Top seeds Portageville and South Pemiscot to meet in Bootheel Conference Championship

CAMPBELL – First-seeded Portageville and second-seeded South Pemiscot have locked in their places in the Bootheel Conference Tournament championship game after defeating Caruthersville and Senath-Hornersville, respectively.

__Portageville 12, Caruthersville 0__

The Bulldogs struck quickly in their 12-0 shutout of the Tigers. Portageville scored nine runs in the first, then added one more over the next three innings to win by run rule after the top of the fifth.

“The biggest thing is that we came out and took advantage of mistakes early and hit it hard,” Portageville coach Tyler Trover said. “It was nice to get some sophomores on the mound, and it sets the stage for us to have who we want to have moving forward.”

Junior Aaron Dunlap led Portageville in runs scored with three on his own. Trey Benthal secured a hit and a run, but racked up four RBIs. Carson Bradley also hit a home run in the first inning which also brought in Beau-Hunter Warren, who scored two runs total.

Mason Adams, Thomas Frakes, Jayquan Bogan and Xayvion Bogan all contributed a run each as well.

“Overall we did a good job,” Trover said. “We let some balls travel deep in the first inning, and overall it was a good win. With our speed and the way we have guys who can put the ball in play up and down the lineup, we can hang a crooked number up pretty quickly.”

Portageville's Thomas Frakes rounds third base and heads home in a game against Caruthersville Tuesday.Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

The Bulldogs were led on the mound for four innings by Xayvion Bogan, a sophomore taking on his varsity pitching debut. Bogan gave up only two hits and a walk and struck out three batters.

Caruthersville sophomore Ryan Guest pitched all four innings for Caruthersville. He surrendered eight hits, two walks and struck out one batter. Of Portageville's 12 runs, only five were earned runs which was in part a result of the Tigers' five errors on the day.

Guest, Kam Isbell and Jayce Jean all secured a hit for Caruthersville.

“Coach House does a great job at South Pem and they played us pretty close the first time we played them,” Trover said of the impending matchup against South Pemiscot. “We'd like to have a little redemption on how we played the first time. I know we're 26-2, but this time of year we're treating every game like the playoffs.”

__South Pemiscot 6, Senath-Hornersville 2__

South Pemiscot grinded out a win against Senath-Hornersville to earn their place in the conference championship. The Bulldogs scored two runs in the first inning to take a quick lead, but the Lions tied it up with two of their own in the fourth after a showdown of defenses.

“We made some mistakes today, but we competed well, kept battling and we found a way to win,” South Pemiscot coach Jason House said.

South Pemiscot came alive again in the bottom of the fifth inning and racked up four more runs to secure the victory.

With five hits and five RBIs, Brayden Bomar and Jimmie Morton both contributed two runs for the Bulldogs, and Larry Fikes and Matthew More both added another.

South Pemiscot's Trevan Shuburte throws a pitch in a game against Senath-Hornersville Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Christian Johnson, Delta Dunklin Democrat

Senior Trevan Shuburte pitched a complete game. After facing 28 batters and throwing 96 pitches, he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

“With him, I don't feel like his off-speed stuff was as great as it has been,” House explained. “We don't have anyone who throws real hard, be we throw strikes and the defense worked behind him. Overall, he's been solid for us, and he went out there and did what he needed to do.”

Michael Weldon secured two of the Lions' four hits. Chayse Laden and Madox Belcher both scored a run.

Belcher started on the mound for Senath-Hornersville and lasted 4.2 innings. He allowed a single earned run on three hits, but the Bulldogs scored six in his time on the mound. Belcher was relieved by Noah Rhodes for the final inning, who didn't allow a hit and struck out one batter.

The Bulldogs' semifinal matchup with Senath-Hornersville also had looming district-seeding implications. House explained that the championship will be a tough matchup, but his main goal is that the team uses the opportunity to prepare for the postseason.

“This game means a lot as far as our district seed as well. This game was probably more important to us than our game tomorrow. We'd love to win the conference tournament, but it's also going to be a day to prepare us for the district tournament.”