NIXA, Mo. — Joplin’s Ian Horton and Chance Tindall finished first and second in the boys race at the 29th Central Ozark Conference Cross Country Championships on Tuesday at Inman Intermediate School.
A senior, Horton crossed the line at 15 minutes, 28 seconds to claim medalist honors. A junior, Tindall was the COC runner-up in 15:34.
Nixa’s Aaron Ashley finished third in 15:48 and Webb City’s Evan Stevens placed fourth in 15:55.
Joplin had three runners finish in the top seven, as junior Grey Edwards placed seventh in 16:03.
Webb City’s Mason Hedger (16:24) and Spencer Kendall (16:29) finished 10th and 12th.
Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson finished 15th, while Webb City’s duo of Noah Lankard and Andrew Dawson were 16th and 17th, respectively.
Carl Junction’s Isaac Willoughby placed 19th, Carthage’s Eddy Fuentes was 20th and Carl Junction’s Luke Battagler took 25th.
Neosho’s Adam Farrell finished 28th, Webb City’s Fenton Rice placed 29th, Joplin’s Aidan Koch was 30th, Carthage’s Javen Byrd took 31st and Joplin’s Brady Honeycutt placed 33rd.
With five runners in the top nine, Nixa won the boys team championship with 31 points. Webb City took second with 59 points and Joplin was third with 73.
GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s girls finished third in the team standings with 73 points. Ozark (48) and Nixa (57) were the top two teams.
Republic’s Gracie Troester was the medalist in 18:28 and Ozark’s Ellsie Estes was second in 19:10. Nixa’s Mackinzie Harris took third in 19:14 and Republic’s Kristin Probst took fourth in 19:36.
Joplin’s Katherine Schaefer placed fifth with a time of 19:36 and Webb City’s Brooke Hedger was sixth in 19:53.
Webb City’s Amelia Antillon finished 10th in 20:24, while Carthage’s Maggie Boyd took 13th in 20:30.
Joplin’s duo of Averi Burks (20:41.3) and Kyrie Britton (20:41.7) finished 15th and 16th, while Webb City’s trio of Emma McKinzie (21:02), Olivia Klotz (21:09) and Emily Countryman (21:19) placed 18th, 19th and 20th.
Carl Junction’s Audrey Fletcher finished 25th, Joplin’s Mia Grubbs was 26th and CJ’s Madilyn Dalton took 28th.
Carthage’s Jennifer Rodas-Gomez finished 31st, Joplin’s Meridyth Mai was 32nd, Carl Junction’s Delaney Harris took 33rd, Webb City’s Rachel Miller was 34th and Joplin’s Annabelle Rutledge finished 35th.
Carthage’s duo of Genesis Fuentes-Elias and Katy Witherspoon placed 36th and 37th, while their teammates Kimberly Monterroso and Jenna Wilson were 39th and 40th.
CENTRAL OZARK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Girls team standings: Ozark 48, Nixa 57, Webb City 73, Republic 85, Joplin 94, Carthage 156, Carl Junction 180, Branson 229.
Boys team standings: Nixa 31, Webb City 59, Joplin 73, Willard 151, Ozark 158, Carl Junction 161, Branson 167, Republic 201, Carthage 204, Neosho 253.
Girls state golf wrapped up with the final round of the two-day tournaments on Tuesday.
Several of the Joplin area schools had athletes competing in their respective tournaments.
CLASS 4
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Carthage’s Shay Gaddis followed up her opening-round 83 with a second-round 84 to finish in 32nd place with a score of 167 at the Class 4 state tournament at Silo Ridge Country Club on Tuesday.
Also for the Tigers, Addison Foust improved by nine strokes and shot an 83 in the second round to close with a 173 in 46th place.
Also in action at Silo Ridge, Joplin’s Scarlett Satterlee shot a second-round 100 to finish with a score of 195 to finish in 74th.
Joplin’s Drew Yockey carded a 103-131—201 and finished in 82nd place.
Glendale’s Page Bowman shot a 75-73—148 and Central’s Ali Perry shot a 74-74—148 to finish in a tie for first place in the individual standings.
Visitation Academy won the team title with a 326-312—638 to win the team title.
CLASS 3
FARMINGTON, Mo. — After coming out and firing an opening-round 67 to take a one stroke lead into the second day of the Class 3 state tournament at Crowne Point Golf Club, Nevada’s Emree Cameron refused to take her foot off the gas on her way to medalist honors as the tournament wrapped on Tuesday.
Cameron equaled her score from Monday with a second-round 67 to finish with a 134, taking first place by seven strokes.
Nevada coach Brian Leonard told SoMo Sports that Cameron set a state record for a 36-hole total with her 10-under par 134. Leonard noted that Cameron is Nevada High School’s first-ever state champion in girls golf.
Also for Nevada, Paige Hertzberg finished with a 96-94—190 to finish in 71st place.
Carl Junction’s Olivia Teeter finished in 72nd place after shooting eight shots better in the second round with a 92 to finish with a 192 for the tournament.
Anna Burch was 17 strokes better on Tuesday and finished with a second-round 90 to shoot a 197 and finish in 79th.
Webb City’s Avry Hodson shot a 101 on Tuesday to go along with 98 on Monday to finish with a 199 in 82nd place.
St. Dominic won the team title with a 332-318—650.
CLASS 2
Cassville’s Avery Chappell was the top area finisher in the Class 2 state tournament at the Twin Hills Golf and Country club in Joplin.
Chappell matched her Monday score with a second-round 85 to finish with a 170 and in sixth place.
Mount Vernon’s Madi Phillips finished in a tie for 13th place after scoring a 94-87—181, while Kenadi Killingsworth also matched her Monday score with a 92 on Tuesday to finish with a 184 in 18th place.
Monett’s Katie Geiss shot a 99 in the second round to finish in 21st place with a score of 192. Lamar’s Victoria O’Neal finished 33rd with a 101-99–200.
Emily Schubert scored a 100-105—205 for the Mountaineers to finish in 42nd, while Courtnee Bishop (102-125—227) finished in 69th for Mount Vernon.
Cassville’s Adelee Hendricks was one shot behind with a 112 on Tuesday to take 70th with a score of 228, while Gracie Harmon shot a 110 in the second round to finish in 71st with a 229. Madison Robertshaw finished 78th with a 113-123—236.
Lamar’s Zavrie Wiss carded a 105-102— 207 to finish in a tie for 46th.
Osage, which won the team title with a score of 352-352—704, also had the top golfer in Hanna Maschhoff, who earned medalist honors after scoring a 79-74—153 to take first place on the individual leaderboard.
NEVADA, Mo. — An old adage says it’s always tough to beat the same team three times in one season.
As difficult as it may be, the Nevada Tigers found a way to pull it off.
Top-seeded Nevada defeated second-seeded Webb City 6-5 in nine innings in the thrilling championship game of the Class 4 District 7 softball tournament on Monday night at Bushwhacker Field.
In a back-and-forth nail-biter that went into extra innings, the Tigers plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning when Kara Phillips sprinted home from third base after a wild pitch.
These teams knew each other well. Nevada won both regular season meetings with the Cardinals, winning 5-1 and 3-0. And with the season on the line, the Tigers were able to make it three straight.
But it was far from easy, as the Cardinals put up a valiant effort.
Nevada’s Peyton Eaton delivers a pitch to the plate against Webb City on Monday during the championship game of the Class 4 District 7 tournament. Photo by Brandi Redman.
