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Day: April 14, 2023

BOYS TENNIS ROUNDUP: Joplin, Neosho suffer COC setbacks

Posted on by Jason Peake

Boys tennis squads from Joplin and Neosho suffered Central Ozark Conference setbacks on Thursday. 

 

OZARK 8, JOPLIN 1

OZARK, Mo. — Joplin coach Aaron Stump noted his team continues to make positive strides.

“Last year against Ozark, we didn’t win any matches and won a total of 16 games,” Stump said. “This year, we won a match at No. 3 singles and got 42 games on their team. We’re having stronger matches as our season progresses, especially when compared to last year, and I’m proud of the development I’m seeing in our players.”

Joplin’s lone win came at No. 3 singles, where Leif Garrity defeated Nathaniel Bottarel 8-6.

“Leif had an impressive match,” Stump said. “He played long rallies on repeat, keeping the ball in play until he won the point.”

At No. 1 singles, Ozark’s Connor Kitchin defeated Adam Badr 8-5, while Stephen Metcalf topped Josiah Hazlewood 8-1 at No. 2 singles.

At No. 4 singles, Ozark’s Ethan Fast edged Hunter Merkley 8-6.

“Hunter held steady most of his match,” Stump commented. “He played some really good points and kept pace throughout the match.”

At No. 5 singles, Benjamin Romano defeated Joplin’s Roman Venturella 8-5 and Coltyn Boyer beat Chapel Braman 8-3 at No. 6 singles.

In doubles, Kitchin-Metcalf defeated Badr-Hazlewood 8-4, Bottarel-Romano beat Michael Mancipe-Merkley 8-3 and Fast-Boyer edged Garrity-Venturella 9-7.

“Our No. 3 doubles team started off strong, but lost their momentum later in the match,” Stump noted.

Joplin is at the Truman Tournament on Saturday.

 

WILLARD 9, NEOSHO 0

WILLARD, Mo. — Willard swept all six singles matches and all three doubles matches against the Wildcats.

In singles, Willard’s Caden Lingenfelser beat Christian Williams 8-0, Dawson Amstutz topped Willis Jarvis 8-2, Seth Miller beat Reid Snyder 8-3, Gabriel Hernandez defeated Peyton Williams 8-2, Christian Ryan beat Breckin McAffrey 8-3 and Jonathan Lupescu topped Noah Schade 8-0.

In doubles, Amstutz-Miller defeated C. Williams-Schade 8-0, Lingenfelser-Luke Taylor beat Jarvis-McAffrey 8-0 and Lupescu-Ryan edged Snyder-P. Williams 8-6.

Neosho (2-7) hosts Aurora on Monday and Nixa on Tuesday.

TRACK & FIELD: Wildcats, Mustangs perform well at East Newton 

Posted on by Jason Peake

GRANBY, Mo. — Neosho and McDonald County were among the schools competing at the East Newton Invitational on Thursday.

Lamar’s boys and Bolivar’s girls won the team championships. Neosho’s girls were second in the standings, while the Neosho boys finished fifth.

The McDonald County girls finished seventh and the MCHS boys were eighth. There were 11 full teams competing.

 

NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS

Leading the way for the Neosho boys, Brice Warren took second in the discus, Collyn Kivett was the runner-up in the javelin and William Ebbinghaus finished second in the 400.

Colton Burr placed third in both the 100 and 200, while Lathan Cote (long jump) and Tyrone Harris (triple jump) both finished fourth. Finishing fifth in their events were Cade Camerer (long jump), Nicolas Olivares (shot put), Harris (100) and Adam Farrell (3200).

Finishing sixth were Gabriel Mabrey (800), Levi Dennison (110 H), Konnor Payton (300 H) and Carter Baslee (discus, shot put).

The Wildcats took third in the 4×800 relay, with William Ebbinghaus, Mabrey, Corbin Ables and Carson Newell.

Neosho’s 4×100 relay team of Bentlee Farley, Michael Day, Cote and Harris finished fifth.

For the Neosho girls, Claire Burghart was the runner-up in the triple jump.

Taking third in their events were Jazmyn Washington (high jump, 100 hurdles), Kaylee Schibi (discus) and Riley Kemna (3200), while Kali House (400) and Chloe Wood (3200) finished fourth and Miranda Wennhold (long jump) and Raine Harris (100 H) earned fifth-place finishes.

