Dexter rallies past Dons in district opener

MALDEN — In the last 10 seasons, the Dexter Bearcats have only won their opening game in the Class 4 District 1 Tournament twice, but both of those wins have came in the last few seasons.

One of those wins was Friday, as Dexter used timely hitting and solid pitching to take down Doniphan 7-4 in the district opener.

The win pits the Bearcats against top-seeded Notre Dame as the two will battle Monday in Dexter.

With his team down 3-1 heading to the top of the fourth, Dexter coach Steven Edwards told his team it was time to get going instead of waiting until the final couple of innings, something they’ve done at times during the season.

The Bearcats respond with six runs in the next four innings to get the win over the Dons.

“We have the mindset that we’re going to win,” Edwards said. “That’s the thing. The fact that it’s the first win in a long time in districts, we’re going to keep that and go on because we believe that we can win any game. As long as the guys come to play, put the ball in play, be fundamentally strong, we’re going to be in it.”

Dexter scored the first run of the game in the top of the first but Doniphan responded with two in the bottom of the frame and another in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead after three.

Bearcat sophomore Beau Carrier was given the nod for Dexter in the pivotal game, a move he found out about on Thursday.

“I was going to have to get prepared for the game. I knew they were going to come out here and hit the ball,” he said. “I was going to have to try my best and win for the team.”

Carrier did just that as he went 6 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on nine hits while striking out four.

“He believes in himself and the team believes in him,” Edwards said of his sophomore starter. “He works hard. Coming out of that first inning, Coach (Justin) Harwell, the pitching coach, and I sat there and talked to Beau a few minutes and we made a little bit of an adjustment there and he settled down. He’s not going to get frustrated with himself, he’s not going to get mad about his performance or if someone did something else on the team. He’s not going to let that bother him. He’s going to be consistent the whole time. That’s what the whole team is about.”

When asked what helped Carrier bounce back after a rocky first, he immediately went to his teammates.

“Kids behind me,” Carrier said. “They were really talking to me, lifting me up and getting me to work ahead of everybody and letting me know that they’re behind me and they were going to play make plays for me. The coaches, they did well. They tweaked a little bit of things with my fastball and curveball and it helped me finish the game.”

Trailing 3-1 in the top of the fourth, Kaeden Kennedy delivered a double to left center to tie the game at 3-3 after four.

Dexter added another in the fifth to take its last lead it would need in the game.

“I’m extremely happy with that win,” Edwards said. “We were down 3-1 and we didn’t put our head down. Adversity hit us in the face and we bounced back and we didn’t give up and we fought back.”

Edwards said multiple players stepped up and it’s a testament to their mindset.

“They want to be the guy in the box,” he said. “They want to be the guy on the mound. They want to be the guy that makes the play. They’re looking to be part of the game and be in the game.”

Kennedy, Ryan Young, Cole Nichols, Nolan Alford and Brock Wyman each finished with a pair of hits for the Bearcats while Young, Alford and Gibson Booker added RBIs in the victory.

Doniphan was led by Keaton Kepley, Emmitt Jones and Benjamin Killian as all three finished with multiple hits in the game. Jones and Killian each had an RBI for the Dons as they finished the season at 11-13.

Dexter moves on to the Class 4, District 1 Tournament semifinals where the Bearcats will take on Notre Dame at 4 p.m. Monday in Dexter.

“A win is a win and here we go to the next round,” Edwards said.