Webb City took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as senior Jensyn Pickett doubled to right-center before junior Addie Brown smacked a two-run home run over the fence in center field.
Senior catcher Dawsyn Decker’s two-run single through the left side gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead in the third.
The Tigers pushed across three runs in the top of the fifth to pull within a single tally. Senior outfielder Hope Hearting homered to right field, freshman Kaniyah Johnson scored from third on a wild pitch and junior pitcher Peyton Eaton delivered a sacrifice fly to left, cutting Webb City’s lead to 4-3.
The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, as junior shortstop Kaleiah Johnson tripled and came home on Hearting’s RBI double to right.
In the same inning, Nevada had the go-ahead run at third with two outs, but the Cardinals picked her off, as Decker fired a throw to Alex Maturino in time to tag out Hearting.
Webb City took the lead in the top of the eighth. Sophomore second baseman Lily Hall singled with one out, and with two outs, Pickett hit a grounder to third base, but the Tigers threw the ball over the first baseman’s head, allowing pinch-runner Lia Taylor to score the go-ahead run.
Nevada tied it up in the bottom half of the eighth when Hearting was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The Tigers had the bases loaded with just one out later in the frame, but Webb City reliever Makenzie Wynn retired two straight batters to send the game to the ninth.
The Cardinals went down in order in the top of the ninth, and Nevada ended the game in the bottom half.
Phillips singled to lead off the frame and Eaton walked. With junior catcher Ella Heathman at the plate, a pair of wild pitches allowed the Tigers to score the winning run.
Eaton was the winning pitcher. She struck out eight and allowed nine hits in nine innings.
Freshman Addie Burns started in the circle for Webb City on Monday night.
Addie Burns started for Webb City and took a no-decision. A freshman, Burns allowed four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight. Wynn was charged with the loss. She went 2 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits.
Hearting had a team-high three RBI for the Tigers.
Decker and Brown drove in two runs apiece, while Maturino was the lone Cardinal to record two hits.
SOLID SEASON ENDS
Webb City finishes the ’23 season with a record of 26-12.
Suiting up for a final time for Webb City were seniors Decker, Pickett, Sydney Strickland and Rilley Hanes.
The Cardinals will return a solid core next fall, as several underclassmen played key roles this season.
QUARTERFINALS ON SATURDAY
Nevada (27-7) will host District 8 champ Kearney (25-5) in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Bushwhacker Field.
Nevada’s Kara Phillips makes contact with a pitch during Monday’s district title game. Nevada defeated Webb City 6-5 in nine innings. Photo by Brandi Redman.
The Nevada Tigers pose after winning the Class 4 District 7 championship on Monday night. Photo by Brandi Redman.
It was a pitcher’s duel in every sense of the term, with top-seeded Raymore-Peculiar defeating second-seeded Neosho 5-0 in the Class 5 District 7 title game on Monday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
After three scoreless innings, the Panthers used a trio of consecutive hits and an error by the Wildcats to push across two runs to take the lead. Pay-Pec added insurance with a single tally in the fifth inning and two more runs in the sixth while holding off Neosho the rest of the way en route to the win.
“It wasn’t our cleanest game defensively, but at that point, it kind of doesn’t matter if you don’t score any runs,” Neosho coach Catie Cummins said. “I thought Beclynn (Garrett) and Addy (Hart) both had hard-hit balls, but we just weren’t able to string anything together. (Kelsie Donaldson) kept us off balance. … It was a game of inches. … Our girls battled and I am very proud of them.”
Neosho closes the season with a 26-7 record as the Central Ozark Conference champions and graduates one senior—Kylie Flewelling.
“Looking back on the year, I told the girls they can be disappointed, but don’t leave feeling like we didn’t have a good season,” Cummins said. “It is hard to put into perspective. We are a young group with three juniors making up almost all of our upperclassmen. I think we will come back next year with a little more gusto in understanding what it takes to win. We challenged them early and were so tough on them and they came back every day ready to work knowing our expectations. It is just a great group of kids.
“We told them yesterday that they are still one of 16 teams still playing in Class 5, and we are one of the smallest Class 5 schools. To hang, and to beat a lot of them, is something to be proud of. Now, we know what it takes to beat (the top teams in Class 5) and they will be ready to go. I am so proud of what we accomplished this year and hope we can take it one step further next season.”
Ray-Pec advances to the quarterfinal round of the Class 5 state tournament and takes on Liberty on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neosho’s Beclynn Garrett smacked an opposite-field double to the gap in right-center field with two outs in the top of the fourth inning to get a runner in scoring position in the Wildcats’ favor for the first time in the game.
Carleigh Kinnaird followed with a sharp grounder up the middle snagged by Ray-Pec pitcher Kelsie Donaldson, who threw over to first for the final out to get out of the jam.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Panthers found life with the bats with consecutive singles from Carmen Boxberger and Donaldson to lead off the frame before Hayden Kurtz followed with a third straight hit, a single up the middle to plate the game’s first run.
An error with two outs on a fly ball to the outfield by the Wildcats allowed the second run, unearned, to score in the inning.
Neosho led off the top of the fifth with a double down the third-base line but failed to advance the runner in the next three at-bats to end the threat.
“She just does a great job of working it outside of the zone but making it look good enough to be in the zone,” Cummins said of Donaldson in the circle. “She did a good job of mixing it up and down, too.”
Boxberger added an RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth inning to push the lead to 3-0.
The Panthers added two more runs in the sixth inning on a two-run double by Kendall Johnson to push the lead to five runs.
IN THE CIRCLE
Donaldson struck out 17 Wildcats and scattered two hits over seven innings to earn the complete-game shutout win for the Panthers.
Kinnaird was saddled with the loss after allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits, three walks and five strikeouts in six innings.
“I thought Carleigh threw well,” Cummins said. “She had a couple of hard-hit balls and there were some errors that led to some extra runs. I don’t think she should be disappointed because she threw well to give us a chance if we scored some runs behind her.”
Girls golf state tournaments began across the state of Missouri on Monday.
Below is a look at how Joplin area athletes fared after 18 holes on Day 1. The state tournaments conclude on Tuesday.
CLASS 4
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Carthage’s Shay Gaddis is tied for 25th place after the opening round of the Class 3 state tournament at Silo Ridge Country Club.
A junior, Gaddis carded an 11-over-par 83 on Monday.
Carthage’s Addison Foust is in 54th place with a 92.
Joplin’s Scarlett Satterlee is tied for 64th with a 95 and teammate Drew Yockey is tied for 81st with a 103.
Eureka’s Emma Parker and St. Joseph Central’s Ali Perry are tied for first place with identical scores of 74 (2-over-par). Five other players are just one stroke back with 75s.
Visitation Academy (326) has a slim lead over St. Joseph’s Academy (328) in the team standings.
CLASS 3
FARMINGTON, Mo. — Nevada junior Emree Cameron is on top of the leaderboard after Day 1 of the Class 3 state tournament at Crown Pointe Golf Club.
Last year’s Class 2 runner-up, Cameron recorded a 5-under-par 67 on Monday, and she’s one stroke ahead of Parkway West’s Kylie Secrest (68).
Warrensburg’s Reece Nimmo is in third place with an even-par 72.
Nevada’s Paige Hertzberg is tied for 67th place with a 96, Webb City’s Avry Hodson is tied for 73rd with a 98, Carl Junction’s Olivia Teeter is tied for 80th with a 100 and Carl Junction’s Anna Burch is in 89th place with a 107.
