By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

The Dexter Bearcats will only be sending one to the Individual State Tennis Tournament this year – junior Tyler Miller.

Miller defeated his opponent, a District 2 sectional qualifier from Lutheran South (St. Louis), in just two sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Also representing the Bearcats was the doubles team of Sam Ward and Brauck Burge, who fell to a team from St. Pius (Festus).

“To me it’s like a reward for the work I put in all year,” Miller said in an exclusive interview with the ShowMe Times . “It’s a great experience to go up against the best in the state to see where I really rank compared to them.”

Miller will be in action again during the Individual State Tennis Tournament, held at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo., on May 27 & 28 (next Friday and Saturday).

Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times for updates on Tyler’s battle for the state championship!

Good Luck Tyler!

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - After shutting out the Dexter Bearcats on Monday (May 16) afternoon, Andy Lack and the Kennett Indians will advance to their third straight Class 3, District 1 Championship game.


Lack, one of the Indians’ three ace pitchers, fanned 11 batters during six and a third shutout innings.

"He's no joke," Becker said of Lack. "He can throw the ball. He spotted up real well today and just drilled the outside corner all game long. He threw his breaking ball for strikes in good spots, and he made it tough on our hitters. We hit the ball hard a few times on him, but he's as good as advertised.”


Becker also had high praise for Cameron Wallace, who came in during the seventh inning after Dexter got two men on following an error and a double to left-center from D.J. Dowdy.

“Then they bring in [Cameron Wallace] who has only given up two runs - one earned run - all season, and that's a pretty lethal combination,” Becker added. “Then right behind those two you have Grantham, who held Notre Dame to no hits through six innings here in the last week or two. Kennett is a good ball club and we just didn't have enough ammunition against them today."


Sophomore Logan Northern took to the mound for the ‘Cats in the contest and lasted through the start of the fifth inning, when Owen Flowers was brought in after the Indians loaded the bases.


Northern didn’t give up more than one run per inning (three total in four innings).

Flowers gave up five runs in his two innings of work.

"They are just a very, very good ball club," Becker said of the Indians. "They are well coached and they have experience out there. They work hard and they are going to be tough for anyone to contend with if they get past Perryville who pulled a big upset today beating Notre Dame."





With the loss, the Bearcats were eliminated from post-season play, and ended the 2011 season with a 10-11 record. Becker’s ‘Cats will lose two seniors this season - third baseman Bryn Hester and centerfielder Josh Sifford - but Becker sees bright things out of this young group.


“My seniors played their hearts out all season long, and we’re definitely going to miss them,” Becker said. “We put a lot of young kids out there - kids that were playing middle-school baseball last year are facing kids that are college-bound athletes - and it’s a rough transition. For the most part, I thought they handled it really well.”


“Like I told them after the game, Kennett is in a position that we want to be,” Becker continued. “The way they started to build their team to what it is now is just the way we are now: they had a good young nucleus of kids and Coach New developed them over the next three years and look where they’re at. They’re tough for anyone in the state to beat right now.”

Photos above Top Photo: Andy Lack delivers a pitch during Monday’s 8-0 routing of the Bearcats. Lack, who fanned 11 batters and gave up only three hits in the contest, helped the Indians advance to their third straight Class 3, District 1 Championship Game.
Middle Photo: Senior Bryn Hester readies himself in the field during Monday’s loss. Hester ended his senior season with a .321 batting average, 16 RBI’s and 2 home runs. Hester also struck out only four times in 80 plate appearances.
Bottom photo: Josh Sifford, Dexter’s second senior, fouls off a pitch during Monday’s game. Sifford finished his senior year with a .200 batting average and 14 RBI’s.

By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor

A Dexter High School senior will be taking her power and skill on the softball diamond to college next season.

Dexter’s lone senior member of the Lady ‘Cats softball squad, Alec Jackson, signed a letter of intent to play next year at Shawnee Community College in Ulin, Ill.

Alec was a powerhouse player for the Lady Cats. She was one of the squad’s two pitchers, and was a natural leader of the young team.

“I had two really good pitchers this year – Alec Jackson and Kendra Stephenson. They helped us lot and combined with our good defense,” said head softball coach Tammy Crowley.

Alec garnered all three softball awards at the recent Spring Sports Banquet – Highest Battling Average (.589), Most Valuable Player and Team Dedication Award, which is voted on by the girls on the team. She also lettered in softball all four years at DHS.

“Like the girls, I recognized that Alec’s skills, leadership and dedication were invaluable to our team this year,” Crowley said of the senior.

Shawnee plays a number of Missouri community college teams, include Three Rivers, Mineral Area, East Central, and St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and Forest Park. Three Southeast Missouri students played on the Shawnee team during the 2011 season – McKenzie Knotts of Campbell, Sierre Seiler of Leopold, and Jessica Tuschoff of Jackson.

