PLATTE CITY, Mo. — Webb City trimmed a 10-run deficit all the way down to three, but the early hole was ultimately too much to overcome.
Webb City suffered a season-ending 11-7 setback to Platte County on Saturday in a quarterfinal contest of the MSHSAA Class 5 state baseball tournament.
The Cardinals end the season with a record of 19-16.
Platte County (25-8) advanced to the semifinals, where they’ll meet either Parkway Central or Fort Zumwalt East at 7 p.m. on June 3 at Ozark’s US Ballpark.
The Pirates led 10-0 after three innings before the resilient Cardinals plated seven unanswered runs.
But the hosts added an insurance run and kept the Cardinals at bay late to secure the win.
Platte County plated eight runs on seven hits and three walks in the bottom of the second inning.
Eli Nelson and Jakob Knudsen both walked before Dayton Doll delivered a two-out, two-run triple off the fence in right field.
Dayne Wimberly followed with an RBI double to center before Cameron Lewis and Dylan Robertson added run-scoring singles for a 5-0 lead.
That chased Webb City starting pitcher Cooper Crouch, with Gavin Stowell taking over.
Nickolas Baker contributed a two-run triple and Knudsen had an RBI single for an eight-run cushion before Stowell retired the side.
In the third, Devin Wassmann’s two-run home run to right field made it 10-0.
Webb City didn’t go down quietly.
The Cardinals pushed across a single tally in the top of the fourth. Eric Fitch and Cy Darnell recorded back to back hits before Kenley Hood’s sacrifice fly got Webb City on the board.
The champions of District 7, Webb City erupted for six runs in the fifth.
Aidan Brock walked, Kaylor Darnell doubled and Brantley Carter walked to load the bases. Fitch then delivered an RBI infield single. Cy Darnell and Cade Wilson followed with two-run doubles.
After the second pitching change of the inning, Kenley Hood smacked a run-scoring double to left, trimming the deficit to 10-7.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom of fifth on Wassmann’s RBI single.
Webb City reliever Walker Sweet worked out of trouble in the sixth, keeping his team’s deficit at four.
However, the Cardinals went down in order in the seventh.
Fitch and Cy Darnell had two hits apiece, while Cy Darnell, Wilson and Hood drove in two runs apiece.
Crouch allowed seven runs on six hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two. Stowell surrendered four runs on four hits and three walks and struck out three in three frames. Sweet did not allow a run in 1 1/3 innings, striking out two.
Platte County’s Sawyer Allen was the winning pitcher. He allowed four runs on three hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Webb City’s seniors were Brantley Carter, Kolton Eilenstein, Jeremiah Leaming, Brock, Crouch, Fitch, Stowell and Wilson.
It was Flave Darnell’s final game as Webb City’s head coach, as he’s moving into an administration position in the school district.
Darnell recorded more than 300 wins during his coaching career.
AURORA, Mo. — Webb City rode a big first inning to a 6-1 win over Aurora on Tuesday in a clash between state-ranked teams.
The Cardinals pushed across four runs in the first inning and added a single tally in both the second and third innings.
The Houn’ Dawgs scored their lone run in the sixth.
Ranked third in Class 5, Webb City hiked its record to 23-5. Ranked fourth in Class 4, Aurora slipped to 16-7.
Senior center fielder Devrin Weathers recorded his 51st hit of the season, a new single-season school record.
Senior shortstop Treghan Parker had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Parker hit his seventh home run of the season.
Shane Noel and Matt Woodmansee had two hits apiece for the Cardinals.
Eric Fitch was the winning pitcher. He went five innings and allowed just one unearned run on one hit while striking out six. Cooper Crouch tossed two scoreless innings in relief, striking out two.
Trey Mulholland took the loss after allowing six runs on 11 hits in seven innings. He struck out two and walked three.
Jaesik Friggle had Aurora’s lone hit, while Mulholland had his team’s only RBI.
In the four-run first, Parker doubled to center and scored on Noel’s RBI single to left.
