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Day: April 6, 2022

BOYS TENNIS ROUNDUP: Thomas Jefferson remains undefeated; Carthage beats Carl Junction; Neosho suffers setback

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON 9, MONETT 0

With their fifth clean sweep of the spring, the Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers remained undefeated by beating Monett 9-0 on Tuesday at the TJ courts.

In singles, Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding defeated Ethan Kutz 8-1, Prithvi Nagarajan beat Jackson Young 8-1 and Tyler Brouhard topped Elijah Ridenour 8-0.

Also, Lala Qian beat Heisman Welch 8-1, Hari Nagarajan defeated Logan Kutz 8-1 and Devan Murali handled Caden Szydloski 8-0.

In doubles, Ding-Brouhard beat E. Kutz-Welch 8-1, P. Nagarajan-Qian defeated Young-L.Kutz 8-0 and H. Nagarajan-Murali topped Ridenour-Szydloski 8-1.

The Cavaliers (5-0) will host the Thomas Jefferson Invitational on Friday, with matches scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

Cavaliers coach Tom Brumfield noted the doubles matches will be played at the TJ courts, while the singles matches will be held at Millennium Family Fitness.

 

CARTHAGE 8, CARL JUNCTION 1

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage topped Carl Junction 8-1 on Tuesday in a boys tennis matchup at the CHS courts.

At No. 1 singles, Carl Junction’s Blaine Wilkerson defeated Charles Snow 8-4 for the Bulldogs’ lone win.

Carthage won the other five singles matches, as Silas Laytham defeated Dan Hodson 8-2, Danilo Lopez-Gramajo edged Ben Morey 9-7, Tyler Howard topped Cameron Ball 8-2, Will Wallace defeated Jayden Wolf 8-0 and Rolman Paxtor-Elias beat Sam Cory 8-0.

At No. 1 doubles, Carthage’s Snow-Laytham beat Wilkerson-Hodson 8-4. 

Carthage’s Lopez-Gramajo and Wallace won the No. 2 doubles match 8-2 over Morey-Ball.

Carthage’s Howard and Eli Scott defeated Wolf-Cory 8-0 at No. 3 doubles. 

Carthage (1-1) hosts Nixa on Thursday. 

Carl Junction (0-2) hosts Republic on Thursday. 

 

REPUBLIC 9, NEOSHO 0

NEOSHO, Mo. — The Neosho High School boys tennis team suffered a 9-0 setback to Republic on Tuesday. 

In singles matches, Republic’s Braden Snyder beat Christian Williams 8-0, Garrett Carpenter topped Ryno Lee 8-1, Chase Elder defeated Chandler Weber 8-0, Markus Mitchell beat Peyton Williams 8-2, Curtis Fair topped Jacob Leibham 8-2 and Bryce Martin defeated Wesley Williams 8-0.

In doubles play, Snyder-Mitchell beat C. Williams-Lee 8-1, while Carpenter-Elder defeated Weber-P. Williams 8-2 and Fair-Martin topped Leibham-W. Williams 8-1.

Neosho (0-2) is at Mount Vernon on Wednesday. 

TRACK & FIELD: College Heights athletes compete at Reeds Spring

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

REEDS SPRING, Mo. — The College Heights Christian track and field team competed at the Reeds Spring Invitational on Tuesday.

For the College Heights boys, Colsen Dickens finished third in the 400-meter run with a time of 54.09 seconds and Ethan Ukena took fourth in the triple jump (39-1).

Caleb Quade finished seventh in both the 800 and the high jump, while Matt Williams placed eighth in the 100 and Jace Edwards took eighth in the 3200.

The Cougars placed third in the 4×400 relay, fifth in the 4×100 relay, fifth in the 4×200 and seventh in the 4×800.

The CHC girls did not have a full squad competing.

Lauren Ukena finished sixth in the 300-meter hurdles and seventh in the 200.

The Cougars finished sixth in the 4×800 relay.

BOYS TENNIS: Webb City spoils Joplin’s season opener

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Webb City spoiled Joplin’s 2022 boys tennis opener, as the Cardinals defeated the Eagles 7-2 on Tuesday at the JHS athletic complex, 

Webb City swept the three doubles matches to start the dual. 

“With this being our opening contest, it’s the first time any of our doubles teams have competed together in a match,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump told SoMo Sports. “They had a slow start, but they are learning to communicate and will get better with experience.”

Webb City’s Jacob McDonald and Christian Alberts edged Joplin’s Joseph Graham and Adam Badr 8-6 at No. 1 doubles.

At No. 2 doubles, Webb City’s Trevor Peterson and Brett Thompson earned an 8-5 win over Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley.

Felipe Perez and Tristan Lynch defeated Joplin’s Josiah Hazlewood and Aidan Kester 8-2 at No. 3 doubles.

The Cardinals won four of the six singles matches.

At No. 1 singles, Webb City’s McDonald defeated Joplin’s Graham 8-5.

“Joseph has shown that he will be a great player for our team this season,” Stump said. “He has experience in tennis, even though he is a freshman, and his experience is apparent in his play. He had a lot of strong shots, and I expect him to gain more consistency with those shots with more match play.”