Finishing sixth were Ebbinghaus (200), Kemna (1600), Washington (300 H), Harris (LJ), Wennhold (TJ) and Kinley Wilson (pole vault).

Neosho’s 4×800 relay finished third, with Wood, Burghart, Carley Lane and Kemna competing.

The team of Rylyn Moritz, Regan Weber, Kendra Clark and Madilyn Ebbinghaus finished third in the 4×200 relay. Moritz, Weber, Kali House and Ebbinghaus finished third in the 4×100 relay.

The Wildcats were fifth in the 4×400, with House, Burghart, Olivia Emery and Lane running.

 

MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS

McDonald County’s Toby Moore placed third in the shot put and fourth in the discus, while Caleb Garvin finished third in the 3200 and Andrew Moritz took fourth in the javelin.

The Mustangs finished fifth in the 4×200 relay, with Eli Jordan, Samuel Barton, Julio Rosiles and Aidrian Short competing.

Mac County was also fifth in the 4×400, with Dominic Cervantes, Jordan, Short and Hunter Leach running.

The McDonald County girls won the 4×400 relay in 4:23, with Clara Horton, Corina Holland, Ireona Nirka and Anna Price competing.

Anissa Ramirez and Analisa Ramirez finished second and fourth, respectively, in the javelin.

Savannah Leib (high jump), Lacey Nix (pole vault), Malia Diaz (shot put) and Holland (200) all finished fourth in their respective events, while Dallie Racher was fifth in the 400. Taking sixth were Price (800) and Gia Coffel (HJ).

 

LOCAL EVENT WINNERS

Local event winners in the boys meet were Aurora’s Daunte Floyd (high jump), Lamar’s Ian Ngugi (100, 400), Terrill Davis (long jump) and Cameron Sturgell (javelin), East Newton’s Chase Sorrell (800, 1600), River Enlow (triple jump) and Dominic Shaw (shot put), Jasper’s Noah Neher (discus) and Mitchel Avalos (200) and Diamond’s Zachary Roughton (110 H, 300 H).

Local event winners in the girls meet were Jasper’s Crystal Smith (high jump, 100 H, 300 H, 200), Cassville’s Annie Moore (pole vault), Aurora’s Makena Hall (long jump), Mount Vernon’s Nina Cowherd (100) and Lamar’s Kiersten Potter (1600, 3200).

 

East Newton Invitational

Boys team scores: Lamar 114.5, Bolivar 101, Cassville 85, East Newton 68, Neosho 67, Jasper 40, Aurora 39, McDonald County 26, Diamond 24, Pierce City 16, Mount Vernon 8.5.

Girls team scores: Bolivar 149, Neosho 68.33, Cassville 60, Mount Vernon 58, Lamar 55, Aurora 53.33, McDonald County 44.33, Jasper 43, Pierce City 38, East Newton 18, Diamond 2.

SOFTBALL: College Heights beats Verona

Posted on by Lucas Davis

College Heights (with McAuley) scored in every frame on the way to an 13-0 five-inning win over Verona in Ozark 7 action on Thursday.

The Cougars improved 7-0 after scoring three runs in the first, a run in the second, two in the third and seven more in fourth to put the game away.

Maddy Colin was dominant in the circle, allowing one hit and striking out 14 in the five-inning complete-game win.

Jayli Johnson had three hits, two RBI and scored twice to lead College Heights at the plate. Kloee Williamson had a hit, scored twice and drove in one. Colin had a hit and two RBI, while Aaliyah Perez had a hit, scored one and drove in three. Allie Stout doubled to go along with an RBI and a run scored. Kallie Spencer had a hit, two RBI and a run scored, while Emma Angel and Avery Shumaker each had a hit and combined for four runs scored.

College Heights takes part in the Conway Tournament this weekend.

 

BASEBALL: College Heights routs Verona in run-rule fashion

Posted on by Jason Peake

The College Heights Christian Cougars scored at least one run every inning during their 11-1 run-rule victory in five innings Thursday against Ozark 7 Conference opponent Verona.

The Cougars plated five runs in the first, one in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth, and two in the fifth to end it on a Ben Thomas RBI single bringing home Kelton Welch from third, while Verona scored one in the fourth on a Kayden Cornelison single.

Sophomore pitcher Smoke Ezell claimed the win with one run (earned) allowed on six hits over five innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. Meanwhile, at the plate, Ezell collected two hits, both doubles, and drove in two runs during a big day overall for College Heights’ normally starting catcher.

