Grandview pulls shocker against Bulldogs, Bismarck advances
By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer
Daily Journal Sports Writer
May 14, 2008 - 08:00:31 CDT
LEADWOOD — One year after a remarkable post-season run culminated at the Class 2 final four in Springfield, the top-seeded West County baseball team failed to advance past the opening round of district play at its home field on Monday.
Senior Alex Britton capped a 2-for-2 day with a decisive RBI single that scored Steve Rustemeyer with two outs in the seventh inning, and the eighth-seeded Grandview Eagles completed a shocking 6-5 upset in the Class 2, District 4 Tournament.
Despite managing just four hits in the contest, the defending-champion Bulldogs had a golden final chance to salvage victory after two errors and a hit batsman sparked a one-out rally.
Jake Gidden earned a walk to load the bases after a 3-2 foul pop was dropped, but reliever Robby Allen induced a pivotal fielder’s choice at home plate before retiring Trevor Kean on a flyout to preserve the win.
Grandview never trailed in claiming only its third win of the season. Allen scored two runs following a pair of singles and Gary Britton went 2-for-2 to pace the Eagles (3-11), who will meet Steelville today in the semifinal round.
Both defenses turned two double plays with the most critical one favoring the underdogs in the fourth inning. Freshman Stephen Capranaca made a running catch in left field, then fired a perfect one-hopper to cut down a runner at home, keeping the score tied at 2-2.
Grandview responded at the plate with three runs during the top of the fifth against Kean, grabbing its third lead of the game on a RBI double from Gabe Mahn that was briefly misjudged in the outfield.
Tempers rose and words were exchanged between the teams following a collision on a fielder’s choice near the plate between Eagles pitcher Gary Britton and Bulldogs catcher Brad Hopkins. Britton initiated contact without attempting to slide, and was immediately ejected by rule.
A West County error prolonged the choatic inning as Mahn scored from second base. Nick Robinson was later plunked with the bases loaded for a 5-2 advantage.
The Bulldogs promptly rallied for three runs in their fifth after capitalizing on two Grandview miscues. Hopkins shrunk the deficit with a RBI single to left, and a wild throw during a rundown enabled the tying run to score.
Grandview started the scoring on three consecutive singles to begin the action, and tallied another run on a Matt Newborn single in the second.
Kyle Nettles singled home Tyler Stacy for West County (15-7) in the opening frame, and collected his second RBI on a sacrifice fly during the third. Stacy finished with a double and three runs scored.
Ethan Sitton singled and suffered the loss after striking out five over 2 2/3 innings of relief.
Grandview 110 030 1 - 6 9 4
West County 101 030 0 - 5 4 3
WP - Allen 1 2/3i 0r 0h 0k 1bb.
LP - Sitton 2 2/3i 2r 1er 2h 5k 2bb.
Hitting:
Grandview - G Britton 2-2, Allen 2-3, A Britton 2-4, Newborn 1-3, Mahn 1-4, Capranica 1-4. 2b - Mahn.
West County - Nettles 1-2, Sitton 1-4, Hopkins 1-4, Sitton 1-4. 2b - Stacy.
Bismarck 10, Belle 3
LEADWOOD — Sophomore Levi Barton pitched six solid innings, and five Bismarck batters produced multiple-hit efforts on Monday in a convincing 10-3 triumph over Belle.
Barton racked up 10 strikeouts and scattered six hits while walking two for the win. He also finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI at the plate for the sixth-seeded Indians, who will battle Bourbon today in the semifinals.
Jake Zehrt went 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored, while Matt Franklin finished 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Eric Grundmann and Cody Goodson each added two singles, and D.J. McCarty reached base four times for Bismarck (6-12).
The Indians broke open a 2-2 game by erupting for five runs in the fourth inning. Alex Politte started the rally with a lead-off single before scoring on a RBI hit from Grundmann. Franklin widened the margin with a triple to the left-center wall, and Zehrt guided a two-run single to right-center for a 6-2 lead.
Bismarck put the outcome farther out of reach with three tallies in the sixth, highlighted by a blistered two-run single from Barton, and finished with 12 hits overall.
Doubles by Zehrt and Barton quickly opened the scoring in the first inning, and McCarty was awarded home plate on a balk for a 2-0 lead in the third.
Belle (6-9), which stranded a total of 10 men on base, battled back to draw even during the home half of the third, as Nick Daugherty followed a RBI double from pitcher Zach Dentlage with a game-tying single.
Daugherty finished 3-for-4 and Craig Bickell was 2-for-3 to lead the Tigers. Dentlage allowed seven runs and fanned six over 3 1/3 innings in the loss.
