POPLAR BLUFF - The Dexter Bearcats took to Westwood Hills Country Club to compete in the Poplar Bluff Invitational on Monday afternoon.

Cody Stevens led the way for the Bearcats; his one-under par 70 was enough to net him second place overall, behind Poplar Bluff's Carr Vernon, who carded a 69 on the day.

As a team, the Bearcats recorded a 372 on the day, finishing seventh in the 14 team field. First place went to host Poplar Bluff with a 298; Notre Dame barely edged Jackson for second place with respective 318 and 319 scores.

The Bearcats will be back on the course today (Tuesday, April 10), when compete in a quad match against Jackson, Notre Dame and Sikeston at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson.

Photo Above: DHS senior Cody Stevens warms up before a practice round earlier in the season. Stevens led the Bearcats with a one-under par 70 in Monday afternoon's Poplar Bluff Invitational. SMT File Photo by Andrew Cato.

TEAM -- Poplar Bluff 298; Notre Dame 318; Jackson 319; PB Maroon 320; Sikeston 321; Central 346; Dexter 372; Doniphan 391; Kelly 395; New Madrid Central 399; Clearwater 406; Bloomfield 449; Kennett 459; Malden 461.

INDIVIDUAL (Par 71) -- 1. Carr Vernon (PB) 69; 2. Cody Stevens (Dexter) 70; 3. Travis Simmons (CC) 74; 4 (tie). Ryan McVey (PBM) 75; Hunter Pyland (PB) 75; 6 (tie). Evan Deere (S) 76. Eli Pike (J) 76; Gunnar Knudtson (ND) 76; 9 (tie) Collin Davis (PB) 77; Jake Russell (PB) 77; 11. (tie) Corey Connell (CC) 78; Kirk Hoggatt (S) 78; 13. Nick Woolard (PBM) 79; 14. (tie) Jake Seabaugh (ND) 80; Davis Caldwell (PBM) 80; Conor MacGillivray, Sikeston, 80.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Dexter Bearcats were able to come out on top of a thrilling back-and-forth contest against the Sikeston Bulldogs on Monday afternoon. A perfect throw by Logan 'Perry' Northern caught Sikeston's Drew Harper at the plate for the final out of the 5-4 game.

"Any time you can beat Sikeston, it's a good win," head coach Brian Becker said. "They're always going to be a quality team; they have good players and good coaches over there, and any time you get a win against them it's a good thing."

Chase Young was tagged out at home on a close play in the bottom of the fourth inning; after a heated exchange between Becker and umpire Joe Baldwin, the call stood, but Becker felt the play at the plate to end the game was a much easier call.

"The one at the end there was pretty obvious. There wasn't much doubt that he was thrown out at the plate," he said, laughing. "The one before that...I'm not so sure. I lost my composure a little bit there, and sometimes that happens. Joe [Baldwin] has been around a long time, and I've been around a long time. We've been at it before, and it probably won't be our last time."

Northern found himself in right field after an injury to Cody Neldon in the fourth inning. Neldon fouled a pitch back into his face and exited the game, forcing Becker to shift Brad Potts to center field and put Northern in right to fill out the lineup.

"[Cody] left school early in the day because he wasn't feeling good. He went to the doctor, came back, and said he was feeling better, so I put him out there and he did an outstanding job for me in the outfield," Becker said. "He went to bunt to get on, fouled one off his face, and next thing you know Perry's in there. It's only fitting that the game should end on Perry throwing a guy out at the plate."

Alex Cliff (2-1, 3.75 ERA) took the start for the Bearcats and struck out five batters in 4 1/3 innings of work. Jordan Miller (2.93 ERA, 18 K's) threw 2 2/3 shutout innings in relief, and also earned five K's in the contest.

"Alex Cliff started for us, and picked up where he left off in his last start. He struggled a little bit early with his breaking ball, but overall he did a very good job for us. He mixed his pitches up really well," Becker said. Jordan Miller came in and just threw smoke; he was very effective today. He came in with second and third and one out, and struck out both batters to get us a little momentum going into the bottom half of the inning."

With the game tied at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the third inning, the Bearcats punished Sikeston starter Trent McMillan. Quality at-bats from Young, Miller, Cliff, and D.J. Dowdy forced McMillan's pitch out to 79 by the end of the inning. Young crossed the plate on a pass-ball to give the 'Cats a 4-3 lead in the inning.

"We had some great at-bats," Becker noted. "I'll bet Cliff had 20 pitches in that at-bat. We really worked McMillan hard that inning, and carried some momentum from that for the rest of the game."

