SEMO SOUTH WINS REGIONAL OPENER

LINCOLN, Neb. -- SEMO South opened the 1998 Junior Babe Ruth Regional Tournament in winning form Saturday, defeating the Iowa State Champions 12-3 in a first-round game.

Trey Graviett led SEMO South (8-0), a collection of 13-year-old Babe Ruth players from four Southeast Missouri communities, both on the mound and at the plate.

Graviett pitched five innings to collect the win and went 3-for-5 at the plate with two doubles and five RBIs. Graviett struck out five and allowed six hits.

Major Burger added two hits and two RBIs as SEMO South finished with 10 hits overall. They will play the Nebraska State Champions today at 10 a.m. in a winners' bracket semifinal.

Trailing 2-0, SEMO South scored three runs in the top of the third. After Iowa tied the score 3-3 in the bottom of the frame, SEMO South scored nine unanswered runs. They scored three in the fifth, four in the sixth and two in the seventh.