fourth inning, as Jackson singled, went to second on Colin’s base hit, stole third and scored on an error. Pinch runner Kaitlyn Bates scored on Avery Good’s RBI groundout.
Archie pushed across two runs in the sixth to tie the game. Neither team scored in the seventh, forcing extra innings.
The Cougars erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth.
Johnson hit an RBI single, scoring Ari Calandro. After Williamson reached on a bunt single, Jackson hit a two-run triple to center. Colin followed with an RBI single to right, making it 6-2.
Archie scored twice in the bottom half of the eighth before Colin retired the side to secure the win.
This one was a pitcher’s duel. The lone runs of the game crossed home in the top of the sixth inning.
Lamar’s Meghan Watson and Cora Pittsenbarger both doubled to make it 1-0. Pittsenbarger later scored on a groundout off the bat of Ashlyn Stettler.
Lamar’s Watson earned the win after allowing two hits in five innings. She struck out three. Wright struck out three and gave up one hit in one inning.
College Heights’ Colin surrendered just five innings in six innings while striking out seven and walking none.
Johnson had two of CHC’s three hits, while Jackson added one hit. Elly Haun had two hits for Lamar.
In Saturday’s tourney opener, the Cougars scored eight runs in the first, five in the second and three in the third. The Bulldogs plated four runs in both of the first two innings.
Williamson and Johnson had two hits apiece, while Jackson, Colin and Bates drove in two runs apiece.
Johnson scored four runs, while Lauren Ukena crossed home three times and Williamson and Bates scored two runs apiece.
Johnson, Addie Lawrence and Colin pitched one inning apiece. Johnson was credited with the win. Colin fanned all three of the batters she faced.
Liberal’s Laney Simpson had two hits, while Grace Bott, Elaina LaNear and Simpson all scored two runs apiece.
Kyla Porter took the loss after allowing eight runs, two earned.
NOTES: Lamar defeated East Newton 2-1 in the tourney’s championship game.
College Heights is at Lockwood on Monday.
The ninth-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team split a doubleheader with visiting Northeastern State today, winning game one 5-0, but losing game two 3-2.
The Lions (23-7, 16-7 MIAA) got an outstanding start in game one from Zach Parish as the lefty went seven innings, striking out 13 and allowing just two hits and combining with Scott Duensing to shutout the RiverHawks (20-9, 17-6 MIAA). Parish moved to 8-1 on the season.
Troy Gagan went 3-for-4 in the opener with two RBIs, a double and a run scored. Henry Kusiak had a pair of hits, while Ryan Hunter was 2-for-4 with a run. Matt Miller had a home run, two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Clay Milas scored a run and Tommy Stevenson added a double.
Miller started the scoring in the fifth inning, laying down a perfect bunt single to score Hunter. Gagan then drove home Miller and Milas with an RBI double, before Stevenson drove home Gagan with a double of his own.
Miller added a solo homer in the sixth for the game’s final tally.
Game two saw another stellar pitching performance by both teams as Will Bausinger and Nic Swanson went toe-to-toe for a good portion of the game. Bausinger held the RiverHawks hitless through four and two thirds before CD White got the first hit of the game.
The RiverHawks got on the board in the sixth when Blaze Brothers hit a home run to left field. NSU added two more unearned runs in the seventh before Bausinger exited. The Lions got two runs in the ninth on an two-run shot from Milas but the comeback was just short.
Bausinger went seven innings and struck out four, while allowing four hits and one earned run. Jacob Davis pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Milas went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Kusiak and Joe Kinder had a pair of hits each, while Jordan Fitzpatrick and Hunter had a hit each.
The Lions will finish the series tomorrow afternoon with a single, nine-inning game at 1 p.m.
Joplin’s game against Pittsburg didn’t end up in favor of the Eagles, but the program had plenty to celebrate anyway.
On Saturday, Joplin baseball welcomed back several former players and coaches on the field prior to first pitch to honor them on Alumni Day. Highlighting the festivities, the 2001 state champion Eagles were recognized with it being the 20th anniversary of their title run.
Coached by Kirk Harryman, Joplin defeated Neosho and Kickapoo in district play before scoring seven runs in the top of seventh inning in a 7-3 sectional win over Lebanon. In the quarterfinals, Joplin breezed past Columbia Hickman 7-5 before earning a narrow 1-0 win over Eureka in the semifinal round. Joplin capped the six-game playoff run with a 2-0 win over Francis Howell North to capture the state title.
“It was awesome to see those guys,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “I was kind of looking forward to this day just to see those guys come out to the park. Those guys have a great tradition. … That is a tough group of guys who found a way to get it done in 2001. It was exciting to see them. I was happy we got them out here. I just wish we could have played a little bit better for them.”
On the diamond, the cooler weather limited the scoring opportunities. But it was the Dragons (6-3) who took advantage when presented, scoring single tallies in the second, third and fifth innings before holding off the Eagles (11-5) in the seventh for a 3-1 win.
“Pittsburg took advantage of the opportunities in front of them,” Wolf said. “They did a good job of getting a guy on, getting him over and getting him in. We didn’t. At the end of the day, you credit (Pittsburg starting pitcher Cooper Hayden) because he pounded the zone and put pressure on us. We didn’t make the adjustments we needed.”
ON THE MOUND
Cooper Hayden earned the win for Pittsburg, allowing one unearned run in a complete-game effort. He allowed 11 hits, walked two and struck out five in seven innings.
“I thought Cooper was great,” Pittsburg coach Keith Matlock said. “Anytime he is on the mound, we know he is going to compete for us. He keeps us in the game and gives us a chance as long as we do things behind him.”
Justin McReynolds made his first career start and allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits, two walks and six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. Josh Harryman pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit and walking one.
“It was his first varsity start of his career and I thought he went out and threw extremely well,” Wolf said of McReynolds. “He competed in the zone. He got some big outs when he needed to. At the end of the day, it should be a confidence builder for him. It certainly was for us because he can go out and do a good job for us in that role. He threw well enough to give us a chance to win.”
GAME ACTION
Pittsburg’s Cole Jameson put the first run on the scoreboard with an RBI single through the left side in the top of the second to give the Dragons a 1-0. Blaine Dunstan singled earlier in the frame before moving to third on a Joplin error, setting up the RBI opportunity.