Bismarck 101 503 0 - 10 12 1
Belle 002 000 1 - 3 9 2
WP - Barton 6i 2r 6h 10k 2bb.
LP - Dentlage 3 1/3i 7r 9h 6k 2bb.
Hitting:
Bismarck - Barton 3-4, Franklin 2-3, Zehrt 2-4, Grundmann 2-4, Goodson 2-4, Politte 1-4. 2b - Barton 2, Zehrt. 3b - Franklin.
Belle - N Daugherty 3-4, Bickell 2-3, Butts 1-2, Dentlage 1-4, Medlock 1-4. 2b - Dentlage.
Bourbon 10, Arcadia Valley 0
LEADWOOD — Bourbon pitcher Colby Stack overpowered the Arcadia Valley opposing hitters on Monday, and the second-seeded Warhawks cruised to a 10-0 victory in the Class 2, District 4 quarterfinals.
Stack recorded 11 strikeouts without a walk, and allowed just two hits in the five-inning shutout. He also added two hits and three RBI at the plate, including a two-run double in the fourth inning that put Bourbon ahead 5-0.
Jeremy Rosemann, who also finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI, slammed a two-run double during a five-run fifth that helped the Warhawks (14-1) invoke the 10-run mercy rule. Brandon Orr and Seth Sheets were each 1-for-1 with two walks in the victory.
Senior Luch Laird had both Arcadia Valley hits, going 2-for-2 with a double on the night. Laird suffered the loss on the mound, posting eight strikeouts while walking eight. The Tigers ended their season at 3-15 overall.
Arcadia Valley 000 00 - 0 2 2
Bourbon 120 25 - 10 8 0
WP - Stack 5i 0r 2h 11k 0bb.
LP - Laird 5i 10r 9er 8h 8k 8bb.
Hitting:
Arcadia Valley - Laird 2-2. 2b - Laird.
Bourbon - Rosemann 2-3, Stack 2-3, Orr 1-2, Sheets 1-1, King 1-2, Ferris 1-3. 2b - Rosemann, Sheets, Stack.
Steelville 6, Kingston 1
STEELVILLE, Mo. — The Kingston Cougars managed just four hits overall and surrendered four unearned runs in a season-ending 6-1 loss to Steelville on Monday.
Senior Shawn Henry singled and scored the lone Kingston run on a RBI single from Nathan Boyer. Frankie Guenther and Aaron Ross also picked up hits for the Cougars, who finished with a 5-12 record.
Boyer struck out eight batters and allowed only five hits in the complete-game loss. Steelville will face Grandview today at Frankclay Field.
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Senior Alex Britton capped a 2-for-2 day with a decisive RBI single that scored Steve Rustemeyer with two outs in the seventh inning, and the eighth-seeded Grandview Eagles completed a shocking 6-5 upset in the Class 2, District 4 Tournament.
Despite managing just four hits in the contest, the defending-champion Bulldogs had a golden final chance to salvage victory after two errors and a hit batsman sparked a one-out rally.
Jake Gidden earned a walk to load the bases after a 3-2 foul pop was dropped, but reliever Robby Allen induced a pivotal fielder’s choice at home plate before retiring Trevor Kean on a flyout to preserve the win.
Grandview never trailed in claiming only its third win of the season. Allen scored two runs following a pair of singles and Gary Britton went 2-for-2 to pace the Eagles (3-11), who will meet Steelville today in the semifinal round.
Both defenses turned two double plays with the most critical one favoring the underdogs in the fourth inning. Freshman Stephen Capranaca made a running catch in left field, then fired a perfect one-hopper to cut down a runner at home, keeping the score tied at 2-2.
Grandview responded at the plate with three runs during the top of the fifth against Kean, grabbing its third lead of the game on a RBI double from Gabe Mahn that was briefly misjudged in the outfield.
Tempers rose and words were exchanged between the teams following a collision on a fielder’s choice near the plate between Eagles pitcher Gary Britton and Bulldogs catcher Brad Hopkins. Britton initiated contact without attempting to slide, and was immediately ejected by rule.
A West County error prolonged the choatic inning as Mahn scored from second base. Nick Robinson was later plunked with the bases loaded for a 5-2 advantage.
The Bulldogs promptly rallied for three runs in their fifth after capitalizing on two Grandview miscues. Hopkins shrunk the deficit with a RBI single to left, and a wild throw during a rundown enabled the tying run to score.
Grandview started the scoring on three consecutive singles to begin the action, and tallied another run on a Matt Newborn single in the second.
Kyle Nettles singled home Tyler Stacy for West County (15-7) in the opening frame, and collected his second RBI on a sacrifice fly during the third. Stacy finished with a double and three runs scored.
Ethan Sitton singled and suffered the loss after striking out five over 2 2/3 innings of relief.