Joplin’s Badr earned an 8-6 win over Alberts at No. 2 singles. 

“Adam and Christian were closely matched,” Stump noted. “They reached deuce many times throughout the match. This was a great start for Adam’s high school tennis career. He reached the No. 2 rank in his first as a tennis player.”

In a back and forth clash, Mancipe edged Peterson 9-8 (9-7 tie-breaker) at No. 3 singles for Joplin’s other singles victory.

“Michael is our top returning player this year,” Stump said. “He ranked at No. 5 on the team last year and has continued to improve. He fought hard to win his first singles match of the season. He and Trevor had some of the longest rallies of the night and played a close match.”

Webb City’s Thompson won the No. 4 singles match 8-4 over Hazlewood.

“Josiah is also new to tennis this season,” Stump commented. “He played well enough during our pre-season challenge matches to reach No. 4 on the team.”

At No. 5 singles, Webb City’s Perez beat Merkley 8-4.

“Hunter was our No. 7 player last year,” Stump said. “He continues to improve and played a competitive match.”

Webb City’s Lynch defeated Kester 8-2 at No. 6 singles. 

“Aidan played at No. 8 last year,” Stump said. “He put in time playing tennis in the offseason and will continue to develop into a stronger player as the season progresses.”

Joplin hosts Branson on Thursday, while Webb City hosts Ozark on Thursday.

 

PREP ROUNDUP: Joplin soccer blanks Pittsburg; CHC softball beats Lamar; CHC baseball defeats McAuley

Posted on by Lucas Davis

JOPLIN GIRLS SOCCER 4, PITTSBURG 0

Ella Hafer scored three goals in the first half to lead Joplin girls soccer to a win over Pittsburg on Tuesday.

The Eagles scored four first-half goals total on the way to the victory over the Dragons, hiking their record to 2-0 on the season. Joplin had 28 shots on goal to Pittsburg’s three. Sophia Schwartz had one save in goal for the Eagles, while Serafina Auberry had a pair of saves in the win.

Hafer broke the scoring with a goal at the 10-minute mark on the assist from Paisley Parker for a 1-0 advantage. 

Joplin went up 2-0 in the 12th minute when Emily Delman scored an unassisted goal of a deflection from a corner kick.

Hafer found the back of the net again in the 16th minute off another assist by Parker before Hafer wrapped the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 21st minute of play.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS SOFTBALL 8, LAMAR 1

College Heights scored three runs in the first inning to take the lead and added to it on the way to the win over Lamar on Tuesday.

The Tigers crossed home once in the top of the first inning before the Cougars answered with three of their own. College Heights scored twice in the third and added three runs in the sixth inning to pave the way to victory.

Maddy Colin earned the complete-game win after allowing one unearned run on three hits and eight strikeouts in seven innings.

Lilly Weber took the loss after allowing eight runs, six earned, on 14 hits, four walks and six strikeouts in six innings.

Kloee Williamson singled home a run in the first to tie the game at 1-1 before an RBI double from Addie Lawrence gave CHC a 2-1 advantage. Aaliyah Perez wrapped the scoring with an RBI single to right field.

Jayli Johnson doubled home two runs in the bottom of the third inning to push the lead to 5-1.

Lawrence doubled home a run to center field to start the sixth-inning scoring, while Perez singled home a run two batters later. Colin came in to score on a wild pitch later in the inning.

Lawrence doubled twice, scored twice and drove in two. Johnson had three hits, including a double, drove in two and scored once. Williamson had two hits, including a double, scored twice and drove in one. Perez had two hits and two RBI, while Colin doubled on the way to two hits and a run scored.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS BASEBALL 15, MCAULEY 0 (3 INNINGS)

College Heights scored 15 runs in the first three innings on the way to a win over McAuley on Tuesday.

The Cougars scored eight times in the first inning before plating two runs in the second and five more in the fifth frame.

Ben Thomas earned the win after blanking McAuley over three innings on two hits, a walk and three strikeouts.

Kable Reichardt took the loss after allowing 15 runs, 10 earned, on six hits, seven walks and three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.

Smoke Ezell had two hits and drove in a run for CHC. Jayce Walker had a hit, three RBI and scored three times. Thomas and Kelton Welch each had a hit and drove in one. Welch scored twice and Thomas once. 

Michael Parrigon and Reichardt had hits for McAuley in the loss.

BASEBALL: Joplin’s patience pays off in win over No. 1 Springfield Catholic

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Joplin’s patience at the plate paid off on Thursday as the Eagles used a seven-run third inning to fuel a 12-2 win in five innings over Class 3 No. 1 Springfield Catholic on Tuesday at the JHS Athletic Complex.

The Fighting Irish (4-4) pushed across a run in the top of the first to take the initial lead before the Eagles vaulted out in front with seven runs touching home in the bottom of the third inning thanks to six walks drawn in the frame. Joplin ended the game early via run-rule with a five-run fifth inning.