Woodmansee then drove in Noel with a run-scoring single to left. Woodmansee later scored on Aiden Brock’s sacrifice bunt before Cade Wilson contributed an RBI groundout.
Parker homered to right in the second.
Eli Goddard delivered an RBI single to right in the third for a 6-0 lead.
In the sixth, Friggle singled to left, went to second on an error and then took third on a fly out.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City extended its winning streak to eight by earning a pair of run-rule victories on Saturday.
The Cardinals pushed across 27 runs in a non-conference prep baseball twinbill, as Webb City defeated Hillcrest 16-6 and Harrisonville 11-1 on a windy afternoon at Chuck Barnes Field.
The Cardinals are now 22-5.
With just two regular season dates remaining before the postseason arrives, Webb City coach Flave Darnell is confident his team is peaking at exactly the right time.
“We’re playing really good baseball right now,” Darnell said. “I’m really happy with our pitching right now. Noah (Mitchell) had a good outing in our first game. He threw a ton of strikes. Then (Jeremiah) Leaming came in and threw strikes. And then in our second game, Shane (Noel) and Cooper (Crouch) both did a great job. It was good to see those guys pitch well. I’m a firm believer that good pitching and good defense wins games, especially when the playoffs arrive. I think we are hitting our stride at the right time. We’re getting timely hitting and good pitching and good defense. Hopefully we can keep it up.”
WEBB CITY 16, HILLCREST 6
Eric Fitch had a big day at the plate for the Cardinals, as the junior went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI.
Devrin Weathers went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Shane Noel drove in four runs on a triple and two sacrifice flies.
Treghan Parker scored twice and drove in two runs, while Matt Woodmansee and Gavin Stowell scored two runs apiece.
Mitchell earned the win on the mound, going five innings and striking out six while allowing four earned runs on eight hits. Leaming struck out one in one inning of relief.
Avery Grant went 4-for-4 for the Hornets.
Ethan Cates took the loss after allowing nine earned runs on nine hits in five innings.
The Hornets plated three runs in the first on three hits and three errors.
The Cardinals got a run back in the second, as Woodmansee scored on a wild pitch.
Webb City scored five runs in the third.
During the big inning, Cade Wilson scored on an error and Noel hit a two-run triple to right. Noel and Gayman both charged home on passed balls.
Hillcrest received an RBI single by Grant in the fourth, but the Cardinals extended their lead by pushing across four runs in the bottom half.
Fitch came home on an error, Weathers scored on Noel’s sac fly, Parker charged home on a double steal before Gayman delivered a run-scoring double to left, giving the hosts a 10-4 lead.
Hillcrest’s Braxton Baker hit a two-run double in the top of the fifth, but the Cardinals answered with four more runs in the bottom half.
Weathers hit a two-run single to left before Parker and Noel contributed sac flies.
The Cardinals ended the game in the bottom of the sixth due to the run-rule when Fitch delivered a two-run single up the middle, scoring Leaming and Gavin Stowell.
In the middle game of the day, Harrisonville defeated Hillcrest 9-8 in an 11-inning marathon.
WEBB CITY 11, HARRISONVILLE 1
The hosts plated eight runs in the first inning and never looked back.
A two-run third and a single tally in the fifth allowed the Cardinals to end the game early.
Webb City scored its 11 runs on 12 hits, with seven different players contributing.
Noel went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI, while Aiden Brock drove in three runs on two hits and Gayman had two hits and two RBI.
Parker had two hits, while Weathers scored a pair of runs. Parker and Leaming had one RBI apiece.
Noel pitched two innings and did not allow a hit or a walk while striking out four.
Cooper Crouch pitched three innings, striking out four and allowing just one run on two hits.
Harrisonville’s Tucker Vassar took the loss after surrendering eight earned runs on seven hits in one inning.
In the big first inning, Parker hit an RBI double, while Gayman and Brock had run-scoring singles. Leaming contributed an RBI double and later scored on an error.
Noel’s two-run single made it 8-0 early.
The Cardinals went up 10-0 in the third after Noel and Gayman both recorded RBI doubles.