St. Dominic (332) and Rockwood Summit (349) are the top two teams in the standings after the first day of competition.
CLASS 2
Joplin’s Twin Hills Golf and Country Club is the host for the Class 2 state tournament.
Cassville’s Avery Chappell is in sixth place after Day 1 with an 85 (13-over-par).
Mount Vernon’s Kenadi Killingsworth is tied for 14th place with a 92, while Monett’s Katie Geiss is tied for 16th with a 93.
Mount Vernon’s Madison Phillips is tied for 18th with a 94, Mount Vernon’s Emily Schubert is tied for 32nd with a 100, Lamar’s Victoria O’Neal is tied for 35th with a 101 and Mount Vernon’s Courtnee Bishop is tied for 38th with a 102.
Osage has a commanding lead after the first 18 holes with a 352. Incarnate Word is in second with a 373.
Mount Vernon (388) and Cassville (433) are in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Osage’s tandem of Hanna Maschhoff (79) and Sophia Rivera-Sindlinger (81) are in first and second place.
CLASS 1
SEDALIA, Mo. — Purdy’s Rosa Schad is tied for 28th place with a 106 after Day 1 of the Class 1 state tournament at the Sedalia Country Club.
Tarkio (413) and South Harrison (418) are the top two teams after the opening round, while Mountain View Liberty’s Kameryn Wood is in first place with an 85.
Fifth-seeded Carthage saw its season come to an end at the hands of top-seeded Raymore-Peculiar in the Class 5 District 7 semifinals at the JHS Athletic Complex on Saturday.
The Panthers used a perfect game in the circle by Kelsie Donaldson and scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning, which was the difference in the game.
“We got ourselves in some tough situations there, but defensively there were two or three innings where we made some big plays that got us out of it and kept us within reach at the end of the game,” Carthage coach Stephanie Ray said. “Where all we had to do was get some runners on and put a ball in play and maybe it’s a different ball game. The whole time, we never felt like we were out of it. Our defense was pretty good outside of that one inning. I just wish we could’ve done a little more at the plate.”
Carthage closes the season with an 18-16 record.
“It was fun coming to practice everyday as well as the games because we have a bunch of kids who love playing softball with each other,” Ray said about her team’s season. “We call it a sisterhood. When we face adversity, they just pick each other up. We had a little lull in the middle of the season and we still find ourselves playing in a 1-0 game here with a heck of a ball club just because they believe and trust in each other and us. They are some of the hardest workers I have ever been around. They show up every single day. Whatever we throw at them, they handle and are ready to move on and get to the game.”
The Tigers graduate seniors Shelby Hegwer, Alexis Smith and Brooklynn Dolon-Main.
“This is my 10th year at Carthage, but this was my fourth year as head coach, so this is my first class that I’ve been able to coach from freshmen to seniors,” Ray said. “They’ve been great leaders. I’ve been able to watch them grow from little baby freshmen to three full-time starters doing great things for us by the time they are juniors. They have put a mark on the program. They have accomplished things that a lot of people probably didn’t expect from them except us. They bought into what we are trying to do and it’s helped push us in the right direction to where we are notching almost 20 wins a season now, which is a big deal.”
IN THE CIRCLE
Donaldson pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 15 on the way to the win.
“She did a good job of getting ahead,” Ray said. “She’d throw the fastball off the plate, get ahead and then just kind of move up in the zone on us and get us to chase a little bit more and a little bit more.”
Addie Wallace was saddled with the tough-luck loss after allowing one unearned run on three hits and a walk in six innings.
“Addie threw a great game,” Ray said. “She was getting on top of batters, mixing it up well and hitting her spots. She brought a little today.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Ray-Pec took the lead on a Carthage miscue in the bottom of the fourth. Carmen Boxberger led off the inning with a walk before stealing second to get into scoring position. Boxberger came around to score later in the inning when a throw behind her from the catcher in an attempted pickoff went into center field to put the Panthers on top 1-0.
Wallace got out of the jam without any more damage coming home after inducing a 5-3 double play.
“Instead of [letting the run that scored affect her] and falling behind in the count, she continued to attack the zone and trust her defense,” Ray said. “Jenna (Calhoon) made a great play with runners on first and second, ground ball, stepped on it and went to first to get us out of it. And it was a great stretch at first base, too.”
The Panthers looked to add insurance in the bottom of the sixth after the first two batters reached to leadoff the inning. Hayden Kurtz flew out to left with a runner on third and one out, with CHS’ Lexa Youngblood gunning down the runner at the plate to preserve the score at 1-0.
“They skied one, she got behind it and threw her out at the plate and our dugout erupted,” Ray said of the play. “That is something where going into the top of the seventh in a one-run ballgame, that play set us up to make a push there. It got us up and really had us thinking we had a chance to go win this game at the end.”
ON DECK
Ray-Pec takes on second-seeded Neosho in the Class 5 District 7 tournament championship game at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
In a season filled with adversity that ultimately led to a Central Ozark Conference crown, Neosho had to draw on that experience of battling through a daunting schedule one more time as the Wildcats found their backs against the wall with the season on the line.
Down to their final three outs and facing a three-run deficit, Neosho rallied behind a game-tying home run from Carleigh Kinnaird in the seventh inning to send the ballgame into extras before Kinnaird delivered once again an inning later by belting a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to send Neosho past Lee’s Summit West 8-6 in the Class 5 District 7 semifinals on Saturday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“I did know as soon as I hit it that it was gone,” Kinnaird said with a smile after being asked if she knew on contact. “But my mindset was just trying to get on because we needed as many baserunners as possible to get a run across. I just put the bat on the ball and it went out.”
“Some of our faculty members and other people from the community have called us the Comeback ‘Cats or the Cardiac ‘Cats, you can take your pick there,” Neosho coach Catie Cummins said with a smile about her team rallying late for the walk-off win. “Whether it was Webb (City) earlier in the year, or Raytown South, Nixa—we have always been a team that has done that. I think that resiliency from the tough schedule we played early on helped us here because we knew what it was like to play from behind and fight back and win.”
BIG SWINGS
After surrendering three runs and the lead in the top of the seventh on a three-run homer from LSW’s Bailey Amezcua, Neosho refused to see its season slip away, rallying back in the bottom half of the inning. Kynden Smith and Beclynn Garrett walked to lead off the frame ahead of Kinnaird, who followed up by depositing an 0-2 pitch over the wall in center field for a game-tying three-run home run.
“It was amazing,” Kinnaird said of her first long ball. “It was a game changer, which is what we needed in that moment because we were a little down after giving up those three runs. That swing felt great. I was so happy it went over so I could help my team out after letting them down by giving up those three runs.”
The first two Wildcats made outs to lead off the bottom of the eighth, but Garrett extended the inning by reaching base with a single up the middle to bring Kinnaird to the plate.
“That was huge,” Kinnaird said of her teammate. “She had a great at-bat.”
Kinnaird took a strike on the first pitch before working a 2-1 count and promptly smacked the fourth pitch of the at-bat off the scoreboard in left field to a standing ovation on the home side of the bleachers, with her teammates waiting for her at home plate.
“She is just nails,” Cummins said of Kinnaird’s walk-off home run. “Talk about guts. Just the maturity to go back up there with people on base and get the job done again.”