“It started with our first at-bat,” Matlock said. “Our guys have really been locked in the last couple of weeks. They are starting to get a realization of where they’re at in the order and doing some situational things. I have been really proud of them.”
The Dragons pushed the lead to 2-0 in the top of the third inning after Tyler Sutton doubled to center field before coming around to score on an RBI groundout from Braden Benson.
Hayden doubled to right-center to lead off the Pittsburg half of the fifth inning and came around to score on an RBI single to left by Jackson Turnbull to make the score 3-0.
“That was big,” Matlock said about his team adding insurance runs. “We even tried to bunt a little bit there late to get another one because (Joplin) is a good baseball team. I never felt comfortable up 3-0. … Just being able to scratch out those three, I was really proud of them.”
Joplin, which stranded 10 runners on base in the loss, had runners on second and third in the last of the seventh with two outs when David Fiscus came up with an infield hit to the shortstop, driving home a run. On the play, after the throw to first was late, PHS ended the game following a follow-up throw to the plate to nail the second runner trying to score at home to end the game.
“We had opportunities,” Wolf said. “Between base running errors and mistakes, maybe the approach at the plate of trying to do too much, but, again, credit to (Hayden) for making big pitches in big spots. Our guys, throughout the course of the year, have shown they can come up with those hits in those situations. We just couldn’t do it today.”
IN THE BOX
Hayden and Turnbull each had two hits to lead the Dragons at the plate. Turnbull, Benson and Jameson all finished with an RBI, while Sutton, Dunstan and Brandon Freeman each scored a run.
Fiscus led Joplin with three hits and an RBI, including a double, while Alex Curry and Ethan Guilford each added two hits. Bodee Carlson had one hit, a walk and scored a run.
UP NEXT
Joplin hosts Nixa at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Carthage split a pair of non-conference prep baseball games at Parkview High School on Saturday.
The Tigers beat the host Parkview Vikings 12-7 before suffering a 5-1 loss to the Logan-Rogersville Wildcats.
Carthage is now 5-9 on the season. The Tigers are at Joplin at 4:30 on Tuesday.
The Tigers scored their 12 runs on 11 hits, with nine different players contributing hits.
Rylee Barker went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored for Carthage, while Caden Kabance had two hits and Kaden Kralicek drove in two runs.
Will McCombs scored three runs from the leadoff spot.
Kanen Vogt was the winning pitcher. He struck out eight and allowed three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Zach Geter and Braxdon Tate pitched in relief. Tate struck out three in one inning.
The visitors plated two runs in the first, four in the fourth and six in the sixth.
Parkview’s Delton Orcutt took the loss after allowing six earned runs on seven hits in five innings.
Ethan Walker went 3-for-3 with three RBI for the Vikings.
The Tigers were limited to three hits. Kabance had two hits and Kralicek added one. Copeland scored the lone run.
Kaden Arr took the loss. He allowed three earned runs on four hits and struck out two in six innings.
Rogersville’s Tanner Peterson went the distance, striking out three and walking two.
The Wildcats also defeated Parkview 12-1 and are now 12-3 this spring.
Coming out of eighth grade, Joplin’s Fielding Campbell wanted to attempt a rare feat when it came to being a prep student-athlete—compete in two spring sports at the same time.
Now, as he hits the final stretch of his senior year as a member of the Joplin golf and baseball teams, Fielding has set the groundwork for his younger brother, Hobbs, a sophomore at Joplin, to do the same thing.
Growing up, Fielding always had a deep passion for the game of baseball as well as a love for golf. With his high school career drawing closer, Fielding, a Missouri Southern golf commit, still felt like baseball was his true love, but he said golf was his future. However, when it came time to choose between the two as the spring season approached during his freshman year at Joplin High School, he opted for a different route, dedicating his time to both.
“I knew I wanted to play both sports by the end of my eighth grade year,” Fielding said. “I wasn’t sure if the coaches were going to let me or not because I hadn’t seen or heard of anything done like that before. I’ve had such a passion for baseball my entire life, so I knew I wanted to continue playing that. And golf, I knew I could be good at it. I thought if the coaches agreed to give me the opportunity, I could succeed in both sports.”
Ultimately, it was decided that Fielding would be allowed to play both sports, with a slight emphasis on baseball. If Fielding didn’t have a golf tournament to play in, he was expected to be at a baseball practice or game. Which meant, much of his practice and preparation in golf would be on his own time.
“I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity,” Fielding said. “I did not think it would be possible because of all of the conflicts. The coaches explained to me how tough it would be. But, I knew it would be worth it in the end to be able to do both.”
That confidence in himself as a freshman, very similar to the same Hobbs has for himself, was actually a big reason why Joplin baseball coach Kyle Wolf, golf coach Jack Pace and cross country/distance coach Dustin Dixon were able to come to an agreement on the Campbell brothers’ desire to play two sports in the spring.
“Fielding is an athlete, same way with Hobbs,” Pace said. “They are both very competitive. That is what you want to see. … They are both just very good athletes with good heads on their shoulders.”
“First and foremost, Fielding is a competitive kid,” Wolf said. “He really enjoys competing, testing himself and pushing his own limitations to see what he can accomplish. I think that competitiveness is what probably generated his interest in doing both sports in the spring. Over time, his discipline and his toughness probably have shown through.”
“He is a really competitive kid,” Dixon said of Hobbs. “Joplin High School athletics has been pretty successful on the boys side for the past four or five years. That is largely because we have had great athletes and there is not really a great substitute for athleticism. Hobbs Campbell is an example of that. He’s an athlete and is fiercely competitive.”
The biggest concern for all parties involved when Fielding first approached the idea of playing baseball and golf was the commitment it would take while still focusing the proper amount of time on school work. And to say it took some time to get used to the hectic schedule would be an understatement.
“It’s extremely busy,” Fielding said when asked about his schedule in the spring. “Some days, I’ll have to go to a golf tournament at 8:30 in the morning and then straight to a baseball game on the road. I’ll get back home at 9 at night and have three homework assignments to do.
“It was really difficult to get used to my freshman and sophomore year because I was just getting into it. Over time, it has gotten a lot easier. I have been able to manage my schedules a lot better.”