The Wildcats got on the board in the fifth, but the hosts ended the game in the bottom half when Noel walked and later scored on Brock’s single through the left side.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City is at Aurora on Tuesday. The Cardinals will host Kickapoo at 4:30 on Thursday in the regular season finale.
“Those are two quality opponents,” Darnell said. “We’re looking forward to those two games and I hope these two get us ready for the playoffs.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City kept its Central Ozark Conference title hopes alive by earning a 5-3 win over Nixa on Thursday at Chuck Barnes Field.
Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Webb City hiked its record to 16-5 overall and 5-2 in the COC.
“This is a great win,” Webb City coach Flave Darnell said. “Nixa’s a great team and a great program. This win keeps us in the conference race a little bit. Hopefully someone can knock off Republic along the way.”
Republic is now the lone unbeaten team in the conference, while Webb City, Joplin and Nixa all have two COC setbacks apiece.
Webb City has just two COC games remaining, as the Cardinals host Neosho on Tuesday and Republic on Thursday.
“We’ve got Neosho and Republic next week, so it should be a fun week for sure,” Darnell said.
Ranked seventh in the Class 6 poll, Nixa fell to 16-4 and 4-2 in the conference.
GAME RECAP
Thursday’s game was moved to Webb City due to wet playing conditions in Nixa, and the Cardinals set the tone right from the start with a three-run first inning.
The visitors on the scoreboard, Webb City got going early against Nixa starting pitcher Keith Piepmeier.
Leadoff batter Devrin Weathers walked and stole second before Treghan Parker lined an RBI double into right.
After Shane Noel reached on a bunt single, Matt Woodmansee followed with a sacrifice fly to right.
Cole Gayman made it 3-0 with a run-scoring double into left.
“That was big,” Darnell said of his team’s quick start. “Devrin and Treghan have been doing a great job at the top of the order. Shane’s bunt base hit was awesome. We’ve really been stressing small ball. I thought we did well on Tuesday and we did a pretty good job of that again today. We need to keep doing that stuff to put pressure on the defense.”
Nixa got on the board in the bottom of the second against Webb City right-hander Eric Fitch, as Alek Johnson singled and later scored from third on a balk.
The Cardinals got the run back in the third, as Parker singled and later went to third on Woodmansee’s infield single. Gayman’s sac bunt brought home Parker and made it 4-1.
Webb City extended its lead to 5-1 in the fourth, as Jeremiah Leaming singled, Fitch was hit by a pitch and Weathers reached on an infield single to load the bases.
Next, Parker lifted a sacrifice fly into center, with Leaming sprinting home.
Nixa trimmed its deficit to three in the bottom half of the fourth.
Johnson walked, stole second and later scored on a Webb City miscue in the field, cutting Webb City’s lead to 5-2.
Nixa pulled within two runs in the sixth, as Quinn Gundelfinger doubled to start the frame. At that point, Fitch was relieved by Noel.
Nixa’s Rylan Michel delivered a run-scoring single to left to cut Webb City’s advantage to 5-3.
But Noel struck out the final two batters of the inning to maneuver out of trouble nicely.
Back out for the seventh, Noel retired the Eagles in order to secure the win.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Parker went 2-for-4 with two runs scored for the Cardinals, while Gayman drove in two runs on two hits. Aiden Brock, Parker and Gayman all hit doubles.
Webb City had a number of chances to break the game open, but the Cardinals stranded 10 runners on-base.
“We had guys on-base and we had some other chances to execute some sac bunts and we were unable to do that today,” Darnell noted. “But their lefty came in and kept us at bay. We’re going to keep working.”
A junior, Fitch was the winning pitcher. He went five innings and allowed just two runs on four hits. He struck out one and walked one.
“It was good to see his start today,” Darnell said. “Eric competed. We went hitter by hitter and Eric kept us in the game. Eric’s a competitor and it was good to see his outing.”
Noel earned the save by going the final two frames, striking out three.
“Shane definitely came into a tough situation, but Shane’s a competitor,” Darnell said. “I’m very happy with Shane. This was a good win.”
The Eagles were limited to six hits.
