Webb City suffered a pair of one-run losses to state-ranked Class 6 opponents on Saturday in non-conference prep baseball action at Southern Boone High School.
Class 6 No. 3 Francis Howell defeated Webb City 5-4 and No. 9 Rock Bridge topped the Cardinals 6-5.
Ranked second in Class 5, the Cardinals are now 14-5 overall.
Webb City is at Class 5 No. 6 Carl Junction at 4:30 on Tuesday in a key Central Ozark Conference clash.
FRANCIS HOWELL 5, WEBB CITY 4
Francis Howell scored once in the second and three times in the third. The Cardinals pushed across two runs in the fifth, but the Vikings added a single tally in the sixth.
The Cardinals rallied in the seventh, as Treghan Parker’s two-run double trimmed the deficit to one, but it wasn’t enough.
Webb City was limited to five hits.
A senior shortstop, Parker went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI. Devrin Weathers, Cooper Crouch and Eric Fitch recorded one hit apiece. Weathers scored twice.
Fitch took the loss. He allowed three earned runs on five hits in five innings. Crouch pitched two scoreless innings.
Francis Howell’s Andrew Brackenseik was the winning pitcher. He struck out eight, walked four and scattered five hits in a complete-game effort.
ROCK BRIDGE 6, WEBB CITY 5
Webb City led 4-3 when Rock Bridge plated three runs in the sixth inning.
The Cardinals scored once in the seventh on Cole Gayman’s RBI single with one out. But Gayman, the tying run, was stranded.
Webb City recorded 13 hits.
Shane Noel and Gayman had three hits apiece, while Weathers had two hits. Weathers, Parker, Matt Woodmansee, Gayman and Aiden Brock had one RBI apiece.
Noah Mitchell was charged with the loss. He surrendered four earned runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked none. Noel tossed 2/3 of an inning.
Rock Bridge’s Peyton Messer earned the win. He gave up four runs on 11 hits and struck out five in six innings.