“We have confidence,” Kinnaird said about the never-give-up attitude her team has shown all season long. “That’s the biggest thing. We believe we are in every game no matter the situation. The fight that we have as a team is great. … That’s been our motto all year—‘fight till the end’— and we fought till the end.”
IN THE CIRCLE
Kinnaird also earned the complete-game win in the circle for the Wildcats. She allowed six runs, three earned, on nine hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in eight innings.
“To give up the home run in the seventh and think the game has ended, it shows how tough she is mentally to get right back in it,” Cummins said. “She could have just folded. But she didn’t. She has that no-quit mentality. She just bows her neck and says she’s going to take care of business and she did that.”
Kali Bogart started and took a no-decision after she allowed five runs on five hits, five walks and seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Rylee Vaughn took the loss in relief after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks in an inning of work.
HOW THEY GOT THERE
LSW recorded three straight hits with one out in the top first inning to get on the scoreboard with the first run. After a one-out single from Madelyn Reed and a double to right field by Amezcua put runners at second and third, Bogart singled to left field for an RBI and a 1-0 lead.
Neosho wasted no time responding, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead and the momentum. Addy Hart brought the first run home with an RBI single to left before Journey Arnall followed with an RBI single up the middle to score the runner from second for a 2-1 advantage.
Neosho added insurance in the last of the second inning when Garrett grounded a ball up the middle to the shortstop for an out, driving home the runner from third in the process to make the score 3-1.
Amezcua brought the Titans within a run of the lead in the top of the third after singling up the middle to score the runner from second to make the score 3-2.
Lee’s Summit West tied the game up at 3-3 in the top of the fifth when Kailey Coleman dropped a squeeze bunt down to score the runner from third.
Amezcua came up big once more in the top of the seventh when she ripped a one-out pitch over the scoreboard in left field to give the Titans their first lead, 4-3, since the first inning. JaJa Kastle delivered a bases-loaded single up the middle later in the inning to plate a pair of runners for a 6-3 advantage.
IN THE BOX
Kinnaird homered twice, drove in a game-high five runs and scored twice to lead Neosho in the win. Hart had two hits and an RBI, while Arnall also had a pair of hits and drove in one. Garrett had a hit, drove in one and scored three times. Ashlyn Stevens doubled and scored a run.
ON DECK
Neosho will take on top-seeded Raymore-Peculiar in the Class 5 District 7 tournament championship game at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in that we are going to play for a district title, which has been one of our main goals all year,” Cummins said. “Our first was to win the COC, and we’ve checked that off, and this is kind of our next goal. We have our work cut out for us for sure, but I hope the confidence of this will carry over to Monday.”
NEVADA, Mo. — The top two seeds will meet in the championship game of the Class 4 District 7 softball tournament.
Top-seeded Nevada pounded fifth-seeded Carl Junction 15-0 in four innings, while second-seeded Webb City defeated third-seeded Belton 6-2 in Saturday’s semifinals at Bushwhacker Field.
Tourney host Nevada (26-7) and Webb City (26-11) will meet at 5:30 on Monday night in the district title game.
WEBB CITY 6, BELTON 2
Webb City pushed across runs in the first three frames to take control early.
The Cardinals scored once in the first, as Abby Sargent doubled and later scored on Alex Maturino’s run-scoring groundout.
Taking advantage of two Webb City errors, the Pirates plated two runs in the second, but Sydney Strickland’s two-run home run to center field gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second.
Kylee Sargent’s two-run bomb gave Webb City a three-run advantage in the third and Maturino’s sac fly extended Webb City’s lead to 6-2 after five frames.
Addie Burns was the winning pitcher. A freshman, Burns scattered 10 hits, struck out four, didn’t walk a batter and didn’t allow an earned run in a complete-game effort.
Belton’s Solana Carpenter took the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits. She struck out seven.
Maturino, Strickland and Kylee Sargent drove in two runs apiece for the Cardinals.
Nevada’s Peyton Eaton was the winning pitcher in Saturday’s semifinal contest against Carl Junction. Photo by Brandi Redman.
NEVADA 15, CARL JUNCTION 0 (4 INNINGS)
Nevada scored two runs in the first, four in the second, five in the third and four in the fourth to earn a run-rule victory in the first semifinal.
Down 2-0, the Bulldogs threatened in the top of the second, but the hosts turned an inning-ending double play.
The Tigers added four runs in the bottom of the second, as Kaniyah Johnson hit an RBI single before Peyton Eaton smacked a two-run home run to left and Ella Heathman followed with a solo homer to center for a 6-0 cushion.
The Tigers added five runs in the third, with Heathman hitting her second home run of the game for an 11-0 lead.
Nevada scored four runs in the fourth to end the game, as Johnson hit an RBI double, Kara Phillips contributed a two-run single and then scored from third on a wild pitch.
Caylee Holcomb and Phillips recorded three hits apiece for the Tigers, while Eaton, Heathman and Johnson added two hits apiece.
Eaton was the winning pitcher. She allowed five hits and one walk in four scoreless innings.
Carl Junction (11-20) received two hits from Ryleigh Palmer.
Kiley Spencer took the loss after allowing 13 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. Spencer struck out five and walked one.
Hannah Cantrell, Izzie Southern and Grace Kirk are Carl Junction’s seniors.
Nevada’s Caylee Holcomb slides safely into home plate against Carl Junction’s Madi Olds during Saturday’s district semifinal contest. Photo by Brandi Redman.
Seneca overcame a halftime deficit with a strong second half on the way to a 38-14 win over McDonald County on Friday night.
The Indians remained undefeated at 8-0, while the Mustangs fell to 4-4.
The Mustangs led 14-12 at halftime, but the Indians scored 26 unanswered points in the second half.
The two teams traded scores in the first two quarters.
Seneca scored on its opening drive, with Jackson Marrs recording the touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed.
McDonald County took a 7-6 lead when Destyn Dowd completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Josh Pacheco.
Ethan Altic hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Gavyn Hoover in the second quarter to give the Indians a 12-7 lead.
The Mustangs went up 14-12 late in the first half after a 7-yard touchdown run from Dowd.
The Indians scored twice in the third quarter, an 8-yard run from Hoover, along with a 2-point conversion, and a 13-yard run by Marrs that made it 26-14.
Roman Miller reached the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, an 8-yard run and a 2-yard run.
Seneca compiled 467 yards, with 312 rushing and 155 passing.
Marrs ran 21 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while Hoover added 70 rushing yards on 11 carries. Marrs also caught two passes for 115 yards. Hoover passed for 155 yards on three completions.
The Mustangs finished with 146 yards, 133 rushing and 13 passing.
Seneca recorded 22 first downs to Mac County’s nine.
Seneca (8-0) travels to Nevada (7-1) on Friday. The Indians can secure an outright Big 8 West championship with a win.
McDonald County (4-4) hosts East Newton (2-6) in Week 9.
While both teams came into the game with 4-3 records and are not in the hunt for a Central Ozark Conference title like this matchup featured several times in recent memory, the rivalry between Joplin and Carthage carried just as much meaning as ever on Friday at Junge Field.
Joplin (5-3) snapped its first three-game skid under head coach Curtis Jasper last week against Carl Junction and found itself facing a hot Carthage (4-4) team, which had lost its first three games of the season before catching fire winning its last four heading into the matchup with the Eagles.
Joplin’s defense held Carthage off the scoreboard in the first quarter while the offense built up a two-score lead early in the second that the team carried into the intermission. The Eagles continued to play in front in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 28-14 the rest of the way.