Piepmeier took the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Left-hander Sam Russo tossed three scoreless innings in relief.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City travels to Marshfield on Saturday for a pair of non-conference games, one against the hosts and another against Ste. Genevieve.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — A clash between state-ranked close rivals went Webb City’s way.
Ranked second in Class 5, Webb City took the lead early and added plenty of insurance late on the way to a convincing 11-5 win over sixth-ranked Carl Junction on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference baseball action.
For the Cardinals, it was a solid overall performance.
“It was a big win,” Webb City coach Flave Darnell said, noting conference and district implications. “Carl Junction just had a big win against Willard. Carl Junction is a great team. They’ve got really good pitching and we were fortunate to get some timely hits today.”
“Credit to Webb City,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “They’re athletic, they run the bases well and they put pressure on the defense. We weren’t able to stop the bleeding when we needed to early and they were. It was a learning experience for our guys.”
The Cardinals improved to 15-5 overall and 4-2 in the COC, while the Bulldogs fell to 12-6 and 3-2 COC in conference action.
Webb City’s Cole Gayman was the winning pitcher on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Getting production from up and down the batting order, Webb City scored its 11 runs on 13 hits. The Cardinals pushed across runs in four different innings and threatened in every frame.
“I thought we did some damage at the bottom of our lineup,” Darnell said, noting bunting and drawing walks were keys. “Those (7-8-9) guys have been turning the lineup over and we’ve got some guys at the top of our lineup that can do some damage. Their pitchers struck us out 10 times today, but we battled when we needed to toget guys on and put some pressure on them.”
Another key to victory was the fact that Webb City senior right-hander Cole Gayman had a stellar outing on the mound.
A Missouri Southern recruit, Gayman scattered three hits and did not allow an earned run while striking out five in 5 1/3 innings.
“I thought Cole Gayman pitched a heck of a game,” Darnell said. “He attacked the zone early. We made the defensive plays when we needed to and it was a good win.”
The Bulldogs managed just one baserunner in the first three frames and plated only a single tally against Gayman through five innings.
“Credit to Cole Gayman,” Stevenson said. “He’s an outstanding arm and he did a nice job today. He kept us off-balance. We were attacking first pitch strikes and just weren’t able to get our timing down. We had some quick innings and he was able to settle in.”
GAME RECAP
A pair of extra-base hits allowed the Cardinals to push across a single tally in the first inning, as Treghan Parker tripled to right field and later scored on Matt Woodmansee’s RBI double to left.
The visitors added three runs in the second. Eli Goddard reached on a dropped third strike and went to second on Aiden Brock’s sacrifice bunt. Jeremiah Leaming then delivered an RBI single to left. After Eric Fitch singled, he charged home on Devrin Weathers’ run-scoring triple into right-center.
Weathers later sprinted home from third on a wild pitch, giving the Cardinals a four-run cushion.
Carl Junction finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth.
Noah Southern reached on an error, stole second and went to third on another Webb City miscue. Southern scored on Dylan Eck’s bunt, beating Gayman to the plate.
The score remained 4-1 until the top of the sixth when the Cardinals erupted for five runs.
The big inning started off when Brock drew a walk, chasing Carl Junction starting pitcher Drew Beyer.
After Leaming sacrificed, Fitch and Weathers both reached on infield singles, loading the bases. Parker then lined a two-run single into right.
After Shane Noel walked, two runs crossed the plate on a CJ error.
A bunt off the bat of Gayman allowed another run to score, giving Webb City a comfortable 9-1 advantage.
“Aiden was down 0-2 in the count and he battled and battled to get a leadoff walk and that was huge,” Darnell said. “It was huge to extend the lead. It was good to see our guys come through and get timely hits when we needed it.”
Down eight runs, the Bulldogs answered with four runs in the bottom half of the sixth.
With one out, Southern walked, Alex Baker singled and then Eck reached on an error. Goddard replaced Gayman on the mound and he surrendered a bloop RBI single to Brendyn Downs.
After an out, Keaton Johnson smacked a two-run single to right. Downs later came home on a wild pitch, trimming Carl Junction’s deficit to 9-5.