“I thought we were good on the mound,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “Justin (McReynolds) really filled it up and did a good job of changing speeds. They hit some balls hard, but I thought we did a good job of tracking it. … Our approach at the plate—sometimes it’s not what you do, it’s what you don’t do. We were on time with our takes and ready to hit, but we didn’t chase a lot and I think they got a little frustrated and we were able to turn it into a big inning.” 

With the Eagles’ third straight win, Joplin climbs back to .500 with a 5-5 record.

ON THE MOUND

McReynolds earned the complete-game win after surrendering two runs, one earned, on five hits and four strikeouts in five innings of work.

Coleman Morrison, a Missouri recruit, took the loss after allowing six runs on three hits, five walks and five strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. Cole Schoen allowed three runs on one hit, five walks and a punchout in two relief innings. Weston Cline gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in 1/3 of an inning.

GAME ACTION

Springfield Catholic got on the scoreboard in the first inning after Jack Schoen doubled with one out before coming around to score on a wild pitch later in the frame for a 1-0 lead.

Joplin had a chance to answer back in the last half of the inning after Bodee Carlson led off with a triple right-center field. Unfortunately for the Eagles, who eventually loaded the bases, that was the only contact made in the opening frame as the final out was made without Carlson scoring.

Joplin used a single from Brady Mails, a hit-by-pitch by Kyler Stokes and a single from Ethan Guilford to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the third. The Eagles proceeded to draw six straight walks with the bases loaded to take a 6-1 lead. Mails picked up another RBI later in the frame with a groundout to wrap the inning with Joplin leading 7-1.

“We took what was available,” Wolf said of his team’s approach at the plate. “We talk all the time about not doing too much. Guys were patient and that is a big situation that will force some guys to expand the zone, but we didn’t. We took our 90 feet when they gave it to us. It was a good job by our guys.”

The Fighting Irish pushed a run across in the top of the fourth after back to back doubles from Ben Smith and Morrison to cut the lead to 7-2.

The Eagles added insurance in the bottom of the fifth, with five runs touching home on three hits to balloon the lead to nine, 12-2. 

Stokes got the scoring started with a two-run single with the bases loaded before Layten Copher singled home two more runs with a ground ball up the middle. Tyler Schumann ended the game an at-bat later with a double to right field to plate McReynolds.

“That is what I was waiting to see,” Wolf said. “It was a great job being patient in the third inning but at the same time, let’s be ready to hit. I thought we did a good job of that in the fifth inning—smelling a little blood in the water and going up there ready to hit. I was proud of our guys for competing today and getting after it.”

AT THE PLATE

Guilford had two hits, two walks and scored two runs, while Carlson tripled, walked twice and finished with an RBI and a run scored. Copher had a hit, three RBI, walked and scored a run. Stokes had a hit, two RBI and scored a run, with Schumann adding a hit and two RBI.

Morrison doubled and drove in a run to lead Springfield Catholic.

ON DECK

Joplin hosts Webb City in Central Ozark Conference action on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Complex.

BASEBALL: Helm’s clutch hit gives McDonald County walk-off win over Webb City

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

ANDERSON, Mo. — Levi Helm came through in the clutch for the McDonald County Mustangs.

Helm delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift McDonald County to a 2-1 win over Webb City on Tuesday in a non-conference prep baseball clash between state-ranked district opponents.

Webb City (6-5) entered the day ranked sixth in Class 5, with McDonald County (7-3) ranked eighth. 

In a game that featured just five combined hits, the Mustangs trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. 

Webb City’s Walker Sweet struck out the first two batters of the frame before Cole Martin was hit by a pitch and Weston Gordon doubled to left, putting runners on second and third. 

A senior, Helm smacked a 1-1 pitch into center field, allowing the tying and winning runs to score. 

Helm was also the winning pitcher. He went the distance, limiting the Cardinals to one run on two hits while striking out four. 

Isaac Behm, Gordon and Helm had the lone hits for the Mustangs, while Eric Fitch and William Hayes had Webb City’s hits. 

Sweet took the loss for Webb City after giving up two runs on three hits while striking out four in 2 1/3 innings.

Webb City starting pitcher Cooper Crouch didn’t allow a hit in 4 1/3 innings. Crouch walked four, hit one and struck out five. He left after consecutive free passes in the bottom of the fifth. 

After the Mustangs stranded two in scoring position in the bottom of the third, the Cardinals got on the board in the top of the fourth.

Fitch singled to left to start things off before Cy Darnell reached on an error. After Jeremiah Leaming moved the runners over, Kenley Hood’s RBI groundout gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. 

The Mustangs loaded the bases with one out in the fifth after Fisher Sanny and Colton Ruddick walked and Martin was hit by a pitch.

Sweet struck out Gordon and then induced an inning-ending pop out off the bat of Helm to end the threat. 

The Cardinals got the leadoff man on in the sixth, as Hayes singled. But he was picked off first base. 

The hosts had two on and one out in the sixth, but the Mustangs failed to score.

The visitors went down in order in the top of the seventh before the Mustangs rallied. 

Webb City is at Joplin on Thursday, while McDonald County hosts Jay (Okla.) on Thursday. 

 

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