The Cougars have won three of their last four games and they scored 40 runs over that stretch with three 10-run performances, including 12 runs in a 14-12 loss against Pierce City.

Unlike an earlier game on April 4, when College Heights won 11-5 against conference and crosstown rival McAuley Catholic, the Cougars maintained a scoring pace for the entire game and earned the run-rule victory rather than having to play all seven innings.

“We started off fast with the bats and I felt like we hit the ball hard tonight and put the pressure on Verona,” College Heights coach Phillip Jordan said. “They made a few mistakes, and we were able to take advantage. Then, our pitcher Smoke did a really nice job of just being efficient and staying in the strike zone. Unlike the way that we had played the last few games, defensively we played really well. Of course, that makes a big difference.”

College Heights improved to 4-5 overall and the Cougars won both of their games this week, following Monday’s 6-4 win over Miller at historic Joe Becker Stadium. Miller was ninth in Class 2 in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings released April 4.

“We were 2-0 this week, and you can’t ask for a better week when you win all your games,” Jordan said. “We still have a lot to play and we’re not going to be satisfied. We’re still working to get better, and we know that we have got some tough ones next week.”

College Heights returns to action Monday on the road against Lockwood and the Cougars also play Liberal on the road Thursday and Billings on the road Saturday. In fact, with Mount Vernon and Riverton next week also on the road, College Heights could play five consecutive road games.

On Thursday, Austin Miller joined Ezell with two hits and Jayce Walker, Josh Anderson, Kelton Welch, Caleb Evans, Thomas, and Phillip Thompson each had one.

Anderson and Welch each scored two runs and Evans and Thomas each drove in two, while Anderson, Miller, and Thompson each picked up one RBI.

Anderson, Welch, and Miller each stole two bases and Walker, Evans, and Thomas had steals as College Heights finished with nine for the game.

College Heights also worked five walks and was hit by three pitches from Verona pitchers Asher Freiburger and Cornelison.

Cornelison led Verona with two hits and Westin Shrum, Noah Freiburger, Alced Jimenez, and Tristan Reed rounded out Verona’s six-hit attack with one each.

BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Seneca beats Cassville; Neosho, CJ and Carthage take losses

Posted on by Lucas Davis

SENECA 3, CASSVILLE 0

SENECA, Mo. — Seneca scored three runs in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie on the way to a win over Cassville in Big 8 West action. 

Lincoln Renfro led off the sixth inning with a single to right and later came around to score later in the inning with Kade Johnson, who was hit by a pitch with one out, on a Cassville error. A third run came home on a wild pitch later in the frame.

Drew Sherwood earned the win after pitching 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball, scattering three hits and striking out 10.

Evan Butler took the loss after allowing three unearned runs on four hits, a walk and five strikeouts in six innings.

Sherwood, Renfro, Johnson, Colton Curtis, Hagen Ginger and Cade Galindo had hits for the Indians (9-7). Renfro, Johnson and Curtis scored runs.

Seneca is at Galena on Monday.

 

OZARK 8, NEOSHO 1

NEOSHO, Mo. — Ozark hung crooked numbers up on the scoreboard early to build a lead and added another late to pull away from Neosho in Central Ozark Conference action on Thursday.

Ozark started the game with two runs scoring in the first and second innings to build a four-run cushion. 

Neosho reached the scoreboard in the third with a single tally on an RBI single from Wyatt Shadwick.

Ozark added insurance in the fifth before scoring three more times in the sixth to put the game away.

 

WILLARD 10, CARL JUNCTION 5

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Willard scored four runs in the second inning to build a lead and held off Carl Junction for a Central Ozark Conference win

With the Tigers up four runs, Willard (9-6, 2-1 COC) and CJ (5-8, 1-2 COC) traded two runs in the third and single tallies in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Willard added a run in the seventh.

Kaelin Adams earned the win after allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits, a walk and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Lucas Vanlanduit took the loss after allowing seven runs, six earned, on six hits, four walks and five strikeouts in four innings.

Cooper Wilken doubled on the way to three hits, three RBI and a run scored to lead Willard at the plate.

Logan Eck had two hits for CJ, while Bentley Rowden doubled and drove in two. Vanlanduit added a triple at the plate.

Carl Junction is at Parkview on Friday.

 

BRANSON 11, CARTHAGE 0

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Branson scored three times in the first inning, twice in the fourth and six times in the fifth en route to a five-inning win over Carthage on Thursday.