Now that Fielding — the Eagles’ starting shortstop as well as a two-time state golf tournament qualifier — is in the midst of his senior season, you could say he has grown accustomed to the chaos.
“I just love being around everybody,” Fielding said about his passion for baseball. “I have been playing with most of the players my entire life. The coaches are great. It is a really fun atmosphere on the baseball team.”
“I get to come out here and play golf with my friends who I have been playing with for years,” Fielding added about his time on the golf team. “I get to compete and win a lot of tournaments with them. It is a lot of fun.”
And fortunately for his younger brother, Fielding was more than willing to share his experiences and advice in order to help Hobbs transition as smoothly as possible.
“I talked with him about managing his time well,” Fielding said. “Plan ahead for everything and just compete hard. If you do your best in both sports and apply yourself in school, good things will happen.”
Though he is in his second year of high school, this is actually the first taste of playing two sports in the same season for Hobbs after his freshman year was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year, I was really on the fence about which sport to play,” Hobbs said. “But, I had a really good cross country season, so I ended up running track. I knew I could (play two sports at once) because Fielding did it and was able to maintain his grades. I knew I could kind of follow in his footsteps.”
Before COVID brought the spring sports season to a grinding halt a year ago, Hobbs intended to split time between baseball and golf like his older brother. However, after the success he had in the cross country season this spring, a sport he initially was apprehensive about participating in at the high school level, Hobbs opted for participating in distance running for Joplin’s track and field team.
“In middle school, I ran a (four-minute, 49-second) mile and I won most of the meets, so I knew I was a pretty good distance runner. After that, my dad pretty much forced me to run cross country my freshman year,” Hobbs said with a laugh. “After that, I still really loved baseball and intended to play it my freshman year in the spring. But, I improved a lot in cross country from my freshman to sophomore year — I finished like 34th at the state meet — so I thought I could keep improving at cross country if I ran track this year.”
Getting a firsthand look at what his brother accomplished as a student-athlete was inspirational for Hobbs. And while Fielding often gave advice on how to manage a second sport along with golf, Hobbs was particularly grateful for his brother’s wisdom in terms of the importance of the academic side.
“He definitely told me that he misses a ton of school over the spring, so I had to be able to catch up on school work whenever I could,” Hobbs said. “He told me it is a lot harder to maintain your grades over the spring than it was in any other season.”
“I go to track practices every day,” Hobbs said. “But there are so many golf matches and tournaments that, recently, I’ll go play golf in the morning and then run track after school at practice or for a meet. I just have to find a way to practice golf and get my homework done on my own time.”
The success both Fielding and Hobbs have had as two-sport spring athletes is quite remarkable.
The Joplin’s boys golf is off to a torrid start to the 2021 season, winning each of the first seven events the team has participated in to the point of the season. Plenty of that success is due to quality of play from both Fielding and Hobbs.
Fielding earned top medalist honors with a first-place six-over-par 78 in the Bird Dog Invitational, while Hobbs earned a top-10 finish with an 85 in the first tournament action of the season. In the Joplin Invitational, Fielding tied for third place with a 78 and Hobbs closed with an 81 to finish seventh. Hobbs finished in a tie for fourth (79) and Fielding placed in a tie for sixth (80) in the Eagles’ victory at the Horton Smith Invitational. In Joplin’s most-recent win at the Ozark Invitational, Fielding finished in second place with a 77, while Hobbs carded an 82 to place just outside the top 10.
“I love golf because it takes a lot of patience,” Hobbs said. “You have to think a lot about every shot. It takes a lot to get better.”
On the baseball diamond, Fielding is the starting shortstop and is hitting .328 on the season. On the mound, he has appeared in five games with four starts and has accumulated a 2.37 earned-run average.
“I think it is really amazing when I think about what he does,” Wolf said of Fielding. “This past Thursday, he tied for fourth in a golf tournament, hopped in a car to meet us and played a good baseball game in Branson for us. I don’t think people realize how much mental toughness that takes even above the physical component of it. … Baseball and golf are two of the most mentally demanding sports and he is able to compartmentalize a lot of things and have success in both. And he does a tremendous job of maintaining himself as a student. Quite honestly, he is a model student-athlete with what he does.”
To this point in the track and field season, Hobbs has limited participation because of weather postponing the team’s second scheduled meet of the season. However, in the first track meet of the year, Hobbs anchored the third-place finish by 4×800-relay team before winning the 1600-meter run and running a personal record in the 3200.
At Friday’s Joplin’s Invitational, Hobbs won two both the 1600 (4:25) and the 3200 (9:46).
“Hobbs comes from a long line of kids who’ve had pretty successful middle school campaigns running for Coach (Kenny) Peters at (Joplin) South,” Dixon said. “We have a pretty good group of cross country kids who have a chance to chase after a state trophy next season, and I think his teammates knew that so they put pressure on him and recruited him to run track. And my goodness, he is looking great right now. … I think he has the talent to be an all-state athlete in all three of his events.”
Not only have Fielding and Hobbs found success in their respective spring sports, but the brothers have had success in other sports as well. Fielding and Hobbs were both members of the basketball program in the winter, while Hobbs also ran cross country in the spring and holds the sixth-fastest time in school history at 16:14.
Asked separately, both agreed being a multi-sport athlete is incredibly important in terms of their overall development as a student-athlete.
“It helps you out a lot mentally, really,” Hobbs said. “You just have to work hard. All of the sports I play have taught me that working hard can really bring you success.”
At the end of it all, Fielding and Hobbs being able to share those memories of playing together as brothers on the Joplin golf team will always produce special moments to look back on.
“It is really special,” Fielding said. “We have been playing together since I was seven years old. We used to go out every morning with our grandpa. We’ve been doing it every day for the past five or six years in the summer. It is just really fun for it to all come together.”
Webb City’s boys and girls both captured team championships at Friday’s Joplin Invitational track meet.
The Webb City boys topped the standings with 167.5 points. Joplin was a close second with 166. Either the Cardinals or the Eagles had the winner in all but four events.
The Webb City boys won seven events.