Stevenson noted he was proud of his team’s resiliency.
“This group is going to compete and battle,” Stevenson said. “It would have been real easy to give up down 9-1. But our guys did a nice job of trying to put a big inning together. It was just a little too late.”
The Cardinals added two insurance runs in the seventh, as Noel and Woodmansee both contributed RBI singles before Goddard tossed a scoreless bottom half to secure the win.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Gayman earned the win. He threw 80 pitches and tossed a first pitch strike to 17 of 23 batters. Goddard went the final 1 2/3 and allowed one run on three hits while striking out one.
Seven different players had hits for Webb City.
Fitch and Weathers had three hits apiece for the Cardinals, while Parker and Woodmansee contributed two hits apiece.
Woodmansee drove in four runs, while Parker had two RBI.
Beyer took the loss, but he struck out nine while allowing six hits and five earned runs. Carson Johnson and Eck pitched in relief.
All six of Carl Junction’s hits were singles. Beyer, Southern, Baker, Eck, Downs and Keaton Johnson had one hit apiece.
NOTES: These two teams could see each other again, as the Cardinals and Bulldogs are both in Class 5’s District 6.
Both squads hit the road on Thursday, as Webb City is at Nixa and Carl Junction is at Ozark.
Webb City’s Devrin Weathers scores after a wild pitch during Tuesday’s game at Carl Junction. Weathers had three hits and the Cardinals beat the Bulldogs 11-5. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Carl Junction’s Drew Beyer delivers a pitch to the plate against Webb City. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Carl Junction’s Noah Southern reaches first base just ahead of the throw during Tuesday’s game with Webb City. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Noah Mitchell tossed six scoreless innings and the Webb City Cardinals gave him more than enough run support en route to a convincing 8-0 Central Ozark Conference win over rival Carthage on Monday at Carl Lewton Stadium.
“We’re happy to get our first COC win,” Webb City coach Flave Darnell said. “I thought Noah did a really nice job tonight. He threw strikes and our corner infielders made some good plays. We didn’t feel uncomfortable when our defense was out there because of how many strikes Noah was throwing.”
Ranked third in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Webb City hiked its record to 12-2.
A senior right-hander who pumped in strike after strike, Mitchell kept the Tigers off the scoreboard for six frames. He gave up just three hits and struck out two. Senior righty Eli Goddard struck out two in a perfect seventh.
The Cardinals, who totaled six hits, were able to get on base and make things happen with aggressive baserunning while also making the most of four Carthage errors.
“We were able to take advantage of some extra opportunities early and then their pitcher (Kaden Arr) settled down,” Darnell said. “He has a good breaking ball and he kept us off-balance. He kept us guessing. I thought their pitcher did an excellent job of settling in. We were fortunate to take advantage of those extra outs early in the game.”
Carthage received a solid outing from Arr, a junior right-hander. Arr allowed just six hits and struck out eight.
“He threw great,” Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said of Arr. “He really kept them off-balance with his off-speed pitches. I just wish we would have played better defense behind him. Those errors take a pitcher out of his rhythm and can take a team out of its rhythm. We have to shore some things up before our game at CJ tomorrow.”
Zach Geter recorded the final two outs for the Tigers (4-6). Carthage was limited to three hits, one apiece from Kanen Vogt, Caden Kabance and Sylas Browning.
“That’s a COC arm, but we should have done better,” Bordewick said. “There’s no way around it. We should have hit better.”
GAME RECAP
The Cardinals plated two runs in the first. Speedy leadoff hitter Devrin Weathers singled to right, took second on a wild pitch and then stole third. After Shane Noel walked, Weathers jogged home on Matt Woodmansee’s RBI single to right field.
Noel came home on a double steal later in the inning, giving the visitors an early two-run cushion. The Cardinals stole three bases in the first frame.
“We want to do that,” Darnell said. “We want to put pressure on the pitcher and the defense. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Webb City pushed across a single tally in the second, as Goddard singled and later scored from third on a wild pitch.