Collin Ross earned the win after pitching a complete-game shutout on four hits, a walk and five strikeouts.

Nolan Brown took the loss after allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on nine hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings.

Hunter Jones homered and doubled on the way to four RBI and two runs scored for Branson (7-11, 1-1).

Taylor Stevens-Diggs had two hits to lead Carthage (3-12, 0-3 COC) at the plate.

Carthage hosts Kickapoo on Tuesday.

 

MCDONALD COUNTY 3, LAMAR 1

McDonald County defeated Lamar in Big 8 West action on Thursday. No other information was made available.

BASEBALL: Nixa pulls away from Joplin in COC action

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Nixa took advantage of several miscues in the field by shorthanded Joplin before pulling away late for a 13-5 win in Central Ozark Conference action on Thursday.

Nixa (14-1, 3-0 COC) scored three early runs to take the advantage before Joplin (4-10, 1-2 COC) rallied to tie the game at 3s by the end of the third inning. Nixa answered back with three more runs in the fourth to regain the momentum before adding two runs in the fifth and five more in the seventh on the way to the conference win.

In total, Joplin committed five errors in the loss, with five of Nixa’s 13 runs being unearned.

“We had some guys in some unaccustomed positions and some guys making their first varsity start,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “But, at the end of the day, baseball is baseball and we talked about that after the game. You still have to catch it, you still have to throw it and you still have to hit it. We had opportunities to make plays early and not give up some runs, so hopefully that is a learning experience for those guys involved—when you have a routine play to make, you have to make it.

“I hate that the game got away from us at the end with the grand slam because I thought for six innings, we did some good things. We competed well, and given the circumstances, it would have been easy for us to go out there and lay down. I thought we competed well, played hard and did some things we could build on. We just have to stop taking one step forward and two steps back.” 

Ethan Taylor earned the win for Nixa after allowing four runs on five hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in five innings.

Alex Isbell took the loss for Joplin after surrendering eight runs, three earned, on seven hits, two walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

“I thought Alex threw really well against a very good hitting team,” Wolf said. “Those guys have put up a lot of runs against some really good pitchers. I thought Alex competed in the zone well and gave us an opportunity.”

Nixa scored an unearned run in the top of the first after Rylan Michel reached on an error before being driven to third on a double to left by Caeden Cloud. Michel scored later on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Edwards.

Nixa went up 3-0 in the second inning after an unearned run came home on an RBI double from Gehrig Eoff, who moved to third on the throw home before scoring in the next at-bat on a groundout from Collin Ussery.

Joplin rallied in the bottom of the second after a run scored on an infield hit from Braxon Gough to trim the deficit to 3-1.

In the next inning, Joplin plated a pair of runs to tie the game. Layten Copher, in his second game back from injury, roped a ball to the gap in left-center to drive home a run. 

“Layten did a very good job of staying within himself and getting the barrel to the baseball,” Wolf said. “He is capable of spraying line drives around the field for doubles and triples. … That was fun to see.”

Two batters later, Jackson Queen singled to right-center with two outs to bring home the run and tie the game at 3-3.

A pair of Joplin errors early in the top of the fifth set Nixa up for what turned out to be a three-run inning. With a runner on third and one out, Nixa used an RBI single from Wyatt Vincent before an RBI ground-rule double by Michel pushed the lead to 5-3. Nixa added a two-out run when Edwards singled past third base to make the score 6-3.

Nixa added a run on a Joplin error before scoring on a wild pitch later in the inning to go up 8-3.

Joplin added a run on a wild pitch in the last of the fifth to cut the lead to four, 8-4, before Nixa added five runs in the seventh highlighted by a grand slam by Edwards.

Copher added another RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to wrap Joplin’s scoring.

Michel had two hits, three runs scored and an RBI, while Edwards had two hits, including a grand slam, to go alone with six RBI.

Byler Reither had three hits and scored three runs for Joplin, while Copher doubled twice to go along with two RBI and a run scored. 

THROWBACK

Joplin hosts a throwback day against Pittsburg, Kansas, at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Joe Becker Stadium to wrap the city’s sesquicentennial celebration. The Eagles will be wearing Joplin Miners uniforms, with the Dragons decked out in Pittsburg Coal Diggers uniforms. 

“It’s a cool day,” Wolf said. “Even though we are the home team, we are playing at Joe Becker and it feels like a different place. With all of the festivities going on, it will be a cool day. If you don’t have much going on, get out to the ballpark because there will be a lot of baseball.” 