Claiming first-place finishes for Webb City’s boys were Mekhi Garrard (200, triple jump), Caleb Cook (110 hurdles), Gustavo Sabbag (300 hurdles), Luke Brumit (high jump), Pryce Mason and Grayson Smith (pole vault tie) and Zetthew Meister (discus).
Finishing second in their events were Roman Borboa (3200), Sabbag (110 H), and Garrard (long jump).
Webb City’s 4×800 relay team of Owen Weller, Borboa, Joseph Dawson and Samuel Winesburg finished second.
Taking third were Cook (300 H) and Matt McDaniel (high jump).
The Cardinals were fourth in the 4×100 (William Headrick, Joshua White, Jordan Thornburg, Isaiah Brisco) and fourth in the 4×400 (Brumit, Mason, Cook, Jacob Shonk).
Webb City’s girls compiled 129 points, eight more than second-place Nevada.
Event winners for the Webb City girls were Essence Robinson (100-meter dash), Riley Hawkins (400) and Haidyn Berry (javelin).
Finishing second in their events were Abi Street (3200), Emily Beres (shot put, discus), Robinson (long jump) and Dawsyn Decker (javelin).
Webb City’s 4×800 relay team of Alanna Bundy, Hawkins, Street and Lauren Kuechler took second. The 4×400 relay team of Kylie Jennings, Maci Brown, Hawkins and Robinson finished third.
Third-place individuals were Kaylyn Gilbert (shot put, discus), Bundy (800) and Kuechler (1600), while Ripley Shanks was fourth in the pole vault.
Carl Junction’s girls won five events and finished fifth in the team standings with 98 points.
The Bulldogs took first in the 4×100 relay (50.68), with Olivia Vediz, Ally Montez, Salma Lewis and Shiloh Sluder competing.
Montez won both the 100-meter hurdles (15.97) and the 300 hurdles (48.14), while Sluder won the 100-meter dash (12.91) and Emerson Lundien won the pole vault.
Vediz finished third in both the 100 and the triple jump, while Brooklyn Meyer was fourth in the high jump, Riley Briggs took fourth in the 800 and Loren Lee placed fourth in the discus.
For the CJ boys, Brendan Jewell was second in the high jump.
Collin Emmert placed third in the 3200 and sixth in the 1600. Drew Patterson took sixth in the 110 hurdles.
Carthage’s girls won the 4×200 relay in 1:55, with Katie Crowe, Sydnee Dudolski, Ashlynn Patrick and Karly Sullivan competing.
The 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams featuring the same four runners both finished second.
Kennedy Smith and Joey Hettinger finished second and third, respectively, in the high jump, while Smith was the runner-up in the triple jump and placed fourth in the long jump.
Morelia Reyes-Perez finished sixth in the 800 and seventh in the 1600, while Hadley McBride took seventh in the 3200.
For the Carthage boys, Caleb Calvin won the javelin and teammate Dennis Witt was third.
Aiden Logan was the runner-up in the shot put and also took sixth in the discus.
Neosho’s girls finished third in the team standings with 102.5 points.
Freshman Riley Kemna won the 3200 in 12:10, while Bailey Miller was the runner-up in the 800 and the pole vault. Jayden Browning won the triple jump.
The NHS girls took third in the 4×800, with Kemna, Makenna Davis, Heaven Kivett and Miller running. Neosho’s girls were fourth in the 4×200, with Taigen Mitchell, Claire Burghart, Kivett and Miranda Wennhold competing.
Third-place finishers for the Neosho girls were Madilyn Ebbinghaus (400) and Kendall Platner (100 H), while Davis (1600, 3200) and Kinley Wilson (pole vault) finished fourth in their events.
The Neosho boys were led by Kaden Cole, who won the 800 and took second in the 1600.
The Wildcats took first in the 4×400, with Tristan Clanton, Evan Haskins, Cole and Isaiah Green competing.
Neosho’s 4×200 team of Jeremiah Larson, Marcus Duncan, Noah Reed and William Howell took second.
Tristen Linders placed second in the discus, while Larson was second in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 110 hurdles.
Neosho’s boys were fourth in the standings.
Nevada’s girls won the 4×400 in 4:31, with Bailey Ast, Jade Feller, Clara Swearingen and Madyson Majors competing.
Nevada’s Lillian Hart won both the high jump and the long jump, while teammates Claire Pritchett (shot put) and Taylor Thompson (discus) also won events.
Riverton’s Cali Bocovich was the runner-up in the girls 400.
Columbus’ Gunnar Lawrence won the boys 400 in 53.87.
McDonald County’s Esteban Martinez-Olvera was third in the 200.
JOPLIN INVITATIONAL
Boys team standings: Webb City 167.5, Joplin 166, Rogers Heritage 106.5, Neosho 90, Nevada 41.5, McDonald County 37.5, Carthage 33, Columbus 28, Carl Junction 23.5, Riverton 17.5.
Girls team standings: Webb City 129, Nevada 121, Neosho 102.5, Joplin 99, Carl Junction 98, Carthage 62, Riverton 38.5, Columbus 34, McDonald County 31.
FULL RESULTS: Joplin Varsity 2021 – Complete Results (Raw) (milesplit.com)
For more reasons than one, Brandon Taute was in a good mood when the Joplin Invitational track and field meet concluded on Friday night.
For starters, the head coach of the Joplin Eagles was elated that Friday’s wet weather did not cancel or cause any major issues for his team’s home meet.
And secondly, Taute was thrilled with how his boys and girls performed.
Joplin’s boys finished second in the team standings with 166 points, just 1.5 points behind Webb City. The JHS girls finished fourth behind Webb City, Nevada and Neosho.
Throughout the meet, athletes competed in a light rain and in temperatures that hovered around 50 degrees.
“We were concerned with the weather and how we’d respond,” Taute told SoMo Sports. “You never know how your kids are going to come out in these types of situations, but I thought they were mentally focused and they accepted the challenge. I thought both teams did a really good job. And I thought the meet went pretty smooth.”
Joplin once again had a stellar showing, as the Eagles won eight events and finished second in four others.
“I thought it was a really good team effort across the board,” Taute said. “Donovahn Watkins had a huge throw in shot and we’d been waiting to see him breakout. We were super strong in the distance events like we’ve been all year. Hobbs (Campbell) had another good meet and Micah (Bruggeman) is starting to get back into form. All of our relays were good. Our jumpers, Donovyn (Fowler) and Trayshawn (Thomas), were solid again. We were just solid across the board.”