“I thought it played about how we wanted it to if we could have written the script,” Jasper said. “We defer, get a stop right off the bat and then go down and score to set the tone. We played with the lead from there and forced them to play from behind. That’s really, with their style, the way we wanted it to happen.”
“We knew how talented and athletic Joplin was coming in,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “We knew it was going to be a big challenge for us defensively. We thought we could move the ball a little bit offensively. It didn’t happen on those first two possessions, but the rest of the night I thought we were pretty good. We didn’t convert on two fourth downs (for turnover-on-downs) and when you add that with the two picks that we had, it’s four turnovers in the game. It doesn’t work very well against a talented team like that.”
Joplin RB Quin Renfro breaks a tackle on the way to a long touchdown run during the Eagles’ win over Carthage on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
RENFRO GOES OFF
Joplin (which gained 393 yards of offense on 39 plays) leaned on its senior ball carrier to carry the load on Senior Night and RB Quin Renfro certainly had a night to remember on the ground for the Eagles. Quin, who is committed to South Dakota State, rushed 18 times for 226 yards and five touchdowns. He had runs of 40, 64, 41, 30 and 31 yards in the win.
“It definitely felt good,” Renfro said of his performance on Senior Night. “It could’ve been my last time playing at Junge Field, so just putting on a performance like that for my family meant a lot to me.”
SENIOR NIGHT
It was a night to remember as the Joplin football program held its Senior Night ceremonies, honoring 22 student-athletes with their families on the field before the game.
“It is a great group,” Jasper said. “A couple of the coaches and I were talking about them today and how much fun they are because of how much they care about this program. We were talking about things we did this summer together and how much they care about their teammates. … They don’t just care about the football team, they care about the community as a whole and that’s awesome. They are a great representation of this program, Joplin High School and the Joplin community.”
DISTRICT UPDATE
Before the win, Joplin (33.76 points) was the third seed in the Class 6 District 5 standings, roughly 10 points behind second-place Kickapoo (42.38) and 10 points ahead of Waynesville (22.76).
Carthage (34.93) is in third place in the Class 5 District 7 standings, behind top-seeded Webb City (44.43) and second-seeded Raytown South (37.24) and in front of fourth-seeded Belton (30.38).
HOW THEY GOT THERE
After Joplin’s defense forced Carthage into a three-and-out punt, the Eagles’ offense marched 79 yards on 13 plays to take the lead. QB Hobbs Gooch, who completed six-of-seven passes for 66 yards, dropped back on fourth and 5 from the CHS 9, rolled to his right and tucked the ball before taking off and diving for the pylon to beat the defender for a 9-yard rushing score and a 7-0 lead with 3:57 left in the opening quarter.
Joplin’s Chavis Coleman tackles Carthage’s Brady Carlton on Friday in Central Ozark Conference action. Photo by Israel Perez.
Joplin’s defense came up big again during its second trip on the field, forcing Carthage into a turnover-on-downs near midfield on a fourth-and-short stop.
“Winning first down the majority of the time and getting those two big stops early, and the two turnovers later were huge,” Jasper said of the defense’s effort.
On the next play with the first quarter winding down, Renfro took the handoff left, hesitated and burst up and broke several tackles on the way to a 40-yard run down inside the CHS 5-yard line. After the quarter change a few plays later, Renfro found paydirt from 5 yards out to give Joplin a 14-0 lead midway through the first half.
“You could see last week that he was starting to look more like himself,” Jasper said of Renfro, who had dealt with injuries earlier in the season. “Tonight was vintage Quin and he looked back to his true self.”
Carthage (which gained 311 yards of offense on 58 plays) used the big play to get on the scoreboard on its third drive. QB Brady Carlton, who rushed 24 times for 148 yards and a touchdown, found a wide open TE Karson Murray over the middle with no one between him and the end zone for a 52-yard passing score to cut the deficit to 14-7 with less than eight minutes to play in the first half.
“We got down 14-0 and our kids responded with a big drive,” Guidie said. “It got us back in the game and got us a little confidence.”
Carthage’s defense came up with its first stop of the night late in the first half in Joplin’s attempt to answer the Tigers’ score, sacking Gooch on fourth-down inside the red zone to turn a long Eagles’ drive into a turnover-on-downs.
The Tigers used a 27-yard screen from Carlton to RB Landyn Collins to get into plus territory before Carlton was picked off shortly after by Joplin DB Cordell Washington and returned to the 32-yard line for the change in possession.
“We had a nice drive going down seven before we threw that pick,” Guidie said. “That was huge. That could have been a 14-point swing right there. You go into the locker room and it’s hard sometimes to get these guys back up and as intense as they were to start the game.”
Renfro took the ensuing handoff up the middle and broke several tackles on the way to a 64-yard run down inside the 5. On the next play, Renfro crossed the goal line for the second time to give Joplin a 21-7 lead with 36 seconds left in the first half.
“It’s a good two-minute offense when you can just hand it to Quin,” Jasper said with a laugh.
After a nice kick return to start the second half gave Joplin good field position to start the first possession in plus territory, Joplin needed just 54 seconds and two play
Carthage RB Landyn Collins breaks a tackle on the way to a first down for the Tigers. Photo by Israel Perez.
s to get into the end zone thanks to a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Renfro, his third of the game, to give the Eagles a 28-7 advantage.
Carthage responded on the ground, marching its way down the field via the run before Carlton scored on the keeper from 8 yards out to cut Joplin’s lead to 28-14.
After a failed attempt at an onside kick by the Tigers, Joplin took over in plus territory and put on its shortest drive of the game when Renfro carried the ensuing first-down snap 41 yards on the way to touchdown to give the Eagles a 35-14 advantage.
Renfro continued his dominance on Joplin’s next drive, rushing 31 yards on the way to his fifth touchdown of the night to expand the Eagles’ lead to 42-14 with 11:49 left in the game.
Joplin put the exclamation point on the win shortly after when DB Davin Thomas picked off Carlton and took it to the house for a 43-yard pick-6 touchdown, extending the cushion to 49-14.
Carthage’s final score came on a short-yardage score from Carlton in the waning minutes.
UP NEXT
Joplin wraps the regular season with a matchup at Neosho. Carthage closes the regular season hosting Willard on Senior Night.
Joplin senior Kaden Gilmore eyes rushing room during the Eagles’ win over Carthage on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
WILLARD, Mo. — Playing in its first Central Ozark Conference football contest since announcing it was on its way out, the Carl Junction Bulldogs struggled to slow a steady Willard attack and the Tigers held on late Friday night in Willard.
The newly formed league will be made up of of six area schools with similar enrollment numbers—Carl Junction, Bolivar, Branson, Logan-Rogersville, Marshfield and West Plains. The move will officially mark the Bulldogs’ end of an eight-year run in the COC after decades in the Big 8.
But in its second-to-last COC game, and final road COC game at Willard, Carl Junction’s defense initially slowed the Russell Roweton-led Willard offense, creating an interception (via Bentley Rowden, who recorded two picks) and a turnover on downs to keep the home side scoreless for much of the first half.
However, the Tigers registered back-to-back scoring drives on a Roweton 52-yard passing touchdown to Timmy Ruble and a Gary Walker 9-yard rushing touchdown on fourth and 7 at the 9-yard line for a 13-8 lead with 1:14 left in the second quarter.