Grandview 110 030 1 - 6 9 4
West County 101 030 0 - 5 4 3
WP - Allen 1 2/3i 0r 0h 0k 1bb.
LP - Sitton 2 2/3i 2r 1er 2h 5k 2bb.
Hitting:
Grandview - G Britton 2-2, Allen 2-3, A Britton 2-4, Newborn 1-3, Mahn 1-4, Capranica 1-4. 2b - Mahn.
West County - Nettles 1-2, Sitton 1-4, Hopkins 1-4, Sitton 1-4. 2b - Stacy.
Bismarck 10, Belle 3
LEADWOOD — Sophomore Levi Barton pitched six solid innings, and five Bismarck batters produced multiple-hit efforts on Monday in a convincing 10-3 triumph over Belle.
Barton racked up 10 strikeouts and scattered six hits while walking two for the win. He also finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI at the plate for the sixth-seeded Indians, who will battle Bourbon today in the semifinals.
Jake Zehrt went 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored, while Matt Franklin finished 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Eric Grundmann and Cody Goodson each added two singles, and D.J. McCarty reached base four times for Bismarck (6-12).
The Indians broke open a 2-2 game by erupting for five runs in the fourth inning. Alex Politte started the rally with a lead-off single before scoring on a RBI hit from Grundmann. Franklin widened the margin with a triple to the left-center wall, and Zehrt guided a two-run single to right-center for a 6-2 lead.
Bismarck put the outcome farther out of reach with three tallies in the sixth, highlighted by a blistered two-run single from Barton, and finished with 12 hits overall.
Doubles by Zehrt and Barton quickly opened the scoring in the first inning, and McCarty was awarded home plate on a balk for a 2-0 lead in the third.
Belle (6-9), which stranded a total of 10 men on base, battled back to draw even during the home half of the third, as Nick Daugherty followed a RBI double from pitcher Zach Dentlage with a game-tying single.
Daugherty finished 3-for-4 and Craig Bickell was 2-for-3 to lead the Tigers. Dentlage allowed seven runs and fanned six over 3 1/3 innings in the loss.
Bismarck 101 503 0 - 10 12 1
Belle 002 000 1 - 3 9 2
WP - Barton 6i 2r 6h 10k 2bb.
LP - Dentlage 3 1/3i 7r 9h 6k 2bb.
Hitting:
Bismarck - Barton 3-4, Franklin 2-3, Zehrt 2-4, Grundmann 2-4, Goodson 2-4, Politte 1-4. 2b - Barton 2, Zehrt. 3b - Franklin.
Belle - N Daugherty 3-4, Bickell 2-3, Butts 1-2, Dentlage 1-4, Medlock 1-4. 2b - Dentlage.
Bourbon 10, Arcadia Valley 0
LEADWOOD — Bourbon pitcher Colby Stack overpowered the Arcadia Valley opposing hitters on Monday, and the second-seeded Warhawks cruised to a 10-0 victory in the Class 2, District 4 quarterfinals.
Stack recorded 11 strikeouts without a walk, and allowed just two hits in the five-inning shutout. He also added two hits and three RBI at the plate, including a two-run double in the fourth inning that put Bourbon ahead 5-0.
Jeremy Rosemann, who also finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI, slammed a two-run double during a five-run fifth that helped the Warhawks (14-1) invoke the 10-run mercy rule. Brandon Orr and Seth Sheets were each 1-for-1 with two walks in the victory.
Senior Luch Laird had both Arcadia Valley hits, going 2-for-2 with a double on the night. Laird suffered the loss on the mound, posting eight strikeouts while walking eight. The Tigers ended their season at 3-15 overall.
Arcadia Valley 000 00 - 0 2 2
Bourbon 120 25 - 10 8 0
WP - Stack 5i 0r 2h 11k 0bb.
LP - Laird 5i 10r 9er 8h 8k 8bb.
Hitting:
Arcadia Valley - Laird 2-2. 2b - Laird.
Bourbon - Rosemann 2-3, Stack 2-3, Orr 1-2, Sheets 1-1, King 1-2, Ferris 1-3. 2b - Rosemann, Sheets, Stack.
Steelville 6, Kingston 1
STEELVILLE, Mo. — The Kingston Cougars managed just four hits overall and surrendered four unearned runs in a season-ending 6-1 loss to Steelville on Monday.
Senior Shawn Henry singled and scored the lone Kingston run on a RBI single from Nathan Boyer. Frankie Guenther and Aaron Ross also picked up hits for the Cougars, who finished with a 5-12 record.
Boyer struck out eight batters and allowed only five hits in the complete-game loss. Steelville will face Grandview today at Frankclay Field.