As far as individual event winners, Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell crossed the line first in both the 1600 (4:25) and the 3200 (9:46), while Nathan Glades won the 100-meter dash in 11.53.
Donovyn Fowler won the long jump and took second in both the triple jump and 200, while Watkins won the shot put and Bruggeman was the runner-up in the 800.
The Eagles definitely fared well in the relays.
Joplin won the 4×100 relay in 45.51, with Glades, Trayshawn Thomas, Dominick Simmons and Fowler competing.
The Eagles also took first in the 4×200, as Glades, Luke Vieselmeyer, Simmons and Evan Overstreet recorded a time of 1:36.
Joplin’s 4×800 relay team of Nicholas Horton, Ryan Byers, Ashton Ventura and Zaben Barnes took first in 8:28.
Joplin was second in the 4×400, with Vieselmeyer, Ventura, Horton and Bruggeman running.
Thomas was third in the triple jump, while Horton (800), Bruggeman (1600), Barnes (3200) and Watkins (discus) all finished fourth in their respective events.
Fifth-place finishers were Gustavo Onate (400), Evan Matlock (1600, 3200), Korey Read (110 H) and Thomas (long jump), while Thomas (100) and Triston Stogsdill (300 H) took sixth.
The Joplin girls compiled 99 points and finished fourth out of nine teams. 
“I thought they all did really well,” Taute said. “Jennalee Dunn had a great day, like she always does. Our distance girls and all of our relays were really good. Allie Lawrence had a good meet as far as the sprints and the vault.”
A junior, Dunn won two individual events and ran a leg of a winning relay.
Dunn crossed the line first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:32 and also won the 1600 in 5:32.
The JHS girls won the 4×800 relay in 10:28, with Alexandra Carson, Jackaline Triplett, Dunn and Allie Keizer competing.
Joplin’s 4×200 relay team of Kylie Anderson, Isabella Yust, Emily Clifford and Lawrence took third, while the 4×400 team of Kennedy Schwartz, Tatiana Potter, Carson and Dunn placed fourth.
Joplin’s 4×100 relay team of Anderson, Lawrence, Yust and Bailey Ledford finished fifth.
Lawrence was the runner-up in the 200 and took third in the pole vault, while Keizer placed third in the 3200.
Logan Bruggeman was fourth in the 300 hurdles, Claire Jasper finished fourth in the shot put and Alayna Merriman was fifth in the javelin.
Sixth-place finishers for the JHS girls were Abigail Eckert (100), Yust (200), Mya Ndedi-Ntepe (400), Mairi Beranek (3200) and Jovi Frost (discus). Kirsten Thom was seventh in the high jump.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Joplin travels to Willard on Thursday.
Note: See a related story for results of the other area teams.
JOPLIN INVITATIONAL
Boys team standings: Webb City 167.5, Joplin 166, Rogers Heritage 106.5, Neosho 90, Nevada 41.5, McDonald County 37.5, Carthage 33, Columbus 28, Carl Junction 23.5, Riverton 17.5.
Girls team standings: Webb City 129, Nevada 121, Neosho 102.5, Joplin 99, Carl Junction 98, Carthage 62, Riverton 38.5, Columbus 34, McDonald County 31.
FULL RESULTS: Joplin Varsity 2021 – Complete Results (Raw) (milesplit.com)
The Neosho High School girls soccer team suffered a 4-2 loss to Willard on Thursday.
Avery Renfro scored both of Neosho’s goals. One of the goals was unassisted, while Breanna Alvarado had one assist.
Goalkeeper Shelby Roberts made 11 saves for Neosho.
The Wildcats had five shots on-goal, while the Tigers had 15.
Neosho (5-5) is at Carl Junction on Tuesday.
Thursday’s other girls soccer scores
Branson 1, Joplin 0
Webb City 1, Ozark 0
Republic 4, Carl Junction 0
Joplin — Rob Mallory has been named director of athletics for Missouri Southern State University. Mallory, who will start on July 1, will become Missouri Southern’s sixth athletics director.
Mallory comes from Kentucky Wesleyan, a NCAA Division II Institution that includes 21 varsity sport programs, where he served as vice president of intercollegiate athletics. He was promoted to this position in January 2021 after serving as director of athletics since May of 2015. Prior to that, he served as associate director of athletics at NCAA Division II Quincy University (Illinois) July 2010 through June 2015 where he directed a comprehensive compliance program as the senior compliance officer. Mallory spent three years from 2007-10 at NCAA Division I University of Evansville (Indiana) as the director of marketing and ticket services.
“MSSU has a proud history of success in competition, in the classroom, and in the community,” said Mallory. “I am honored to be chosen to now lead those efforts as its next director of athletics. I want to thank Dr. Van Galen and the search committee for this tremendous opportunity.”
During Mallory’s last five years at Kentucky Wesleyan, he oversaw an overall increase in revenue for his department through the development and streamlining of athletic giving with the Panther Athletic Fund. Updates and renovation plans for all athletic facilities at Kentucky Wesleyan were started with his oversight.
Kentucky Wesleyan athletic programs expanded during his tenure with the addition of four new programs. The Panthers have also flourished in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, winning five conference titles and making six appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In the classroom, 16 programs (of 19) maintain a cumulative GPA above 3.0, while one third of all student-athletes earned Academic All-Conference honors for the 2019-20 academic year.
In 2019, Mallory was appointed to the NCAA Division II National Football Committee for a four-year term, which followed three-year terms serving on the NCAA Division II Regional Advisory Committee for football and baseball.
“I am excited to welcome Rob Mallory to Missouri Southern and Lion Athletics,” said Dr. Dean Van Galen, MSSU president. “Rob brings to MSSU extensive experience and a record of success as an athletics administrator at the NCAA Division II level. He is a thoughtful, principled and collaborative leader who will advance athletes and positively contribute to the university’s future.”