Bulldogs receiver Ryder Pyles hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dexter Merrell and Merrell ran one in on a 2-point try to give Carl Junction a brief 8-7 lead.
Following a Bulldog punt with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Willard benefited from a big-time Roweton QB scamper which ended with a late hit out of bounds, setting up the Tigers at the Carl Junction 30 with nearly 30 seconds left in the frame.
Two plays later, Roweton found Chaz Amodeo on a 36-yard passing touchdown for a 19-8 Willard lead, which stuck as the halftime score.
The second half consisted of a defensive struggle, a Willard field goal from Jaridan Baugher — a 36-yard make with 5:20 left in the third period — and a late Carl Junction 17-yard touchdown reception from receiver Jaxton Wobkin with 3:24 remaining in the contest to pull the Bulldogs within eight points.
After Carl Junction tried an onside kick that was recovered but later deemed by referees as unsuccessful due to not traveling 10 or more yards, Willard precisely ran the final 3:24 off the scoreboard for a home victory.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction hosts Republic next Friday for its final COC contest and Senior Night. Republic (6-2) will come to town after falling to Nixa 31-28 on a game-winning field goal as time expired, which secured an outright COC title for Nixa.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City sent its seniors out on a positive note.
Bouncing back nicely from last week’s setback, Webb City rode a strong fourth quarter to a 37-18 Senior Night victory over Neosho on Friday in Central Ozark Conference action at Cardinal Stadium.
“Sending the seniors out with a win was the goal tonight,” Webb City coach Ryan McFarland said. “They’ve done such a great job for us all year. Everyone always remembers their Senior Night game, so we wanted to make sure we sent them out on a high note.”
On the night the team’s 33 seniors were recognized, Webb City definitely had to earn the win.
The hosts were clinging to a 20-18 advantage in the third quarter against the upset-minded Wildcats. But the Cardinals scored 17 unanswered points in the final frame.
“Hats off to our defense,” McFarland said. “At halftime, everyone was frustrated. Neosho’s Quenton Hughes does a phenomenal job at quarterback and running their offense. But hats off to our defense for getting some stops late in the game.”
The Wildcats were looking for their first win over Webb City since 1999. Despite a solid effort, it wasn’t meant to be.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Neosho coach Brandon Taute said. “They fought really hard. That’s a testament to who our kids are. It’s been a rough year as far as close game after close game after close game. It would’ve been easy for them to check it in at any point, but tonight shows who they are. These kids just keep battling and battling.”
Webb City and Neosho have been assigned to Class 5 District 7, so they could see each other again in the postseason.
Both teams hope to make some noise when the district playoffs arrive.
Taute noted he’s confident his Wildcats still have their best performance ahead.
“I think we’re capable of beating anybody,” Taute said. “If we can clean some things up and put together a full game, I think we’re capable of making a deep run in the playoffs. Playing our best football in Week 10 has been the goal all along.”
McFarland said his team still has work to do if it wants to accomplish its goal of making a deep postseason run.
“We made too many mistakes in the first half, but credit Neosho,” McFarland said. “Neosho’s defense caused us some problems. We’ve got to be better than that moving forward if we want a chance to do something in the postseason. The last two weeks we’ve made too many mental mistakes, and we have to get those things fixed.”
GAME RECAP
Webb City defeated Neosho 37-18 on Friday at Cardinal Stadium. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Webb City junior running back Noah Durman got the hosts on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run up the middle with nine seconds left in the first quarter, capping an 11-play, 54-yard drive.
Three plays after a Webb City turnover on downs, Neosho junior wide receiver Hudson Williams hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Hughes with 6:55 left in the second quarter. The PAT kick was blocked by Webb City’s Brody Eggleston, keeping the Cardinals in front, 7-6.
On the next series, speedy sophomore Gabe Johnson bounced to the outside and sprinted to a 51-yard touchdown run for the Cardinals, extending the lead to 14-6.
Johnson’s 1-yard QB keeper made it 20-6 with just over 40 seconds remaining in the first half.
The score wouldn’t hold up for long.
Neosho went 68 yards on four plays in just 42 seconds, scoring just before the half when junior Tyrone Harris caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Hughes. A 49-yard pass play to Harris set up the score, which trimmed Webb City’s lead to 20-12 at the break.
After intermission, the Wildcats pulled within two after Harris hauled in a 31-yard pass with 4:33 left in the third quarter. The visitors attempted to tie the game, but the 2-point conversion was off the mark.
The Cardinals lost their second fumble of the second half on the next series, but the Wildcats were unable to take advantage, as the Webb City defense forced a key turnover on downs.
Webb City’s Alex Dunne converted a 27-yard field goal with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals some breathing room at 23-18.
“Alex has done a great job all year, and we’re not afraid to kick field goals,” McFarland said.
After a Neosho punt, Webb City extended its lead to 30-18 with 6:51 remaining on a 33-yard touchdown strike to junior Jackson Lucas.
Next, Webb City junior defensive back Andrew Young recorded a 68-yard interception return with 5:38 left for the final exclamation point on the contest. It was Young’s second interception of the night.
“Getting that pick six was obviously big,” McFarland said.
Neosho quarterback Quenton Hughes passed for 273 yards against Webb City on Friday night. The Cardinals won the game 37-18. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Ranked seventh in Class 5, Webb City hiked its record to 6-2.
Webb City recorded 409 yards of total offense, with 270 rushing and 139 passing.
Junior Andrew Elwell led the Cardinals with 88 rushing yards on 21 carries, while Johnson had 87 yards on nine carries.
Jordan Howard made eight tackles and Brett Korth had six stops for the Webb City defense.
Neosho (1-7) finished with 360 yards, 273 through the air and 87 on the ground.
A senior, Hughes completed 19 of 37 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Harris had 14 receptions for 179 yards and two scores, while Williams caught three passes for 66 yards.
Junior running back Denver Welch led Neosho’s rushing attack with 80 yards on 19 carries.
Cade Spiva was credited with 11 tackles, while Bostyn Patterson had 10 stops.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City concludes the regular season next Friday at Branson (4-4), while Neosho hosts Joplin (5-3) in Week 9.
WEBB CITY 37, NEOSHO 18
Neosho 0 12 6 0 — 18
Webb City 7 13 0 17 —37
SCORING SUMMARY
WC: Noah Durman 4 run (Alex Dunne kick)
NEO: Hudson Williams 26 pass from Quenton Hughes (Kick blocked)
WC: Gabe Johnson 51 run (Dunne kick)
WC: Johnson 1 run (Kick failed)
NEO: Tyrone Harris 7 pass from Hughes (Kick blocked)
NEO: Harris 31 pass from Hughes (Pass failed)
WC: Dunne 27 field goal
WC: Jackson Lucas 33 pass from Johnson (Dunne kick)
WC: Andrew Young 68 interception return (Dunne kick)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Carl Junction’s duo of Naiyah Wurdeman and Jenna Besperat finished third in the Class 2 doubles bracket on Friday at the 2023 MSHSAA Girls Tennis Championships at the Cooper Tennis Complex.
Jenna Besperat and Naiyah Wurdeman.
In the third-place match, Wurdeman and Besperat ended the 2023 season on a high note by beating Springfield Catholic’s Hannah Lee and Britney Ung 6-1, 6-4.
In Thursday’s opening round, the Bulldogs defeated the St. Pius X duo of Chloe Kronlage and Brooke Madden 6-0, 6-0.
