Missourian Diamond Roundup, Apr. 27: Jackson downs Kennett in conference semis

In a replay of last week's tight finish in Kennett, Jackson jumped on its Indians counterpart in the SEMO Conference semifinals to headline a fun Saturday in Southeast Missouri.

Jackson scored five runs in the first two innings to advance to its third consecutive SEMO Conference final, to be played against Dexter.

__BB: Jackson 6, Kennett 2__

Fueled by a fast start offensively, Jackson (20-6) got the best of Kennett at home despite some slow middle innings for both sides.

Led by the two hits of Cooper Rhodes, and a double from Adler Flinn, the Indians' five hits were more than enough to down Kennett in a rematch of the past two title games.

Adrian Fox got the win on the mound, throwing four innings without an earned run, allowing just one hit on five walks while striking out seven.

John Poole, Kaiden Prewett and Owen Williams each singled for Kennett, but paired with eight walks drawn and another two hit-by-pitches, the production was limited to just two runs.

__BB: Kelly 5, East Carter 0__

In the first of two games on Saturday, Kelly (10-10) finally got back to .500 with a dominant victory over East Carter at home.

Scoring three runs in the second after a one-run first, the Hawks got most of their production done early and rode great pitching to the winner.

Ross Peters' three hits – a double and two singles – drove in a run to lead Kelly's offense while Avery Wolsey added two singles behind him.

Kaleb Yount led the RBI category with two, singling once while drawing a walk to finish his day with a pair of runs brought in.

Brandon Herrion threw seven scoreless, allowing three hits and a hit-by-pitch but nothing more, striking out five batters.

__BB: Sikeston 8, Cape Central 7__

If you read Tom Davis' column and wrote off the Sikeston Bulldogs even after reading it, this one is for you.

Those streaking Bulldogs got a big win on Saturday, taking down Cape Central (8-19) in a shootout.

The Bulldogs grabbed the lead for good when Peyton Mitchell's ground ball got him on with a two-out infield error by Central in the top of the seventh.

Christian McNew had a heck of a day for Central with two hits, both for doubles, driving in a pair while Brayden Meade added two singles behind him for three RBIs.

Luke Gadberry led the charge for Sikeston, tripling with a pair of singles for three hits, driving in two runs while Keane Atkins Jr. tied him there with three singles for another two runs.

__BB: Kelly 4, Van Buren 2__

In the second game of a Kelly (10-10) doubleheader, it was another three-run inning, this time in the fourth, that launched the Hawks past Van Buren.

Nicholas Christian got a pair of hits, both singles, to lead the Kelly offense while Kaleb Yount notched the Hawks' only RBI of the game with a single.

The Hawks won their second game of the day while only scoring nine runs across both games, relying heavily on strong pitching to get it to the win column.

Spoiler Alert: It did.

Ross Peters got the win on the mound, throwing seven innings while allowing just five hits and two walks, striking out eight and finishing without an earned run.

__BB: Notre Dame 11, New Madrid County Central 0__

Notre Dame dominated New Madrid County Central 11-0 in five innings to advance to the fifth-place game of the SEMO Conference Tournament on Saturday at Cape Central High School.

Logan Landewee went 3-for-3 with a triple and one RBI. Channing Pattengill and Jake Jansen each drove in two runs for the Bulldogs.

An RBI single by TJ Bolen sparked a four-run first inning for the Bulldogs, who later scored seven runs in the second inning to put themselves in position for the run rule.

Lawson Mills got the start for Notre Dame. He went four hitless innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Nicholas Gaeta came in relief for the final inning.

First baseman BJ Waters got the only hit for New Madrid.

Footnote

The Southeast Missourian newspaper coverage area is comprised of 20 teams: Advance, Bell City, Cape Central, Chaffee, Delta, Eagle Ridge, Jackson, Kelly, Leopold, Marquand, Meadow Heights, Notre Dame, Oak Ridge, Oran, Perryville, Saxony Lutheran, Scott City, St. Vincent, Woodland and Zalma.

To submit a box score, or to get in contact with our team, please reach out to us via email at preps@semoball.com. Our goal is to get your team in the paper.