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Julie Wengert, served as chair of the search committee. Other committee members included Director of Athletic Internal Operations Karesa Burr, Head Baseball Coach Bryce Darnell, Dean of the Plaster College of Business and Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Jeff Zimmerman, Lionbacker Steering Committee President Alan Cook, Director of Annual Giving Elisa Bryant, Volleyball Head Coach Kalie Mader, Softball student-athlete Abby Atkin and men’s basketball student-athlete Christian Bundy. Missouri Southern received 90 official applications and dozens more inquiries about the position.
“We were extremely pleased with the candidate pool,” said Wengert. “Dr. Kurt Patburg, senior vice president of Athletics Staffing Consultants, supported our committee on the front end of this process, which helped us build both a diverse and quality candidate pool of applicants.”
“It was important to establish a diverse search committee with representation from key areas of campus who work directly with the department of athletics. Each member brought a unique and passionate perspective to the table, which produced rich discussion throughout the process. The committee devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to this process, thoroughly vetting all of the candidates and bringing in a strong group of finalists for on-campus interviews.”
Mallory said he and his family are excited about the move to Joplin.
“I look forward to working with the entire campus community to build an even brighter future for Lions athletics,” he said.
Mallory graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.B.A. in management information systems and served as the head football manager in 2001. He earned a master’s degree in sport administration from Xavier University in 2007.
He and his wife, Holly, have two children, Lilly and Mitchell.
Mallory will be formally introduced at an upcoming press conference. Details will be released at a later time.
GRANBY, Mo. — College Heights Christian and McAuley Catholic were among the schools competing at Thursday’s East Newton Relays track and field invitational.
The College Heights girls won three relays—the 4×100 (52.70), the 4×200 (1:51) and the 4×400 (4:26).
Jayli Johnson, Allie Fiscus, Lauren Ukena and Addie Lawrence ran on both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays, while the 4×400 relay featured Johnson, Ukena, Katie Moss and Lawrence.
Also for the CHC girls, Ukena was the runner-up in the 200-meter dash, while Johnson finished third in the 100 and Fiscus took sixth in the 300 hurdles.
McAuley freshman Kendall Ramsey finished fifth in the girls 1600.
The College Heights boys placed in two relays and had medalists in two individual events.
The College Heights team of Colsen Dickens, Derrick McMillan, Corban Thomas and Caleb Quade took fourth in the 4×400, while the 4×800 team of McMillan, Thomas, Jace Edwards and Quade placed fifth.
Also for College Heights, Dickens finished fourth in the 400 and McMillan placed sixth in the 1600.
On the girls side, Cassville (110), Mount Vernon (103), Lamar (79) and Aurora (74) were the top four teams. Seneca (55) and College Heights (45) were fifth and sixth, respectively. There were 13 teams in attendance.
Lamar’s boys won the meet with 138 points. East Newton (112), Mount Vernon (59.33) and McDonald County (58.33) rounded out the top four. There were 14 boys teams competing.
Mount Vernon’s Sadie Heisner won three events—the girls pole vault, long jump and 100 hurdles. Heisner set a meet record in the pole vault by clearing 10-6.
Aurora’s Aubrey Boatwright won two events—the girls 800 and 3200. On the boys side, Aurora’s Cole Rohlman won two events—the 200 and 400. He placed third in the 100.
Seneca’s Rylee Darnell also had a busy day, as she won the triple jump, took second in the pole vault and placed third in the high jump.
Other event winners on the girls side were Cassville’s Hannah Hackler (100), Hallie Hackler (200), Kyren Postlewait (shot put) and Sharayah Seymour (high jump), Lamar’s Kiersten Potter (1600) and Phajjia Gordon (discus), Aurora’s Maisie Phillips (300 hurdles) and Elizabeth Martin (javelin) and Mount Vernon’s Kadence Krempges (400).
Individual event winners on the boys side were East Newton’s Gabe Bergen (300 hurdles), Kelton Sorrell (800), Michael Crowe (high jump) and Nathan Evey (pole vault), Lamar’s Logan Crockett (100), Joe Kremp (1600), Trace Willhite (javelin) and Rylan Wooldridge (shot put), McDonald County’s Eliam Eliam (discus), Esteban Martinez-Olvera (long jump) and Joshua Pacheco (triple jump), Mount Vernon’s Wyatt Cordray (110 hurdles) and Southwest’s Travis Sickles (3200).
FULL RESULTS: East Newton Relays 2021 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)
OZARK, Mo. — Treghan Parker and Matt Woodmansee combined to drive in 11 runs as the Webb City Cardinals rolled to a 21-5 win at Ozark on Thursday.
The Cardinals improved to 13-2 and 2-1 in the Central Ozark Conference.
Webb City needed just three innings to plate 21 runs on 16 hits. The Cardinals scored four runs in the first, eight in the second and nine in the third.
A senior shortstop, Parker drove in six runs on three hits, including a home run, to lead the Cardinals.
Woodmansee drove in five on three hits, including his first home run of the season.
Everyone got into the act for the Cardinals, as Devrin Weathers, Cole Gayman and Jeremiah Leaming all had two hits apiece, while Gayman, Aiden Brock, Eli Goddard and Leaming had two RBI apiece.
Shane Noel, Weathers, Parker and Woodmansee scored three runs apiece, while Eric Fitch, Brock, Goddard and Leaming scored two runs apiece.
Gayman earned the pitching victory. He went all three innings and scattered six hits and struck out four.
Ozark’s Holden Sabor, Colton Casteel and Greydon Miller had one RBI apiece.
Webb City is scheduled to play at St. Mary’s Colgan at 4:30 on Friday, weather permitting.
Below is a look at Thursday’s area boys tennis results.
CLEVER, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson’s boys tennis team hiked its record to 8-0 on the season with a dominant 9-0 win over Clever on Thursday.
In singles play, Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding beat Cole Waisner 8-1, while Noah Hamlett defeated Bryce Friend 8-0 and Hari Nagarajan handled Jase Whiles 8-0.
Prithvi Nagarajan beat Anthony Dodds 8-0, Lele Qian beat Draven Mendez 8-1 and Devan Murali defeated Charles Donan 8-1.
In doubles action, Ding-H. Nagarajan beat Waisner-Dodds 8-1, Hamlett-P. Nagarajan defeated Friend-Whiles 8-3 and Qian-Murali beat Mendez-Donan 8-0.
