By winning nine of 11 events, the Carthage High School boys swim team captured the championship at the Springfield Invitational on Tuesday.
The Tigers finished with 404 points, while Marshfield was a distant second with 259. Hillcrest (106), Parkview (26) and Seymour (25) also competed.
Carthage won two of three relays.
The team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wallace and Ezekiel Ramirez won the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:59. The Tigers were also second in the medley relay in 2:16, with Noah Blackford, Ryan Steinbach, Trey Nye and Aydan Nye competing.
The Tigers won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:03, with Ramirez, Frieling, Wallace and McBride competing.
Carthage was second in the 200 freestyle relay in 2:02, with Landon White, Aydan Nye, Daryl Martin and Steinbach swimming. Marshfield took first in 1:47.
Braxton McBride and Will Wallace won two events apiece for the Tigers.
McBride took first in the 200 IM (2:30) and the 100 breaststroke (1:14), while Wallace was the champion in the 500 freestyle (6:11) and the 200 free (2:07).
Other individual event winners for Carthage were Ramirez (50 free), Frieling (100 free) and Noah Blackford (100 backstroke).
Second-place finishers were White (100 butterfly) and Ramirez (500 free). Finishing third in their events were White (200 free) and Frieling (500 free).
Taking fourth were Steinbach (200 IM and 100 breaststroke), Nye (100 fly) and Caleb Waynick (100 free).
Fifth-place finishers were Nye (200 free), Declan O’Brien (200 IM), Blackford (100 fly), Angel Guzman (100 free), Daryl Martin (100 backstroke) and Ben Rogers (100 breaststroke).
The Tigers will be among the teams competing at the Webb City Invitational on Oct. 9.
LAMAR, Mo. — With five runners in the top 15, Carl Junction’s girls captured the team championship at the Lamar Invitational on Tuesday.
Carl Junction finished with a team score of 43, while El Dorado Springs was second with 48 and Nevada was third with 96.
St. Michael the Archangel’s Elsa Henry was the individual champion with a time of 20:03 and Lamar’s Kiersten Potter took second in 20:17.
Carl Junction’s Ally Montez finished third in 20:43, while El Dorado Springs’ Hannah Klaiber was fourth and Cassville’s Jolie Evans took fifth.
Also for Carl Junction, Hannah Franks finished seventh, Alexis Carpenter was 10th, Sadie Burchett took 13th, Riley Briggs placed 15th and Delaney Harris was 23rd.
Nevada’s Allie Rains and Avery Morris were 11th and 12th, while Cassville’s Annie Moore was 14th.
Lamar’s Mikayla Madison was 17th and Jasper’s Olivia Moss took 19th. McDonald County’s Clara Horton finished 27th and Monett’s Sadie Camp was 29th.
College Heights Christian’s Jayli Johnson finished 32nd, while Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller was 35th and teammate Macie Shifferd finished 41st.
Also for College Heights, Sophia Moore was 50th, Madi Carson took 65th and Stellar Moore was 83rd.
In the boys race, El Dorado Springs standout Daelen Ackley took first in 15:58. Carl Junction’s Collin Emmert was second with a time of 16:28, while Monett’s Julio Cruz finished third in 16:44.
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry finished seventh in 17:17, while Southwest’s Christian Long was ninth and his teammate Caden Uthe was 13th.
Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson placed 15th, while Purdy’s Bryce Ozbun was 20th. Monett’s Victor Salas, Lamar’s Cameron Bailey and Cassville’s Caleb Leach were 22nd, 23rd and 24th, respectively.
College Heights Christian’s Derrick McMillan finished 37th, with teammates Rolen Sanderson and Caleb Quade finishing 46th and 47th, respectively.
Carl Junction’s Luke Battagler was 53rd and teammate Kellen Badgley was 60th. CHC’s Steven Calandro was 66th and Jace Edwards took 76th.
McAuley’s top finishers were Phillip Motazedi (82nd) and Armando Alberto (86th).
The top three teams were Stockton (49), El Dorado Springs (62) and St. Michael the Archangel (86). Lamar (129), Carl Junction (186) and Nevada (218) were fourth, fifth and sixth.