The Tigers had runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the second, but Mitchell retired two straight batters to get out of the jam.
In the third, the Cardinals scored four runs on one hit, two walks and four Carthage errors.
Cole Gayman singled and later came home on an error. After Aiden Brock and Goddard both reached on errors, Brantley Carter walked before Eric Fitch contributed a sac fly for a 5-0 lead.
Weathers walked before Treghan Parker put the ball in play, and two runs scored on an error, giving Webb City a 7-0 cushion.
The Cardinals turned a 6-3-5 double play in the fourth to maneuver out of potential trouble.
Webb City went up 8-0 in the seventh when Gayman delivered a sac fly.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Carthage is at Carl Junction on Tuesday, while Webb City is at Ozark on Thursday.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Noah Mitchell didn’t allow a baserunner after the first inning and the Webb City Cardinals pushed across multiple runs in four of five frames en route to a convincing 10-0 run-rule victory over Monett on Tuesday at Chuck Barnes Field.
The Cardinals kept their record unblemished, improving to 5-0.
“That was a really good win,” Cardinals coach Flave Darnell said. “I was a little fearful with the way the wind is that it might be a tough day to get runs. We kept the ball down and we had really good approaches in the box. That was really good to see. And I was very happy with our defense. That was the cleanest game we’ve played. And it’s a lot easier to play defense when your guy is throwing strikes. That’s a credit to Noah.”
A senior right-hander, Mitchell limited the Cubs to two baserunners, both in the first inning, as Estin McBroom singled and Tanner Wright reached on Webb City’s lone error.
“All my pitches worked, I was able to get them to roll over and get a lot of ground balls and I trust my defense to make plays,” Mitchell said. “The defense performed well behind me.”
Mitchell threw just 42 pitches, with 33 strikes. He tossed a first-pitch strike to 16 of 17 batters and got nine groundouts to go with three strikeouts and two flyouts on the way to his five-inning one-hitter.
“He threw his breaking ball well for a strike,” Darnell said. “His fastball command was better this go-around than last Monday. He was locating his pitches.”
As Darnell alluded to, Mitchell bounced back nicely after he surrendered six earned runs on eight hits in three innings last week against Republic.
“I felt good. I had more confidence today than I did the other day,” Mitchell said. “I was able to control the 0-2 pitch and place it where I wanted it. It was a good day for me.”
“It was good to see Noah come back and continue to throw strikes,” Darnell said. “I thought his location was a lot better and his off-speed was a lot better today. And we picked the ball up on defense. That was really good to see.”
Webb City scored its 10 runs on 12 hits. Each of Webb CIty’s starters recorded at least one hit. Devrin Weathers, Treghan Parker and Shane Noel had two hits apiece, while Matt Woodmansee drove in two runs.
McBroom took the loss. He allowed five earned runs in three innings. Daniel Geiss pitched the final two frames for the Cubs (2-4).
Webb City’s Noah Mitchell tossed a one-hitter against Monett on Tuesday. Photo by Jason Peake.
GAME RECAP
The Cardinals scored twice in the bottom of first, as Weathers and Parker both singled, with Weathers charging home on an error.
Noel singled, stole second and third and then came home on Cole Gayman’s RBI single to center.
The hosts added two runs in the second.
Jeremiah Leaming walked and later scored on a Monett error and Eric Fitch singled and scored on Woodmansee’s RBI groundout.
Webb City added four runs in the third to blow the game open.
Eli Goddard walked and Leaming singled. Aiden Brock drove in pinch runner Gavin Stowell with a line drive to right.
Fitch moved the runners over with a sac bunt before Leaming scored on a passed ball. Parker contributed a run-scoring groundout and Weathers later scored on a passed ball, giving the Cardinals an 8-0 advantage.
After failing to score in the fourth, Webb City ended the game by plating two runs in the fifth.
Weathers and Parker both singled to get things started. Woodmansee and Noel followed with run-scoring singles to end the game in walk-off fashion.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Cardinals are at Springfield Catholic on Thursday.
Webb City will also play two games apiece on Friday and Saturday at Glendale.