Thomas Jefferson competes at Joplin on Monday.
Joplin suffered a 9-0 setback to Nixa at the JHS athletic complex.
“Nixa has a lot of depth with 31 players on their roster if you include JV,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “Joplin has a team of 15 players this year including JV. We played with grit in today’s matchup, making Nixa earn the victory in multiple matches. We have things to work on so that we can be more competitive late in the season.”
In doubles action, Joplin’s Logan Merkley and Jeffrey Evenson lost to Isaac Forbis and Benjamin Mills 8-0, while Ben Wardlow-Colin Vermillion lost to Dallin Attwooll-Mason Murray 8-3 and Josh Yarnall-Michael Mancipe lost a close match to Brody Ball-Trey Hartwell 8-6.
“Josh and Michael started the match out with a slight lead,” Stump said. “But the Nixa players came back and were able to hold on and win.”
At No. 1 singles, Forbis edged Joplin’s Merkley 8-6.
“Logan was down 7-2,” Stump said. “His determination and hustle helped him gain momentum and brought him back to make this a close match.”
Nixa’s Mills beat Evenson 8-4, Attwooll edged Wardlow 8-6 and Murray nipped Yarnall 9-7.
“Josh played our closest match of the day,” Stump noted. “He ran tennis balls all over the court throughout the match, which is what kept the match so close.”
Nixa’s Ball beat Mancipe 8-0 and Hartwell defeated Vermillion 8-4.
Joplin is scheduled to host Thomas Jefferson on Monday.
NEOSHO, Mo. — The Neosho High School boys tennis team suffered an 8-1 loss to Ozark on Thursday.
Neosho’s lone win came at No. 3 singles, as Christian Williams defeated Brady Goss 8-5.
In other singles matches, Ozark’s Orion Lewis beat Kuhio Sohl 8-2, Major Cardin topped Landon Austin 8-0, Ethan Fast defeated Melvin Lopez 8-5, Anthony Psarev beat Ryno Lee 8-1 and Andrew Kean edged Brandt Gonzales 8-6.
In doubles, Ozark’s Reese-Bottarel beat Sohl-Williams 8-2, while Lewis-Cardin defeated Austin-Lopez 8-0 and Quirk-Goss topped Lee-Gonzales 8-2.
Neosho is scheduled to host Aurora on Friday.
Another tournament, another win.
Joplin topped the 17-team field at the Ozark Invitational golf tournament on Thursday at Fremont Hills Country Club.
The Eagles finished with a 315 and were three strokes better than runner-up Nixa.
Joplin’s Harry Satterlee shot a 74 to earn medalist honors. He was two strokes better than Kickapoo’s Hayden Wiggins and Springfield Catholic’s Tyler Han.
Joplin’s Fielding Campbell carded 77 and tied for fourth place with Ozark’s Kyler Smith and Nixa’s Chance Wilhite.
Also for the Eagles, Wyatt Satterlee and Hobbs Campbell both carded 82 and Ethan Sage turned in an 83.
Joplin (315), Nixa (318), Ozark (324), Catholic (347), Carthage (359), Branson (361), Carl Junction (362), Webb City (363), Republic (368) and Marshfield (388) were the top 10 teams.
Tying for seventh place individually with scores of 79 were Ozark’s Carter Chronister and Nixa’s Meyer Lively. Rounding out the top 10 individuals were Branson’s Nathan Woodmansee and Nixa’s Jonathan Miller, as both carded 80.
Carthage’s Britt Coy and Owen Derryberry both carded 83 to lead the Tigers, while Webb City was led by Keegon Dill’s 87 and Carl Junction’s low score was shot by Noah Williams (89).
Area golfers will compete at the Sonic Invitational beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday at the Carthage Golf Course.
JOPLIN (315)—Satterlee 74, Campbell 77, Satterlee 82, Campbell 82, Sage 83.
CARTHAGE (359)—Coy 83, Derryberry 83, Brewer 87, Fagg 106, Nicholas 107.
CARL JUNCTION (362)—Williams 89, Teeter 90, Wrensch 91, Wyrick 92, Walker 95.
WEBB CITY (363)—Dill 87, Cahoon 89, Carter 93, Frazier 94, Burlingame 95.
VERONA, Mo. — College Heights Christian ballooned a one-run lead by scoring a combined seven runs in the third and fourth innings on the way to a 9-5 win over Verona on Thursday.
After Ben Thomas singled home a run in the top of the first to put the Cougars (4-5) in front, College Heights touched home five times in the third inning to take all of the momentum. Josh Allen had an RBI double to left before Thomas singled to center in the next at-bat for his second RBI of the game. Nate Williams and Bo Sitton wrapped the scoring with consecutive RBI singles with two outs to extend the CHC advantage to 6-0.
The lead moved to eight after Ethan Coggeshell and Nick Breggman scored on a Verona error in the fourth.
After Verona scored on a Cougars’ error in the last of the fifth, Thomas drove in another run with an RBI groundout in the top of the sixth to make the score 9-1.
The Wildcats scored four times in the bottom of the six to cut the lead to 9-5, but drew no closer to completing the comeback. Alex Campbell had a two-run double to left and Noah Freiburger drove in a run with a two-out single through the left side to highlight the inning..
Breggman earned the win after allowing one run on five hits, seven walks and five strikeouts in five innings of work. Thomas allowed four unearned runs on two hits, two walks and a strikeout in two relief innings.
Dillin Shrum took the loss after allowing eight runs, six earned, on eight hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
Allen led the Cougars at the plate with three hits, including a double, an RBI and a run scored. Thomas had two hits, scored a run and drove in a game-high three runs. Sitting finished with one hit and two RBI. Breggman had a hit, walked and scored three runs.
Campbell had three hits, two RBI and two runs scored for Verona, while Freiburger had three hits and drove in one.
College Heights is at Lockwood Monday.
REPUBLIC, Mo. — Republic hung crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the third and fifth innings en route to a 5-1 win over Carl Junction on Thursday.
The Tigers broke a scoreless tie through two innings with three runs in the third inning. Carl Junction (10-4, 1-2) got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the fourth, but Republic scored twice in the fifth inning and kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the final three frames to earn the win.