NEOSHO, Mo. — Carl Junction earned a 25-14, 25-11 and 25-14 sweep of Neosho for a Central Ozark Conference road win on Tuesday.
The win improves the Bulldogs’ record to 14-3, 2-0 in conference play.
Jessa Hylton led Carl Junction with nine kills, while Karissa Chase added eight kills and a block. Logan Jones finished with 37 assists and seven aces. Olivia Vediz had 11 digs, while Maggie Brown added 10 digs.
Carl Junction hosts Willard on Thursday.
SENECA EARNS WIN OVER CASSVILLE
SENECA, Mo. — Seneca earned a 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-19 and 25-18) win over Cassville on Tuesday to improve 8-7 and 2-0 in the Big 8 Conference.
Jera Jameson had 12 kills and three blocks to lead the Indians, while Rylee Darnell had nine kills and a block. Parker Long added seven kills, 13 digs and three aces, while Braxton Raulston finished with 11 digs. Ellie Barnes had 11 digs, six kills and a block kill, while Tatum White had six kills. Brylee Sage, who had two aces, and Darnell combined for 38 assists.
Seneca is at Nevada on Thursday.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS DEFEATS EAST NEWTON
GRANBY, Mo. — College Heights went on the road and earned a 3-1 (25-17, 17-25, 25-15 and 25-19) win over East Newton on Tuesday.
The win improves the Cougars’ record to 10-5-1.
Addie Lawrence finished with 21 kills to lead CHC, while Lauren Ukena had 12 kills, 16 digs, six aces and 17 service points. Maddy Colin added 35 assists and 15 digs, with Ava Masena finishing with 28 digs and 14 points in service. Lindsay Griesemer had 15 digs, with Marley Woodford finishing with three blocks.
College Heights hosts Thomas Jefferson on Thursday.
After dropping the first set, Carthage rallied back to win the second, third and fourth games to earn a 3-1 victory over Joplin in Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
“I think that we played hard, but we obviously did not play our best,” Carthage coach Braydn Webb said. “I think all of my girls would say that. Joplin had a great match, but it was great to see us battle adversity and come back stronger each set.
“It is a great win. We lost to Joplin in districts last year, so I think our girls were hungry to beat them. We are going to see Joplin again in districts this year, so this prepares us a little more for districts, which is our main goal.”
Carthage’s Ava Bourgault returns a serve in the Tigers’ win over Joplin on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Eagles (8-5-3, 2-1 COC) opened the contest with the momentum, winning the first set 25-18. The Tigers (12-11-1, 1-2 COC) rebounded to take the second set 25-22 before Carthage carried the momentum into another 25-22 win in the third game. Joplin jumped out to a big lead in the fourth and final set, but as they had from the onset, Carthage rallied back to complete the win 25-20.
“I am really proud of my kids,” Joplin coach Desiree Felker said. “We fought really hard but just didn’t come out on top tonight. We did a lot of things well, we just have to learn to play better when the game is on the line. Statistically, this might be one of the best games we played all season. It just sucks we were on the losing end of it. … I think this is a building block to get us where we need to be.”
Joplin gained a foothold in the opening set after a trio of three-point service runs from Allie Lawrence, Abby Hembree and Abby Edwards staked the Eagles to a 13-5 lead. Two attacking errors on the Tigers and a kill from Emma Floyd extended the lead to 17-10. Joplin held that cushion to the end of the set.
“She was huge for us,” Felker said of Floyd’s play. “We switched the lineup up to open things up a little more for her. She is super aggressive and super competitive. I knew if we could get her the ball, she was going to make some things happen. She was huge for us tonight.”
Carthage gained a cushion in the second set off a four-point run from Grace Pickering, which ended with an ace, for a 9-6 lead. Consecutive kills from Mia Carmillo later in the set put the Tigers on top 17-12. With Carthage leading 22-17, a four-point run by Joplin, highlighted by a block from Bailey Owens, a kill from Angelina Schramm and an ace by Paisley Parker trimmed the lead to 22-21. A kill from Sydnee Dudolski and an ace from Riann Schwartz moved the Tigers in front three and led them to the eventual win in the second game.
