Tigers hand first conference loss to Eagles

~ Central rolled to a 10-2 victory over New Madrid.

Two of the SEMO Conference's top pitchers squared off at Central on Tuesday, as Tigers ace Brad LaBruyere battled New Madrid County Central's Jordan Kimball.

Central scored four runs in the bottom of the first, more than enough for LaBruyere, and the Tigers cruised to a 10-2 conference rout.

The win strengthened Central's hold on first place in the conference standings. The Tigers, 11-4 overall and 6-1 in the conference, have played three more conference games than the Eagles, who fell to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

The Tigers have two conference games remaining, including today's home contest against Kelly.

"That's just one of our goals," Central coach Steve Williams said of winning the conference. "We just have to keep going and accomplish what we can. That's the thing about our conference. There's enough good teams in our conference you don't get an off day."

Central came into the game on a roll, having won the Charger Invitational in Southaven, Miss., over the weekend. It was one of the goals Williams and his Tigers set before the season, and Williams was concerned there may be a letdown Tuesday.

With four hits and four runs off Kimball in the bottom of the first -- three New Madrid County errors did not help Kimball's cause -- the Tigers made sure there would be no letdown.

"That was our major concern," Williams said. "We went down to Mississippi and won the tournament, we didn't want to have a letdown in our own conference. And we didn't. Our kids played hard today."

LaBruyere's mastery over the SEMO Conference continued on Tuesday, as he improved to 5-0 in conference starts. The Eagles were the first conference opponent to put up an earned run on LaBruyere, plating two runs in the fourth.

The fourth inning -- New Madrid County scored twice on two hits and two hit batsmen -- was the only blip in LaBruyere's day. The Central junior struck out nine, did not walk a batter and allowed four hits. Unable to throw his curveball for strikes, LaBruyere worked in a cutter/slider he picked up over the summer.

"I ditched my curve and used my slider, and that seemed to be effective," LaBruyere said.

Added Williams: "He's always flexible. If something's not working, we're not going to continue to use it. We'll use something else. He found that slider today."

As consistent as LaBruyere has been in conference play, the Tigers' offense has given their ace plenty of support. In five LaBruyere starts, Central has scored 49 runs.

"I sort of thought we'd be good, but I didn't think we'd be hitting this good," LaBruyere said. "We've been hitting ropes. Everyone down the lineup."

Central got much of its production from the top of the lineup Tuesday. Leadoff hitter Matt Hester had a pair of hits and reached base three times. Blake Slattery, the No. 2 hitter, led the Tigers with three hits. Chris Brotherton added two hits.

Slattery had a two-run triple in the bottom of the fourth, right after the Eagles had cut the lead to 4-2 in the top-half of the inning. An error on the one-out triple also allowed Slattery to score for a 7-2 lead.

"Those guys have been swinging the bats really well," Williams said. "They've hit when we don't have guys on base, and when we have guys on, they're driving them in."

Kimball pitched all six innings and received little help the Eagles' defense, which committed seven errors. The Arkansas State-signee walked four, allowed nine hits and struck out five.

"They came out and executed and we kicked the ball around," New Madrid coach John Jones said. "You can not give Cape seven errors and expect to win a ball game. It was just a bad day for us. Hopefully we've got it out of our system."

Central 10, New Madrid County Central 2

NMCC 000 200 0 -- 2 4 7

Central 400 303 X -- 10 9 1

WP -- Brad LaBruyere, 7-1. LP -- Jordan Kimball. 2B -- Thomas Higgerson (N). 3B -- Matt Hester (C), Blake Slattery (C). Multiple hits -- Central, Slattery 3-4; Chris Brotherton 2-3; Hester 2-4. Records -- New Madrid County Central 5-2, Central 11-4.