Jackson is the daughter of Ralph and Sheila Jackson and has also been an active member of the DHS Bands during her high school career.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

POTOSI, Mo. - After a being postponed last weekend, members of the Bearcat Tennis Team competed in the District 1 Individual Tennis Tournament Monday (May 16) afternoon in Potosi, Mo.

“Individual districts were played today as a rain date makeup from Saturday, May 14,” head coach Leanne Dooley said.

Tyler Miller drew a first round bye in the tournament, but had to win two more matches to make it to the championship match. Miller claimed the Singles District Championship after defeating Lucas Rodgers of North County 6-0, 6-2.

Dexter's doubles team of Sam Ward & Brauck Burge took second place in the district by drawing a bye, then playing two more matches before losing the final match to Farmington's #1 team.

All three of these players go back to Potosi on Tuesday (May 17) afternoon to play sectionals against the first and second place winners of District #2.


The two singles winners and the two doubles winners will advance to State Tennis Competition at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo., May 27 & 28.

Also representing Dexter were Kyle Willis, who won his first round match, then lost, and the doubles team of Hunter Mathis & Cedric Bernier who lost their first round match.

Thanks to coach Leanne Dooley for providing the above information.

Photos Above:
Thanks to SMT reader and Bearcat Mom Tracy Miller for the above photos.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - A two-out RBI single from Brad Potts in the bottom of the 12th inning was able to push the ‘Cats past the Scott City Rams in the Class 3, District 1 tournament on Saturday (May 14) night.

“I’m so proud of my guys,” head coach Brian Becker said after the game. “We were down by two runs late in the game and we pulled it out. We had some opportunities to score some more runs, but for whatever reason we didn’t.”


Becker noted Scotty City’s pitching staff in forcing the game to go as long as it did.

“You’ve gotta tip your cap to Scott City’s pitchers; [Hunter Cox] was in a tough spot and struck out our three, four, and five hitters in the fifth inning to keep us down by three and only gave up one run out of a bases loaded, no-out situation on a pass ball.”


“[Scott City is] a very good ball club; they’ve been here before. It’s their first year in class three - they were a final four team in class 2. They’re a very good ball club, but I’m proud of my guys for gutting this one out.”



Potts wasn’t the only hero in the contest, however. Teammate Alex Cliff, who has posted double digit RBI’s in the last two games, hit a bloop single into right field with two outs to drive in two runs in the bottom of the seventh and force extra innings. “That hit by Cliff was huge,” Becker said. “It was a big hit that we’d been lacking earlier in a game. He couldn’t have picked a better spot to do it in.”


“Pottsy got a base hit the at-bat before so I knew he was starting to come around a little bit,” Becker added. “He didn’t look very good at the plate early in the game, but he put the bat on the ball and scored Nick Noble.”

Potts came in to pitch in relief of Jordan Miller with no outs and a man on in the fourth inning. Miller, who started for the ‘Cats, struggled from the rubber and gave up eight hits and four runs, with five K’s.

Potts fanned four while walking one in his four shutout innings of work.


Becker made the decision to pull Potts from the mound before the start of the ninth inning.

“Brad had thrown 80-plus pitches, and as cold as it was tonight - a district win isn’t as important to me as my pitcher’s arm,” Becker noted. “He was cruising and pitching well. I asked him how he was feeling and he said his back was a little tight, so I made the decision to pull him.”


Owen Flowers came in to close out the game in the start of the ninth inning. Flowers struck out three but gave up two runs in the tenth.
“Owen Flowers came in and did a good job. He gave up a couple runs there in the top of the 10th, but he settled in and did a good job after that,” Becker added. “He got out there and got a win.”




With the win, the ‘Cats (10-10) move to .500 on the season, and look to move above .500 Monday (May 16) night when they face the Kennett Indians. Becker noted that the team’s struggles in the field can’t happen if the Bearcats want to have a shot at the district title.

“We have to make plays if we want to have a chance to beat Kennett. They’re one of the toughest teams in Missouri - not just southeast missouri, the whole state - but people don’t know that yet,” Becker said. “I’ve watched those kids develop over the last couple years - a lot of them were starters as freshman or starters. I don’t even know who we’ll see on the mound - it’ll probably be Andy Lack.”


Becker is unsure of who will get the start for the ‘Cats in the contest.


“We used a lot of pitchers that threw a lot of pitches tonight,” Becker said, “but whoever I stick out there Monday, I’m going to hand them the ball and expect them to do the job.”


 The Indians and the Bearcats will face off in the semifinal game of the Class 3, District 1 tournament on Monday night, with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.

Photos above Top Photo: Brad Potts gets a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning to push the 'Cats past the Scott City Rams in the Class 3, District 1 Tournament.
Bottom photo: Jordan Miller delivers a pitch during the second inning of Saturday night's matchup against Scott City.