Dexter BB explodes on Poplar Bluff in season-opening rout

POPLAR BLUFF – It didn’t take long for first-year Dexter High School baseball coach Steve Edwards to make an impact with the Bearcat program.

In his first game wearing the red-and-black, ironically against Poplar Bluff, a team he managed for the past seven seasons, his Bearcats jumped all over the Mules from the opening inning and routed them 16-5 on Monday at Poplar Bluff.

“I knew Dexter had ability,” Edwards said. “But honestly, and this isn’t a cliché, but if kids want to work they buy into a culture, they believe, they show up, they put in the time and work on fundamentals, man, these Dexter Bearcats, they’re awesome.”

They certainly looked “awesome” on Monday.

Dexter (1-0) lit up Mule pitching for seven runs in the opening inning and 14 runs by the end of the third, as the game was never in doubt.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who are new to pitching,” first-year Poplar Bluff coach John David Patillo said. “We’ve got some very inexperienced guys. We’ve had some good games and we’ve had some games like this.”

The Mules (2-4) had spent a lot more time on the diamond this spring than Dexter had been able to due to an extended basketball season and inclement weather. However, it was the Bearcats, who looked sharp behind the pitching of senior Kaeden Kennedy.

“Kaeden is just a grinder,” Edwards said. “He’s worked hard. In the off-season, (the players) bought into it. They were there. They wanted to get better.”

Kennedy was coming off a knee injury that ended his senior football season prematurely, but he looked strong on the mound against the Mules.

Kennedy, who will catch for Mineral Area Community College next year, threw three innings and allowed just two hits and as many earned runs.

“He’s a stud catcher,” Edwards said, “but I thought he did a great job on the mound. His legs were no problem. He was ready to go.”

The victory over Poplar Bluff snapped a 13-game losing streak by Dexter to the Mules, which stretched over 11 years.

The last time Dexter beat Poplar Bluff on the diamond was a 13-5 win in the 2012 SEMO Conference Tournament.

“Before practice and after practice,” Edwards said of this team, “they are grinding and they talk baseball. They want to know baseball.”

Interestingly enough, the Bearcats scored 16 runs in their 2022 season-opening win over Clearwater but hadn’t produced that much offense since.

“They are excited about baseball,” Edwards said.

Dexter hasn’t had a winning season in a decade, but early indications are that this group has the potential to do so.

Poplar Bluff already has wins over Neelyville (14-4) and Cape Central (8-7).

“The good thing is,” Patillo said, “is that the kids have continued to come out here and battle. They did not seem to get too down about (the quick deficit).”

Bearcat sophomore Beau Carrier worked the final three innings and allowed five hits and two earned runs while walking one and striking out one.

Senior Cole Nichols, who got hit by a Mule throw three times, paced his team offensively with two hits while scoring four runs.

Dexter sophomore Nolan Alford also got hit by three pitches, while scoring two runs, walking once, and driving in two runs.

Bearcat junior Ryan Young (one hit, two runs, three RBI, three walks), Kennedy (one hit, one RBI), Carrier (one hit, one run, one walk), Gibson Booker (one hit, three runs, one RBI, two walks), Brock Wyman (one hit, two runs, two RBI), Fisher Menly (one RBI, one run, one walk), Logan Jelinek (one hit, one RBI), and James Howard (one hit, one run, two RBI, two walks) also produced in the victory.

The Mules used five pitchers with senior Kayson King faring the best.

King worked 1 2/3 innings and allowed two hits, no earned runs while striking out one.

Poplar Bluff freshman Marcus Tabenera led his team with two hits, while Dylan Hall (one run, one walk), Kolby Greenwall (one run, one hit), Bennett Lacy (one hit), King (one hit, two runs, one RBI, one walk), Noah Spain (three RBI, one hit, one run), Dylan Bratcher (one hit), and Myles Johnson (two walks) also contributed.

Poplar Bluff will visit Naylor (2-0) today at 4:30 p.m.

Dexter will host 2022 MSHSAA Class 3 state runner-up Portageville today at 4 p.m.