In the quarterfinal round, Wurdeman and Besperat topped Grain Valley’s Brooklyn Spencer and Emma Thiessen 4-6, 6-2, 10-7.
In the semifinals on Friday morning, Parkway North’s Yvonne Shannon-Emily Koo defeated Wurdeman-Besperat 7-6, 6-1. That loss sent the Bulldogs to the third-place match.
Shannon-Koo ended up winning the state title by beating Villa Duschesne’s Alexandra Todorovich/Katherine Todorovich 6-3, 6-2.
Besperat is a senior and Wurdeman is a junior. The pair led the way as the Bulldogs went 15-4 in duals this fall.
This was the second straight season Wurdeman and Besperat advanced to state in doubles.
DING TAKES SEVENTH IN SINGLES
Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding.
Thomas Jefferson senior Allison Ding finished seventh in the Class 2 singles bracket on Friday.
Playing for seventh place, Ding defeated Washington’s Evelyn Bryson 6-3, 6-2 to conclude the individual state tourney on a positive note.
On Thursday, Ding defeated Holt’s Jennifer Nelson 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round.
In the quarterfinals, MICDS’ Rachel Li topped Ding 6-0, 6-0.
In the consolation quarterfinals, Ding edged St. Pius X’s Kiera Dunn 6-1, 4-6, 11-9 to advance to Friday.
In the consolation semifinals on Friday, Springfield Catholic’s Caroline Nelson topped Ding 6-0, 6-1.
With the seventh-place match victory, Ding earned medalist honors for the third straight season.
The 2023 campaign isn’t over quite yet for Ding, as she and the Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers will compete at next week’s team state tournament.
Thomas Jefferson (14-0) will meet Grain Valley (23-2) in the Class 2 semifinals at 9 a.m. on Oct. 20.
BRANSON, Mo. — Webb City concluded the regular season on a high note by sweeping Branson on Thursday night.
The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 25-20, 25-16, 25-21 in the Central Ozark Conference finale.
Jaeli Rutledge led the Cardinals with 19 kills, while Aubree Lassiter added seven kills and Makayla Mayes added four kills.
Savannah Crane handed out 33 assists from the setter position, while Avery Gardner recorded a team-high 19 digs. Three players, Jaylee VanBecelaere, Kirra Long and Mia Lenker, contributed five digs apiece.
Webb City won the match without a key performer, as all-state libero Sophia Crane was out sick, Webb City assistant coach Jason Brown said.
The Cardinals finished 5-4 in the COC.
Webb City (24-6) will return to Branson for the Class 4 District 6 tournament. The second-seeded Cardinals meet seventh-seeded Parkview at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
THOMAS JEFFERSON 3, GOLDEN CITY 0
Thomas Jefferson knocked off Golden City 25-12, 25-20 and 25-16 in the season finale.
The Cavaliers closed the regular season with a 22-7 record and finished 6-0 in the Ozark 7 Conference on the way to their first title since 2000.
Lannah Grigg finished with 13 kills, four digs and three blocks to lead TJ, while Gabbi Hiebert closed with seven kills, five digs and three blocks. Maci Shifferd had five kills, eight digs, a block and an assist. Mary Nguyen had 15 assists, seven digs, two aces and a kill, while Leah Studer added nine assists, eight digs and a kill. Maggie Sutton had 13 digs and three aces.
Thomas Jefferson is the top seed in the Class 1 District 10 volleyball tournament and will play the winner of (4) Purdy and (5) Verona at 5 p.m. on Oct. 23 at Verona High School.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS 3, WHEATON 0
College Heights Christian volleyball closed the regular season on a high note after defeating Wheaton 25-11, 25-12 and 25-10 on Thursday.
The Cougars finish the regular season with a 14-10-3 record.
Maddy Colin led CHC with 30 assists, 10 kills and six aces, while Lilly Plassman had 11 digs and Bailey Peeples finished with 18 kills. Katie Moss had 14 digs, with Christa Miller adding 13 digs.
College Heights is the second seed in the Class 1 District 10 volleyball tournament and takes on seventh-seeded Exeter at 6:17 on Oct. 19 at Verona High School.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — The host Tigers captured the team championship at their own Carthage Invitational swim meet on Thursday night at the Fair Acres Family YMCA.
Carthage finished with 360 points, and Joplin was second with 206.
Rounding out the team standings were Monett (188), Hillcrest (129), Nevada (122), Marshfield (80), Seymour (21) and Greenwood (16).
The Carthage Tigers pose after winning their home invitational on Thursday. Courtesy photo.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wright and Maveric Allphin took first in 1:46.
The Tigers also won the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:36, with McBride, Frieling, Aydan Nye and Wright competing.
Frieling and Wright each won a pair of individual events.
Frieling took first in the 100 butterfly in 57.34 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 58.34 seconds.
Wright won the 200 IM in 2:11 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.
Also winning individual events for Carthage were McBride (50 free) and Ryan Steinbach (500 free).
McBride was the runner-up in the 100 free, while Nye took second in the 200 free and Ben Rogers finished second in the 500 free.
The Tigers placed fourth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Allphin, Daryl Martin, Rogers and Nye competing.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow won a pair of individual events, the 200 freestyle in 1:51 and the 100 freestyle in 49.76 seconds.
The Eagles won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:39, with Parker Hinman, Isaiah Thom, Ian Vermillion and Wardlow competing.
Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Hinman, Thom, Vermillion and Wardlow finished second.
Hinman was second in two events, the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly.
The Eagles finished fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Owen Mordica, Jackson Mordica, Connor Intessimone and Jordan Goins competing.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Nevada was the runner-up in the 200 medley relay. Nevada’s Kolton Evans was second in the 100 backstroke and teammate Trace Gould was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke.
Monett’s Ryan Goodson took second in the 50 free and third in the 100 free.
Fifth-seeded Carthage trailed 6-4 heading into the sixth inning before scoring six times with two outs to take control on the way to a 10-6 win over fourth-seeded Joplin in the finale of the opening round of the Class 5 District 7 tournament on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Center.
“Joplin is a great offensive team and they just come at you and are hard outs from the top of the lineup to the bottom of the lineup,” Carthage coach Stephanie Ray said after the win. “We regained our focus and honed it back in there after they got out ahead of us. We had some opportunities to score after getting runners on base with our speed before we just started getting hits where we needed them in that sixth inning to get those six runs.”
ALL GOOD THINGS
The loss ends Joplin’s season with a 15-14 record, with the Eagles graduating seniors Bailey Ledford (3B), Ashley Phillips (LF), Taryn Casey (RF), Peyton Meadows (LF) and Megan Meeker (RF).
“I am very happy with the way the girls responded throughout that game,” Joplin coach Brenden Schneider said. “Obviously, we can’t give up a six spot because it’s hard to come back from that. But, it’s funny because that’s how the game works. Last time we played them (earlier in the season), we put up a big inning to go ahead in the top of the seventh at their place. … Credit to Carthage for finding a way to have good at-bats and battle all game. The one thing I have always said about Coach Ray’s Carthage teams is they’re extremely tough and always play you hard. Hopefully, next year we will find a way to overcome that stuff and get better.”
“Every single one of those kids has found a way to get better and found a way to help their teammates get better,” Schneider added of his senior class. “Ultimately, it’s a softball program, but it’s also a human-development program. When they leave this place after four years, the one thing we care about more than wins and losses or statistics is, ‘are they better people?’ If they walk off this field as better human beings than when they walked on it for the first time, I feel like our staff has done a pretty good job. We can’t thank those five enough for how they’ve helped turn this program around. We are going to miss all five of them. There is nothing more I can say than thank you.”
