Poplar Bluff baseball team edges out conference win over Cape Central

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Kameron Misner and the Poplar Bluff baseball team flashed some leather to stay unbeaten in SEMO Conference play.

The senior center fielder made a pair of diving catches, one to end an inning and save a pair of runs, as the host Mules beat Cape Central 5-2 on Saturday.

"Two incredible catches," starting pitcher Tanner Tibbs said. "Then we had infield with lots of ground balls -- good effort all around."

The Mules (16-3, 4-0 SEMO) broke a tie in the fourth by loading the bases to start the inning. A pair of RBI groundouts by Austin McIntosh and Ross Rushin sandwiched a throwing error on a pick-off attempt that allowed a run to score.

It appeared Justin Vaught had given Cape Central (8-6, 2-2) the lead in the top of the fourth when the senior sent a two-out liner into the right-field gap. Instead, Misner made a diving catch running in.

Central third baseman Jacquen Cummins puts a late tag on Poplar Bluff's Austin McIntosh who advanced on an pick-off attempt error in the fourth inning during a SEMO Conference game Saturday, April 16, 2016, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. (DAILY AMERICAN REPUBLIC/Brian Rosener)

"Oh wow, he played lights out," Mules coach Steven Edwards said. "That shows his ability to read the ball off the bat, and he's not going to let anything down. He's going to lay all out, do what it takes to win the game."

It certainly changed the momentum.

"He never let off the throttle," Central coach Tatum Kitchen said. "If it dropped, we score two and we're up 3-1 and that changes everything.

"He made a great play."

Joe Darlin followed it with a line-drive single up the middle to start the bottom of the fourth. Trevor Fredwell laid a bunt down the third-base line and Dalton Cooper did the same to load the bases.

Poplar Bluff's Dalton Cooper dives back into second base as Cape Central's Kaleb Ward catches a pick-off attempt Saturday in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.Brian Rosener ~ Daily American Republic

"We laid down two amazing bunts and we cashed in some runs," Edwards said.

Kitchen said he thought bunts might roll faster on the artificial turf.

"It kind of changed my perception of thinking," he said. "Boy, they did a very good job of handling it."

After a force out at second allowed a run to score and break the tie, a throwing error on a pick-off attempt made it 3-1, and the runner moved from first to third. With the infield in, Rushin hit a hard grounder to short, but instead of throwing home, he took the out at first to give the Mules a 4-1 lead.

Poplar Bluff scored in the first when Misner tripled into the left-field gap. After a walk and a strikeout, courtesy runner Michael Anagnstopoulos took off for second base and drew a pick-off throw, getting in a rundown long enough for Misner to score.

"We had an early break called and it worked," Edwards said. "That's exciting when that happens that way."

Tibbs (5-0) needed just 74 pitches for the complete-game win. He walked one and struck out the last two batters after 10 ground-ball outs and nine flyouts.

Tibbs said he struggled to get bite on his curveball and went to the bullpen as the Mules batted early to work it out. His only two strikeouts came in the seventh with both hitters looking at strike three.

"I think it helped," Tibbs said. "Over the last inning, it came back to me."

The junior lefty retired 11 of the first 12 before consecutive singles with two outs in the fourth.

Ryan Tegel's grounder to the left side was bobbled by the third baseman, allowing Jacquen Cummins to tie it. Vaught sent a 3-1 pitch into the gap in right that Misner ran down.

"That was incredible," Tibbs said. "I was thanking him when we got back in the dugout. I gave him a hug."

Central got a double by Brock Baugher to start the sixth. He scored on a single through a drawn-in infield by Clayton Reynolds, but the Tigers trailed 5-2.

Baugher had two of Central's four hits.

Poplar Bluff added a run in the fifth on Fredwell's two-out RBI single over the glove of a leaping second baseman.

Central starter Nicholas Wiggs struck out three, walked two and hit Jared Moses twice in front of Misner. He gave up four hits in 4 1/3 innings, leading to three earned runs.

"Nick wasn't very sharp but he made some big pitches," Kitchen said. "The big inning, of course, was the bunts."