Gavyn Beckner earned the win after allowing one run on five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts in a complete-game, seven-inning performance.
Alex Baker took the loss for the Bulldogs after allowing five runs, one earned, on five hits, a walk and six strikeouts in six complete innings.
Carson Johnson doubled and scored a run for CJ, while Baker had a hit and the lone RBI in the loss.
Beckner had two hits, including a double. Vincent Pyeatt had one, a run and an RBI. Jared Hughes tripled and scored a run.
BRANSON, Mo. — Joplin struck early for the initial lead before scoring five times in the fourth inning on the way to an 8-3 Central Ozark Conference road win over Branson on Thursday.
With the win, Joplin improves to 11-4 with a 3-0 COC record, tops in the conference.
Ethan Guilford earned the win for the Eagles after shutting out the Pirates over four innings. He scattered two hits and struck out two. Kirk Chandler allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits, two walks and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 relief innings. Josh Harryman closed it out with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out two.
Kale Lankton took the loss for Branson after allowing eight runs, five earned, on nine hits and three walks. Heath Cole pitched four scoreless innings in relief, surrendering two hits, walking one and striking out two.
Joplin broke through on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the first inning. After the first two at-bats resulted in outs, the Eagles’ next five batters reached to push across two runs. David Fiscus highlighted the inning with an RBI double to left. Kohl Cooper had a double and scored a run, while Alex Curry singled and scored a run.
The Eagles pushed the lead to 3-0 in the top of the second when Cooper singled home Carson Wampler, who walked to lead off the inning.
The first five batters reached base in the top of the fourth to propel Joplin to a four-run inning. After consecutive singles from Fielding Campbell and Bodee Carlson started the inning, Cooper doubled to center field to bring home both runners, with Curry following up with a double of his own to left field to score Cooper. The Eagles scored two more runs to make the score 8-0 later in the inning when a Branson fielding error with two outs allowed two runs to score.
James Houston singled home a run to highlight the three-run bottom of the fifth for the Pirates.
Cooper led Joplin with a 3-for-3 game with two doubles, a team-high three RBI and two runs scored. Curry and Carlson each had two hits and scored a run, while Curry had an RBI.
Joplin hosts Pittsburg at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
An 11-run first inning propelled the College Heights Christian softball team to a 19-0 win over host Verona on Wednesday.
The Cougars improved to 8-1.
The game lasted just three innings, as College Heights erupted for 11 runs in the first inning and then added five in the second and three in the third.
College Heights recorded 15 hits.
Jayli Johnson, Avery Good and Maddy Colin had three hits apiece, while Layne Jackson and Sarah Painter contributed two hits apiece.
Johnson hit two home runs, drove in five runs and scored four times, while Kaitlyn Bates had three RBI. Colin and Painter drove in two runs apiece.
Kloee Williamson, Lauren Ukena, Ari Calandro and Bates all scored two runs apiece in the lopsided win.
Three pitchers tossed an inning apiece in the circle for the Cougars, who also feature players from McAuley.
Colin, Johnson and Addie Lawrence combined on a no-hitter. Lawrence struck out three, Colin fanned two and Johnson struck out one.
Verona’s lone baserunner, Jacy Mendoza, reached on a walk. The Wildcats fell to 5-8.
Paige Bauer and Meghan Long pitched for Verona and allowed two earned runs apiece, as five errors in the field proved costly.
College Heights meets Liberal at 5 on Friday at the Jasper Tournament, weather permitting.
NIXA, Mo. — The Carl Junction girls won five events and finished fourth in the team standings with 79.5 points at Tuesday’s Nixa Invitational track meet.
Nixa (138.5), Ozark (104) and Republic (103.5) were the top three teams.
Allie Montez took first in the 100 hurdles in 15.24 seconds and also won the 300 hurdles in 46.48.
Salma Lewis won the high jump by clearing 5-1 and Shiloh Sluder crossed the line first in the 200 with a time of 26.38.
The Bulldogs won the 4×100 relay in a school record time of 50.28, with Olivia Vediz, Montez, Lewis and Sluder competing.
Third-place finishers for the CJ girls were Emerson Lundien (pole vault), Vediz (triple jump), Sluder (100-meter dash) and Hannah Lee (shot put). Vediz was fourth in the long jump.
Carl Junction’s boys had one event winner, as Brendan Jewell won the high jump by clearing 6-6. Jewell also took fourth in the long jump.
Drew Patterson placed third in the 110 hurdles, while Collin Emmert finished third in the 3200 and fourth in the 1600 and Owen Hensley was fourth in the pole vault.
The Bulldogs compiled 42 points and finished eighth in the team standings. Nixa (147), Kickapoo (106) and Ozark (98.7) were the top three teams.
Freshman catcher Tommy Stevenson had a grand slam and the #9 ranked Missouri Southern baseball team scored 10 unanswered runs as the Lions took out visiting Drury 10-3 today at Warren Turner Field.
Southern (22-6) got a huge day at the plate from Stevenson as he had a grand slam and went 2-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Troy Gagan was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, while Jrodan Fitzpatrick drove in a pair. Henry Kusiak went 4-for-5 with a run and two RBIs, while Ryan Hunter, Clay Milas and Matt Miller scored a run each.
Cale McCallister started for the Lions and went two innings, striking out three. Jacob Davis threw five innings and struck out three, while allowing just three hits and shutting out the Panthers (9-15) to pick up his first collegiate win and move to 1-0 on the season. Ryan Paschal and Chase Beiter threw the final two innings.
Drury got on the board with a run in the first and two in the second to lead 3-0 heading to the bottom of the second. Fitzpatrick doubled down the right field line to score Milas and Hunter to get the Lions within a run.
The Lions loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth and Stevenson unloaded them as he hit a no-doubter to left center to score Gagan, Miller and Hunter to put Southern up 7-3. Stevenson added an RBI double in the sixth to score Gagan before Kusiak singled up the middle to score Stevenson to make the score 8-3.
The Lions got two runs in the eighth. Gagan scored the first run when he stole home after advancing to third on a dropped third strike and Kusiak homered to make the final tally 10-3.
Southern will be back in action this weekend as the Lions play host to Northeastern State in a three-game set at Warren Turner field beginning Friday.
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