“I think the biggest difference from set one to sets two, three and four was that Carthage was able to put a little more pressure on us behind the service line,” Felker said. “They were able to go on a couple of runs and that was the biggest difference. We just have to side out a little quicker and prevent teams from going on those long runs.”
Joplin’s Kaya Cooper sets up a kill in the Eagles’ loss to Carthage on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The third set saw the score at 13-12 in favor of Joplin extended to 17-12 by the Eagles after a three-point run from Parker that included a kill from Schramm. Carthage countered with a three-point run from Pickering that included a block by Sophie Shannon and a kill from Abby Holderbaum to cut the deficit to 17-15. Up 22-20, Carthage forced a sideout with a kill from Shannon before closing the game out with the next four points on Olivia Bourgault’s service that included two kills from Carmillo, another kill from Shannon and an ace by Bourgault to end it.
“It all comes down to the confidence that the girls have in themselves,” Webb said about the difference in play from the first set to the next three. “In that first set, we were struggling with being mentally tough. The last few sets, our serve-receive picked up and our energy picked up, and I think that all stems from them having confidence in themselves. We have worked really hard on that.”
Joplin jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fourth set on the back of a kill from Floyd and an ace by Parker and eventually pushed the margin to 16-8 midway through.
Carthage rallied with a three-point run from Raven Probert that included an ace to trim the deficit to 16-12. After a pair of sideouts on errors, the Tigers scored the next seven points on Ava Bourgault’s serve to come all the way back and take a 20-17 lead. Dudolski had three kills during the stretch, with Holderbaum adding a block.
“She was amazing,” Webb said of Dudolski’s finish to the win. “In the first couple of sets, she struggled. She knew that and owned up to it. … She stepped up and mentally was there for us. She can put a ball away wherever it’s at, which is why she is the player she is. She is so versatile.”
Carthage’s Sydnee Dudolski earns a kill during the Tigers’ win over Joplin on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Floyd earned a kill for Joplin to force a sideout, but it wouldn’t be enough as Carthage went on to win the set on a kill from Dudolski and a passing error on Joplin.
STATS
Dudolski led Carthage with 12 kills and 15 digs, while Pickering had eight kills, four aces and three digs. Bourgault had 18 digs and an ace, while Probert had 14s and 10 assists.
Schramm finished with 10 kills, four aces, three digs and a block for Joplin. Floyd had nine kills, three blocks and two block assists. Parker had 38 digs, two aces and two assists. Kaya Cooper had 19 assists and six digs.
After a run-rule win over Aurora on Monday, Joplin doubled down on Tuesday after batting around the order on the way to a five-run first inning to take a foothold, while Jill McDaniel was strong in the circle as the Eagles defeated Carl Junction 11-1 in five innings in Central Ozark Conference action at the JHS Sports Complex.
“It stems from the last couple of weeks,” Joplin coach Manny Flores said of his team’s play as of late. “We played Nixa really tough and Ozark really tough and played other good teams in our conference in one-run games. I think that has carried over to this week and it is allowing us to be more confident. That has allowed us to play a little more aggressively and confidently, and you have to do that in this game. If you are not confident, you are going to lose a lot of games.”
Joplin took control with the five-run first inning before adding an insurance run in the second, two more in the third and two in the fifth to end the contest with the Bulldogs early.
“I thought we were a little slow to start, and that tends to be an issue we deal with every once in a while,” Carl Junction coach Zak Petty said. “We started to come back and limit some of those innings where it could have gotten out of hand early. Sometimes, our inexperience shows, and it’s tough.”
McDaniel earned the win after allowing one hit and one unearned run over five complete innings. She walked one and struck out eight.
“She has done an excellent job of commanding the zone, throwing strikes and letting her defense make plays,” Flores said. “When she does that, she is a tough pitcher to face. She has done a great job of getting better every single day and giving us a chance to win.”
Hannah Cole took the loss after allowing 11 runs, three earned, on 13 hits, a walk and a strikeout in 4 2/3 innings.
