Kennett baseball shuts out Cape Central

KENNETT – The Kennett baseball team, now 6-0, picked up its first SEMO Conference win of the season with a 7-0 shutout over the Cape Central Tigers at home Monday, March 27, 2023.

“We're off to a good start,” Kennett coach Aaron New said. “The key to the game today was Ashton Williams. He had a great pitching performance and Trey Gardner came in and closed the door. Offensively, our at bats got better as the game went on, so it was a good day to get our first SEMO Conference win of the year.”

Williams pitched 5.2 innings and allowed five hits and zero walks on 76 pitches with seven strikeouts. In relief for 1.1 innings, Gardner allowed zero hits on nine pitches and threw six strikes.

Of the Tigers' five hits on the day, Carter Crosnoe contributed two, while Cade Emmenderfer, Cole Proffer and Christian McNew each chipped in one.

“The pitching was just dominant all day long,” New said. “Ashton probably pitched as well as I've ever seen him pitch, and it was the key to the game.”

The Indians jumped to an early lead as a fly ball single by Ashton Williams brought in Tanner Pierce in the first inning. The hosts capitalized in the second inning as well, and Pierce tripled a fly ball to right field and brought John Poole home.

In total, Kennett knocked back six hits with three of those contributed by Williams. Pierce, Matthew Gardner and Hayden Gilmore each added one.

Kennett coach Aaron New high fives Tanner Pierce upon making it to third base Monday, March 26, 2023.Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

“I thought we got a couple good runs in the first in the first couple of innings, and our at bats kind of fell off,” New said. “Offensively there in the fifth, sixth and seventh, I thought we put together some good at bats against their number one guy who's really good.”

In the bottom of the fourth, Kennett's Matthew Gardner hit a line drive to right field and Colton Nevill scored. In the bottom of the fifth, Williams found home after Hayden Gilmore singled. Later in the fifth, a Cape Central error cost them a run as Poole hit a ground ball and Gilmore made it home.

In the sixth, A double by Williams brought in both Trey Gardner and Brooks Nigut rounding out Kennett's seven runs.

“You always struggle early in the season offensively,” New said. “We played well offensively today too, but if our pitching staff continues to develop and get better each time out, then we're going to have a really good club at the end of the season if we can figure it out offensively.”

Next up, Kennett travels to Nixa Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., and Cape Central travels to Windsor Wednesday with the first pitch at 4:30 p.m.