RUN WITH TWO
Carthage went into the sixth inning down 6-4 and rallied with six runs touching home with two outs in the frame. Lottie Youngblood brought in the first two runs with a two-run single to center to tie the game at 6-6. Shelby Hegwer flared a ball to right field for an RBI single and a 7-6 advantage. After a Joplin pitching change, Lexa Youngblood put Carthage on top 8-6 with a run-scoring double to right field before Jenna Calhoon dropped a ball inside the foul line down the right-field line in the next at-bat to plate two more runners and wrap the scoring in the inning.
“Anytime we come into the dugout, whether we are down two or even four runs, these girls have always had the ability to score big,” Ray said. “We talked to them before the inning and told them to get a couple and get it even. They went and put six runs up. When their energy is up and they believe, anything is possible.”
HOW THEY GOT THERE
Carthage took the lead in the top of the first inning when Brooklynn Dolon-Main drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field before Joplin answered back in the bottom half of the opening frame with a run-scoring single past shortstop by Jadyn Pankow to tie the game at 1s.
The Tigers clawed back in front, 2-1, in the second inning after Calhoon scored from third on a shallow single to center by Emmy Stark.
The Eagles used a big swing to jump in front in the third inning when Pankow ripped a ball over the wall in center field with a runner on to give Joplin a 3-2 advantage.
Joplin added two insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth when Abby Lowery drove in a run with a groundout before Libby Munn brought a run home after reaching on an error when a popup on the infield found the turf with two outs and runners on the corners for a 5-2 lead.
Carthage cut the deficit to one in the top of the fifth when Dolon-Main singled to right field to drive in a pair of runs to make the score 5-4.
Joplin answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth when Ledford reached on an infield hit with runners on second and third to score a run and push the lead to 6-4.
IN THE CIRCLE
Addie Wallace earned the complete-game win after allowing six runs, four earned, on 12 hits, a walk and three strikeouts in seven frames.
“She did a great job,” Ray said. “Early on, we felt like they had her number a little bit. We brought her in the dugout and went over spray charts. She became a student of the game and started studying. She locked back in the second half of the game and went and got some big outs when we needed them.”
Ava Wolf took the loss after allowing nine runs, four earned, on 11 hits, two walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Caelyn Bobski allowed one run on four hits and a strikeout in 1 1/3 relief innings.
IN THE BOX
Lottie Youngblood had two hits, two RBI, two runs scored and two walks. Calhoon doubled twice, drove in two and scored once for Carthage. Dolon-Main had two hits and two RBI, while Hegwer had a hit, scored a run and drove in a pair. Avyn Willis and Ashlyn Brust each had two hits and two runs scored. Stark had two hits and an RBI. Lexa Youngblood had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Pankow led Joplin with two hits, including a home run, a team-high three RBI and scored a run. Ledford had two hits, scored a run and drove in one. Lowery had a hit, scored a run and drove in one. Munn, who doubled, and Wolf each had two hits, while Maria Loum and Phillips each had a hit and scored a run.
ON DECK
With the win, Carthage improves to 18-15 and takes on top-seeded Raymore-Peculiar at 1 p.m. in the semifinal round on Saturday.
Seventh-seeded Lee’s Summit rallied back from an early hole to tie second-seeded Neosho in the middle innings of the Class 5 District 7 opening-round game only to see the Wildcats answer right back and keep the Tigers at bay the rest of the way for a 6-3 win on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“I like that we scored early to get the lead and I thought Olivia (Emery) threw well,” Neosho coach Catie Cummins said after the win. “I was a little frustrated with our defense. We just weren’t real sharp. … We had good production from the top and the middle of our lineup. … Overall, we did enough to win and that is what matters. I would like to play a little cleaner on Saturday.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neosho took the initial advantage when a pair of runs came home to score in the second inning on two Lee’s Summit throwing errors. Autumn Kinnaird hit a ground ball to short with a runner on third base and reached on a throwing error. Kinnaird advanced on the play and the return throw to second sailed into the outfield, allowing her to round third and touch home on the play for a 2-0 lead.
The Wildcats picked up a third tally in the third inning when Avyn Blair drove a run in with a ground ball to shortstop, scoring Addy Hart from third in the process for a 3-0 advantage.
Lee’s Summit rallied all the way back to tie the game up on an RBI single by Ryann Arnold with the bases loaded to center field, which was compounded by a Neosho error to allow two more runs to score and tie the game at 3-3.
Arnold looked to score on a bunt in the next at-bat, before Autumn Kinnaird faked the throw to first and tagged the runner trying to score from third to keep the game tied.
“It was huge because it allowed us to get Olivia through less pressure without the go-ahead run on third,” Cummins said of Kinnaird’s play at the plate. “That was a huge heads-up play by Autumn and it was a big momentum swing for us.”
Neosho didn’t wait to respond, as Carleigh Kinnaird clubbed a ball over the scoreboard with two outs and two on for a three-run home run and a 6-3 advantage.
“As soon as it was, I just screamed,” Cummins said with a laugh. “I don’t even think it was words that came out. You just knew off the bat. … She just crushed it. I asked our coaches if it went over the scoreboard. They said, yeah, that ball is in Kansas now.”
IN THE CIRCLE
Emery earned the win after allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and three strikeouts in four innings. Carleigh Kinnaird pitched three scoreless relief innings on two hits, a walk and two strikeouts.
Alyssa Nichols took the loss after allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits, two walks and six strikeouts in six innings of work.
IN THE BOX
Autumn Kinnaird had two hits, scored a run and drove in one. Carleigh Kinnaird homered on the way to three RBI and a run scored to lead the Wildcats.
ON DECK
(2) Neosho takes on (3) Lee’s Summit West at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
NEVADA, Mo. — An eight-run third inning propelled second-seeded Webb City to an 11-0 victory over seventh-seeded Raytown on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Class 4 District 7 softball tournament at Bushwhacker Field.
The higher seeds prevailed in three of the four quarterfinal matchups.
Top-seeded Nevada blasted eighth-seeded Raytown South 18-0, third-seeded Belton pounded sixth-seeded Warrensburg 15-0, and in the lone upset, fifth-seeded Carl Junction outslugged fourth-seeded McDonald County 19-15.
In Saturday’s semifinals, Nevada (25-7) will meet Carl Junction (11-19) at noon, while Webb City (25-11) will take on Belton (17-10) at 2 p.m.
The Cardinals pushed across two runs in the first inning on Alex Maturino’s RBI double to left and Lily Hall’s run-scoring single through the right side.
Webb City blew the game open with an eight-run third inning.
In the big inning, Kylee Sargent delivered a two-run triple to right and Karsyn Cahoon followed with a bloop single.
Later in the frame, Abby Sargent was plunked with the bases loaded and two more runs came home when the Bluejays were unable to haul in Dawsyn Decker’s pop up.
Next, Maturino made it 10-0 with a two-run double, her third double of the night.
Rilley Hanes smacked an RBI to left in the fourth to give the Cardinals an 11-0 advantage.
Raytown had the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth innings, but the Cardinals retired the side each time without any damage. The game ended after the top of the fifth due to the run-rule.
Addie Burns started in the circle for the Cardinals. The freshman tossed three scoreless innings to earn the win.
Makenzie Wynn and Laney Taylor each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