“She wasn’t feeling great today, but she really battled,” Petty said. “I thought she did a really good job. She is a rockstar, mentally. Especially for a freshman being out there. … She does a great job of getting the ball and being ready to go. She is going to grow and get so much better that we need to pick it up around her and help her out some more.”
The win marks the first conference victory of the season for the Eagles, which is 13-12, 1-7 in the COC. Carl Junction is 2-19 and 0-7 in the COC.
Joplin wasted little time getting the bats going, as the first three batters reached with base hits to build an early 2-0 advantage.
Bailey Ledford led the inning off with a triple to center field before scoring on a single from Liz Snider. Jadyn Pankow followed with a sharp single up the middle for an RBI and a 2-0 lead.
Kirsten McMillen added a sacrifice fly later in the inning before McDaniel wrapped the scoring with a two-strike, two-out, two-run double to right-center field to take a commanding 5-0 lead.
“It allowed us to settle into the game a little bit,” Flores said of his team’s start. “In the COC, you have to show up no matter what because any team can beat any team on any given day. … It is just about being confident in their approach and coming out aggressive, and they did that today.”
The Eagles added an insurance run in the bottom of the second inning when Pankow singled up the middle to plate Snider for a 6-0 lead.
Carl Junction got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning when Hannah Cantrell hit a chopper in front of the mound with the throw to first ending up in the right-field corner, giving Cantrell enough time to circle the bases and touch home.
Joplin added two more runs in the bottom of the third when Pankow hit a sacrifice fly to right that was followed by an RBI single through the left side from Madisyn Tracy to push the lead to 8-1.
“Anytime you are playing a COC matchup and you don’t continue to add on runs, you’re in trouble,” Flores said. “Good teams are going to capitalize on that. … It was important for us to continue to add on there.”
Joplin ended the game in the fifth inning when McMillen reached on an error that allowed two runs to score to make the score 11-1.
STATS
Joplin’s offense wracked up 11 runs on 18 hits, with every member of the starting lineup registering a base knock in the win.
“We were aggressive from the get-go, and that is what we have preached all year,” Flores said. “Today was our best output from start to finish. We were aggressive to start and we stayed aggressive through the end, and it showed on the scoreboard.”
Abby Lowery had three hits, scored twice and drove in one, while Pankow had two hits and three RBI to lead Joplin. McDaniel doubled and had two RBI as well. Tracy added two hits, scored a run and drove in one.
Dezi Williams had the lone hit for Carl Junction, while Cantrell scored the only run.
BRANSON, Mo. — Another stellar pitching performance from Jensyn Elder led the Carthage High School softball team to its fifth straight win.
A senior, Elder struck out 15 batters and gave up just one run on one hit in an outstanding complete-game effort as the Tigers earned a 4-1 win at Branson on Tuesday.
Elder, who walked three, threw a first-pitch strike to 20 of 28 batters.
Presley Probert and Natalie Rodriquez had two hits apiece for the Tigers.
Branson’s Peyton Bonsey took the loss after giving up four runs on six hits.
Carthage plated a single tally in the second after Rodriquez tripled to left and later scored on a Jordyn Jones groundout.
In a two-run sixth, Probert hit an RBI double to left and Rodriquez added a run-scoring single to center for a 3-0 lead.
Branson’s lone run came in the bottom of the sixth when Jocelyn McQueen singled and later scored on an error.
The Tigers added an insurance run in the seventh when Kate Potter’s single drove in A. Jackson.
Carthage (15-11, 5-2 COC) hosts Ozark on Thursday. Branson (7-12) is at Carl Junction on Thursday.
The Joplin High School girls tennis team sent its seniors out with a win, as the Eagles defeated Neosho 9-0 on Tuesday at the JHS courts.
The team’s seniors, Astrid Cardenas, Cloey Blank and Madi Corl, were recognized.
“Our seniors are all going to be missed,” JHS assistant coach Richard Perry said. “While we were saying goodbye to our seniors, we also got a chance to get matches for our younger girls that want to take the spots they are leaving open.”
