Sikeston pounds out 14-1 victory over Jackson

Sikeston's Cullen DeHart missed a potential game-winning home run by a matter of inches the last time the Bulldogs faced Jackson.

On Thursday, DeHart kept one fair to stake the Bulldogs to the early lead in a 14-1 thrashing of Jackson on Monday at Legion Field.

"Once we got started, everything started rolling after that," said DeHart, whose bid for a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh hooked just foul at Sikeston's VFW Stadium in mid-April, allowing the Indians to escape with a 5-3 SEMO Conference win.

Sikeston (17-5) left nothing to chance on Jackson's senior day, applying pressure to the regular-season conference champions early with four first-inning runs before a single putout.

Leadoff hitter J.R. Bizzell singled to center against Jackson starter Kyle Brown. Following a walk to Richard Landers, the left-handed hitting DeHart teed off on a belt-high fastball, easily clearing the right-field fence for a 3-0 lead.

Tyler Baker doubled and scored on sophomore Josh Jackson's RBI single to center.

It was the first of five RBIs for Jackson, who was 3-for-4, including a two-run homer.

Bizzell matched Jackson's three hits to lead the Bulldogs' 13-hit attack. DeHart and Baker added two hits apiece.

Brown held Sikeston scoreless through the second and third innings, then reliever Joel Penrod tossed two scoreless innings.

The Indians (16-3) put runners on first and second in the third inning, but a putout on an interference call on attempted bunt slowed the rally. With the bases loaded, a 5-5-3 double play got the Bulldogs and starting pitcher Ross Merideth out of the jam.

"I was kind of disappointed the way we came out, as far as mental focus, hitting-wise," Jackson coach Rex Crosnoe said, "but Merideth and DeHart are good throwers and I don't want to take anything away from them. They had us off balance all day long."

Merideth went five innings for the win, allowing one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks. DeHart mopped up with two scoreless, no-hit innings with four strikeouts and one walk.

"They saw our best, and I thought both of our pitchers did a good job of mixing pitches and staying down and our defense played well when they had to," Sikeston coach Kevin Self said.

Jackson was hitless until the fourth inning, then finally pushed across its lone run in the fifth, but Sikeston's Self was still a bit uncomfortable with the slim 4-1 lead.

"They had an opportunity and scored; and I know from experience they're real dangerous because they can look like nothing for a couple of innings, then jump on you, and you look up and you're down," Self said. "It's happened here before. I've been up 9-3 and gotten beat 16-15, stuff like that.

"You don't know what kind of a game you're in for when you come up here."

Not to worry.

The Bulldogs pounced on the Indians for three runs in the sixth to go up 7-1, then added seven more in the seventh to complete the rout.