SEMO Pirates clinch top seed at Sr. Babe Ruth State Tournament

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Dominant pitching and explosive offense continued for a second straight day for the SEMO Pirates at the Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament.

Fresh off a 10-0 five-inning run-rule win against the Charleston AA Squirrels on Tuesday, the Pirates beat the Missouri Rage 11-0 in seven innings Wednesday.

The result, combined with the result of the day's evening contest, gives the Pirates the No. 1 seed entering the bracket portion of the nine-team tournament.

"We took care of what we had to take care of," Pirates coach Tyler Trover said.

Tyler McLevain followed up Brock Beacham's Tuesday night pitching gem with a two-hit complete game shutout against the Rage.

"I knew we needed a shutout so we could have a shot to secure the No. 1 seed," said McLevain, who will be a sophomore at Three Rivers College. "I wanted to do everything I could to help my teammates out and was able to go out there and do my job today."

Dawson Mayo, a rising senior at Advance, kept the Rage within striking distance most of the way. Mayo allowed a single run in five of the six innings he pitched, but never allowed multiple runs.

"Dawson Mayo threw a good game and deserved better," Rage coach Jim Talley said. "He gave up one earned run and was down 5-0. We didn't play defense for him, and their defense made the plays. Defensively, they were sound and we kicked it around. That was the difference in the game."

The Pirates padded thir 5-0 lead to double digits when they added six runs in the top of the seventh inning.

"I've been waiting for us to break out like that for a while now," Trover said. "Some of our offensive struggles are a by-product of not playing for a while with so many days off because of rain, and some of it is guys getting in a little bit of a slump. But we finally got things going late, and the approach we took that last inning is the approach we should take all the time."

The Rage managed just two hits off of Cooter graduate McLevain -- a one-out double in the second inning by No. 5 hitter Trent Pobst and a one-out single in third by No. 9 hitter Derek Elfrink.

"He's one of the best pitchers in the area," Talley said about McLevain. "He was as solid as you could be."

Nine Pirates hitters recorded a hit and seven recorded an RBI

The Pirates' Nate Finney finished 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI singles.

"I've felt really comfortable the last couple games hitting," Finney said. "They've thrown me what I've been looking for most of the time, and I've been able to put good swings on it. As a team, we've been hitting well all year. We've got some really good hitters on this team. Even the hitters we have coming off the bench can hit. There is really nobody on this team that cannot hit."

Garret Reynolds finished 2-for-4 with one RBI, Wyatt Elldridge finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, McLevain went 2-for-3 and Pirates No. 9 hitter Tyler Essner went 2-for-4 with one RBI.

Riley Hickerson had an RBI double and Austin Bucher collected an RBI single, while Brock Beacham brought home a run when he grounded out as a pinch hitter in the sixth.

"That's what we want," Trover said. "A recipe for success is having a team that can contribute up and down the lineup. If you can consistently put the ball in play, you have a chance."

McLevain struck out six and walked two in seven innings. The right-handed hurler said he feels good about taking to the hill again in the final rounds of bracket play Saturday.

"I've got to rest up and ice up a little bit," McLevain said. "But my arm feels fine right now and I'll do whatever I can to help the team this weekend."

The Rage concludes pool play at 10:30 a.m. today against Charleston AA.

"We've just got to regroup, get our heads on right and come out and play some solid baseball," Talley said.

The Pirates are off today and will start bracket play at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the No. 8 seed.

"It's nice because we can get some cuts in Thursday and go over some things we may not be doing well," Trover said. "If you nitpick enough you can find something you need to work on and we are going to break things down for the guys that have been struggling Thursday to see if we cannot get them right and come back Friday ready to compete."

In Wednesday's late game, the Charleston Fighting Squirrels overcame an early deficit and a rain delay to defeat Arcadia Valley 10-3, securing the No. 2 seed in bracket play.

The quarterfinal winners play in semifinals Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The championship follows Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Hillhouse Park.

Pirates 101 111 6 -- 11 14 0

Rage 000 000 0 -- 0 2 3

WP -- Tyler McLevain. LP -- Dawson Mayo. 2B - Trent Pobst (MR), Riley Hickerson (SP), Dee Triplett (SP), Peyton Faulkner (SP), Wyatt Elldridge (SP). Multiple hits--- SEMO Pirates: Garret Reynolds 2-4, Elldridge 2-3, Nate Finney 2-4, Tyler McLevain 2-3, Tyler Essner 2-4.