In doubles, Joplin’s Cardenas and Emma Watts defeated Neosho’s Jasmine Martinez and Lyndsey Doke 8-0 to remain unbeaten.
“Astrid and Emma improved to 20-0 on the season in doubles tonight with a convincing win,” Perry said. “I sat them out of singles to get some of our other girls some experience and it lets them rest some before the conference tournament tomorrow.”
At No. 2 doubles, Blank and Brynn Driver beat Alexandra Olsbo and Georgia Housh 8-1, while Jadyn Elder and Alex Carson defeated Keely Keeton and Sydnee Minton 8-0 at No. 3 doubles.
“Alex and Jadyn have been playing well together all season on JV, so I wanted to see how they would do with the extra pressure,” Perry said. “And they played lights out, not dropping a single game.”
In singles, Abry Stayton defeated Martinez 8-1, Mya Ndedi-Ntepe topped Doke 8-3 and Blank beat Oslbo 8-0.
“Abry played up to No. 1 tonight and did a great job getting the win,” Perry said. “Mya had a tough start at No. 2 but she was able to pull away after getting up 4-3. Cloey and Brynn did great in both of their matches. Cloey was able to get a solid win at No. 3 which was great for her on Senior Night. Brynn played the highest spot on the team that she has ever had to at No. 4, but she handled the pressure amazingly. Madi got her first varsity singles win tonight. Zayda had a great match today, also getting her first varsity singles win tonight.”
The Central Ozark Conference tournament is slated for Wednesday at JHS.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — On the day they debuted their newly-renovated softball stadium, the Webb City Cardinals put together one of their best performances of the season.
Solid in all facets of the game, Webb City rolled to a 10-0 run-rule win over Neosho on Tuesday in a Central Ozark Conference clash.
Before Tuesday, the Cardinals had played all of their home games of the 2021 campaign at Chuck Barnes Field. They finally got to host a game at their improved facility, which features new seating options for fans, a new backstop, new dugouts and a turf infield playing surface.
“The seniors were really excited about getting back on our field,” Webb City coach Shauna Friend said. “It was great to start off with a big win here in a conference game. I think the girls were focused today and they really wanted to give their best on this new field.”
Laney Taylor delivers a pitch to the plate for Webb City on Tuesday against Neosho.
The Cardinals got the bats going in a big way, took advantage of Neosho’s miscues in the field, played nearly flawless defense and received a solid pitching performance. It all added up to a convincing win.
“I was really pleased with our offense today,” Friend said. “I think we bounced back from our last few games where we struggled a little bit offensively. Neosho’s always a tough team. We know they’re always going to give their best, so it was just a good conference win for us.”
Neosho stranded eight runners on-base and never recorded a timely hit.
“I’m very disappointed in the way we played today,” Neosho coach Catie Cummins said. “Lili Graue got on-base with no outs every time she was up to bat and we couldn’t score a run. That’s unacceptable. If you can’t score, you can’t win. We’re missing a few players due to illnesses and that’s been a challenge, but that’s not an excuse. We’ve got to be better.”
Webb City is now 11-9 overall and 4-3 in COC play. Neosho fell to 11-8 and 2-4 in conference action.
After the Wildcats stranded a pair of runners on-base in the top of the second, the Cardinals pushed across a single tally in the bottom half to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Emma Welch tripled to right field and later scored on Ripley Shanks’ infield single.
The hosts added four runs in the third. Peyton Hawkins and Hannah Wells both singled before Kaylyn Gilbert delivered a two-run double to left.
Welch added an RBI single before two runs scored on a Neosho error after Shanks laid down a bunt.
The visitors looked to be in business in the fourth, as Maddie Carpenter singled and Chloe Patterson doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out.
But Webb City pitcher Laney Taylor maneuvered out of trouble by striking out both Baylie Bowers and Tatiyana Douglas.
Webb City went up 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth after run-scoring hits from Wells and Welch.
Later in the inning, another run crossed home after a fielder’s choice off the bat of Shanks, making it 8-0.
In the top of the fifth, Neosho had runners on second and third with one out, but the Wildcats once again failed to score, as Taylor induced a pop out and a fly out to end the threat.
