No question - Sikeston wins big in league championship game

New topic please.

Sikeston has closed the debate over who's the best team in the SEMO Conference in its last two games.

Its closing argument was a 17-0, five-inning defeat of Jackson in the championship game of the SEMO Conference Tournament on Monday at Capaha Field.

The verdict was rendered against a team that won nine of its last 10 games, and just two days after Sikeston reached the title game behind a no-hit performance by Chris Cota over Dexter.

Sikeston, the third seed, overwhelmed fourth-seeded Jackson (12-5) from leadoff batter Adam Garrett's ringing double down the left-field line, signaling the start of a nine-run first inning, to Lance Rhodes' strikeout of Brendan Jones to end the game.

Sikeston, last year's Class 3A state runnerup, banged out 14 hits to just two for Jackson with six going for extra bases. The Bulldogs chased Indians starter Josh Parham (4-1) in the first inning and chased his replacement, Josh Snell, in the second, sending 13 batters to the plate in each inning and jumping out to a 16-0 lead. The Indians used four pitchers in the five-inning game and were helped by Sikeston's liberal substitution that began in the third inning.

"It just wasn't our day," Jackson coach Sam Sides said. "You hate to see that happen in the championship game, but that's life."

The win was the 11th consecutive for Sikeston (16-2), which started six sophomores and three seniors. In claiming the title, the Bulldogs also avenged their only two losses of the season with wins over Central and Jackson.

"I never saw us hit like that before," said Rhodes, one of the Bulldogs' talented sophomores after picking up his second win of the tournament. Rhodes, a right-hander, improved to 6-0, striking out three and walking two.

"We hit up and down the lineup," Sikeston coach Kevin Self said. "We hit the ball probably as hard as we've hit it all season."

The top three batters in the order -- Garrett, a senior, and sophomores Blake DeWitt and Jacob Priday -- were particularly damaging. The three went a collective 8-for-10, drove in 11 runs and scored eight runs. Garrett and Priday each had a pair of doubles while DeWitt had a triple. DeWitt, who plays third base, finished with five RBIs and Priday, the Bulldogs catcher, had four to run his team-leading RBI total to 28.

Jackson rallied for a 10-9 victory over Sikeston in the previous meeting.

"Sikeston, the last four or five years, has swung the bats as well as anyone," Sides said. "The last time we beat them, but we had to score double figures to do it. They can hit the ball. You just hope they hit it at someone and you don't many any errors."

Priday, the No. 3 hitter, provided the only runs Rhodes needed with a two-run double in the first. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Rhodes, the second out of the inning, for a 3-0 advantage. Parham never attained the third out as he surrendered a two-run double to the following batter, Nathan Eaves, hit Scott Keenan and then surrendered another two-run double to Garrett. A DeWitt RBI single made the score 8-0 and ended Parham's evening. Priday greeted Snell with an RBI triple for a 9-0 lead before Jamie Puckett was retired on a flyball to center.

Jackson's offense on the night consisted of singles by Bryan Austin and Trevor Thompson in the first two innings.

jbreer@semissourian.com

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