BASEBALL: Darnell’s clutch hit lifts Webb City to walk-off win

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Kaylor Darnell came through in the clutch for the Webb City Cardinals.

With his team trailing by a run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Darnell slapped a two-run single through the right side, propelling Webb City to a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win over the Republic Tigers on Thursday at Chuck Barnes Field.

Facing a 2-2 count with the bases loaded, Darnell was down his last strike before he delivered the game-ending hit.

“In my earlier at-bats, I was just barely missing his curveball,” Darnell said. “Going into that last at-bat, and with a 2-2 count, I knew a curveball was coming. I knew I just needed to stay on it and slap it to right.”

Darnell’s base hit into right put the finishing touches on a well-played game, and of course, it set off a celebration on the field for the hosts.

“It was awesome,” Darnell said of delivering a walk-off win. “I rounded first base and saw the second guy score. Then I saw my teammates running at me…I was trying not to get tackled. But it was awesome. It’s what baseball is all about.” 

Webb City senior third baseman Kaylor Darnell delivered the game-winning hit against Republic on Thursday night at Chuck Barnes Field. Photo by Israel Perez.

Webb City improved to 9-6 overall and 3-0 in the Central Ozark Conference after the come-from-behind win.

“Republic’s a really good team, so it’s always good to get a win over a good, quality team like them,” Webb City coach Andrew Doennig said. “Starting 3-0 in the conference is big. We know that no game in the COC is easy. We’ll take every one we can get.”

Webb City had defeated Republic 13-7 on April 1 at the Red and Blue Tournament.

The rematch featured a lot less offense, as Webb City’s Landon Fletcher and Republic’s Caide White allowed just six hits apiece in the classic pitcher’s duel.

The Cardinals pushed across a single tally in the bottom of the third. Senior center fielder Gage Chapman walked, went to second on a wild pitch and then sprinted home on junior second baseman Sam Weller’s run-scoring single into left field.

Republic tied it up in the fifth after two singles and a sacrifice fly from Collin Myers.

The score held up until the top of the seventh, when the Tigers plated the go-ahead run after Connor Sandridge doubled to left-center and later scored on Devon Hughes’ RBI single to center.

Down 2-1 as the bottom of the seventh arrived, Webb City’s first two batters of the inning were retired. With that, things weren’t looking good for the hosts.

But the Cardinals rallied. Senior shortstop Cy Darnell singled to right before Weller reached on the game’s lone error and junior catcher Shaun Hunt drew a walk to load the bases.

With the tying run at third, and the winning run at second, that’s when Kaylor Darnell came up big, sending the hosts and their fans home happy. 

“You just have to put the ball in play and see if you can make something happen,” Doennig said of the late-game scenario. “We’ve been in that situation a couple of times this year, and we couldn’t get the guy in to win it. So it was a great job by Kaylor. He’s a patient kid. He put the ball in play and drove in those runs.” 

A sophomore right-hander, Fletcher earned the pitching victory. He scattered six hits, walked none and struck out nine in a masterful performance on the mound.

“He just pounds the strike zone,” Doennig said. “That’s what we’ve seen from him all season. He doesn’t walk guys. They didn’t get a hit against him until the fifth on a chopper over his head. It was just a great job by him.

“We pitched it well and played good defense today,” Doennig added. “When you do that, you’re always going to have a chance to win.” 

Republic’s White took the loss, but only allowed one earned run on six hits and three walks while striking out eight.

Webb City junior right fielder Drew Vonder Haar went 2-for-3 at the plate and was the lone Cardinal to have multiple hits.

The Tigers, who were coming off a 15-5 win over Willard on Tuesday, fell to 7-7 overall and 1-1 in the COC.

Webb City hosts Hillcrest at 4:30 on Friday for a non-conference clash.

 

Webb City senior shortstop Cy Darnell fires a throw to first during Thursday’s game against Republic at Chuck Barnes Field. Webb City won the game 3-2. Photo by Israel Perez.

 

Webb City first baseman Kenley Hood takes a throw from Landon Fletcher against Republic’s Connor Sandridge on Thursday at Chuck Barnes Field.

 

Webb City sophomore right-hander Landon Fletcher was the winning pitcher against Republic on Thursday. Fletcher struck out nine and scattered six hits in a complete-game gem. Photos by Israel Perez.

 

Webb City rallied in the seventh inning to beat Republic 3-2 on Thursday.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

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