Webb City ended the game in the bottom of the fifth. Lauren Hicks doubled off the fence in right-center, and after an out, Dawsyn Decker’s line drive down the left field line allowed pinch-runner Sydney Strickland to score. The game-ending run came home when Wells smacked a single through the right side.
Wells drove in two runs on three hits, while Welch had three hits, two RBI and two runs scored.
Shanks had four RBI on two hits. Brannon had two doubles and scored twice, while Gilbert added a pair of hits.
Taylor was the winning pitcher. A freshman, Taylor scattered five hits, walked three and struck out three in the shutout win.
“It was a great game for Laney,” Friend said. “She works hard for her teammates.”
Neosho’s Chloe Patterson started in the circle against Webb City on Tuesday.
Neosho’s Graue went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk from the leadoff spot. Abbie Carpenter, Maddie Carpenter and Chloe Patterson had one hit apiece.
Patterson took the loss. She gave up five earned runs on seven hits and struck out four in 3 2/3 innings. Carleigh Kinnaird went the final inning, allowing two runs on five hits with one strikeout.
Three errors in the field came at inopportune times for the Wildcats.
“You can’t ask for more from our pitchers,” Cummins said. “Webb City has a good lineup, but our pitchers were getting pop-ups and ground balls and we weren’t getting outs. We have to play better defense and we have to push some runs across when we have people on-base.”
Both teams are in Class 4 District 6, so they could meet again in the postseason.
Conference action continues on Thursday for both squads, as Webb City hosts Republic and Neosho hosts Nixa.
Neosho’s Grace Johnson attempts to turn a double play after forcing out Morgan Brannon at second base during Tuesday’s game in Webb City. Photos by Jason Peake.
Webb City’s infield comes together at the start of Tuesday’s game at their newly-renovated softball stadium.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Willard gained the momentum midway through each set and never relinquished it en route to a 3-0 Central Ozark Conference volleyball victory over Webb City on Tuesday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
The Tigers defeated the Cardinals 25-17, 25-19, 25-18.
Willard improved to 14-3-1 overall and 1-1 in the COC. Webb City dropped to 12-7-1 and 1-2 in conference action.
Webb City hung tough with the Tigers early in each set, but Willard was first to 15 and 20 in all three sets.
The first set was deadlocked at nine, but Willard pulled away at 15-12 and 20-14.
Webb City was up 7-6 in the second set when the Tigers recorded six straight points.
Up five, Willard rattled off seven straight points to take control at 22-10.
In the third set, it was more of the same. The set was deadlocked at 13, but Willard finished strong, closing the set and the match on a 12-5 run.
Sophomore outside hitter Aubree Lassiter and junior outside hitter Kate Brownfield recorded eight kills apiece to lead the Cardinals.
Brenda Lawrence, Kearston Galardo and Makenzie Storm added five kills apiece.
Setter Kyah Sanborn handed out 24 assists.
Brownfield led the team with 10 digs, while Jenna Noel and Galardo added nine digs apiece.
Storm chipped in four digs, while Lawrence and Sanborn had three digs apiece. The Cardinals were without defensive specialist Sophia Crane.
Webb City hosts Branson on Thursday in another COC matchup.
The Thomas Jefferson girls tennis team defeated Lamar 7-2 on Tuesday in the regular season finale.
The Cavaliers end the regular season with a record of 9-1.
In singles play, Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding defeated Cora Pittsenbarger 8-0, Jeanna Jeyaraj beat Leah McDonald 8-0 and Kyla Yang got past Avery Bennett 8-3.
Also for the Cavaliers, Jessica Joseph topped Molly Bronson 8-3, Warda Morsy defeated Kiersten Kinney 8-4 and Emalee Ro lost to Julia Stettler 8-3.
In doubles, Ding and Jeyaraj defeated Pittsenbarger and Bennett 8-2, while Yang and Ro edged McDonald and Stettler 9-8 (7-3 tie-breaker).
Lamar’s Bronson and Kinney defeated Joseph and Warda 8-5.
The Cavaliers will compete at the individual district tournament on Friday.