The Bulldogs were held scoreless in the fourth inning by Cliff. Miller cranked a two out RBI single to left-center to score Potts in the bottom of the fourth, but Young was caught at the plate to end the inning with the 'Cats up 5-3. An RBI double from Drew Harper brought the score to 5-4 in the top of the fifth, but excellent pitching and defense from both teams kept the score locked through the final out.

"I'm proud of our guys; we battled all day long," Becker said. "We got down a run, came back, went up, got down, then came back...that's what good teams do, and I feel like I have a pretty good ball team this year."

Young, Cliff, and Daniel Fitts led the 'Cats with two hits apiece. Miller drove his team-leading 16th and 17th RBI's in the game.

The Bearcats will be back in action Tuesday afternoon, hosting the Charleston Blue Jays.

"You never know about Charleston," Becker noted. I think they're struggling a bit this year, but they're a well-coached team and they'll come here ready to play."

The game is set to get underway at 4:00 p.m.; Becker noted that the starting pitcher was undecided.

Editor's note: Speaking with Cody Neldon after the game, he indicated that he was feeling better, and barring any changes, he expected to be in the lineup Tuesday afternoon.

Photos Above:
Top: Logan Northern (#16) is greeted by his teammates and coaches in the dugout after delivering a laser to D.J. Dowdy to catch Sikeston's Drew Harper for the final out of the game.
Middle: Sikeston catcher Josh Hampton applies a tag to Dexter's Chase Young during the fourth inning. Coach Becker appealed the call at the plate, but umpire Joe Baldwin stood firm on the out.
Bottom: Alex Cliff took the start and the win for the Bearcats; the senior struck out five batters over 4 1/3 innings of work, while giving up 4 earned runs and 3 walks.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The DMS volleyball team is keeping up its winning reputation as the season goes on; the young ladies picked up two wins over SCAA teams last week, and are looking forward to another victory on Friday to carry their undefeated records into the SCAA Tournament.

Last week saw the Lady 'Cats in action against the Bloomfield Wildcats and Puxico Indians.

Against the Wildcats, the seventh grade squad squeaked out an extra-point 27-25 victory. In the second set, Ashlyn Wymann's seven straight points led the Lady 'Cats to a 25-18 win.

"We struggled with serving, missing 5 serves in the first set," head coach Melissa Hahn said. "It is hard to gain momentum when you are missing serves. Sydney Rogers did a great job at the net."

The eighth grade squad had a much easier time against the Wildcats, picking up 25-13 and 25-11 wins. Lauren Thrower led the way in the first set with 12 consecutive points, while Julia Hahn added seven in the second set. Ashlyn Werneck and Kendall Adams both had solid games at the net in the win.

"Felt like the score was misleading and Bloomfield put up a good fight. My girls were really communicating well and giving some good passes to my setters," Hahn noted. "Lauren Thrower and Julia Hahn are both very consistent servers. They combined for 30 served points on the night. Twelve of our points were on Bloomfield side-outs. Either Lauren or Julia was at the line for all but 8 of our served points."

The Lady 'Cats faced off against Puxico on Thursday night, and kept their records spotless with wins in both games.

The seventh graders won 25-7 and 25-10; Wymann served 13 points in the opening set, while Macy Graves put up nine points in the second.

Hahn and Thrower both put together another great night at the line in the eighth grade contest; the 'Cats won 25-15 and 25-16 to take the match.

"[I was] pleased with our hitting on the front row," Hahn said. "Alyssa Pixley had a nice hit in the first set. Her excellent attitude and work ethic are paying off. "Delaney Pullen had a couple of hard hits. Brittany Brown, who normally plays a defensive role, saw some front row action tonight and had a nice hit."

"We still need to work on our defensive transitions and communication," she added. "We had a few balls drop, and I am never satisfied with that." The Lady Bearcats are set to conclude regular-season play on Friday night, when they travel to Marble Hill to take on the Woodland Cardinals.

"[At] this point in the season it is easy to become comfortable and lack intensity," Hahn said. "I want to make sure that we continue to work hard in practice so we are mentally and physically prepared for our remaining games and the SCAA Tournament."

Friday's SCAA contest with Woodland is scheduled for seventh grade action at 6:00 p.m., with the eighth grade immediately following.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

SCOTT CITY - The Bearcats took little time to shake off Tuesday's tough loss to the Notre Dame Bulldogs. An explosive, 14 run fifth inning was all it took to lift the Bearcats to a run-rule victory over the Scott City Rams.

Brad Potts took the start for the Bearcats, pitching five innings of three-hit ball. The junior fanned five, walked four, and gave up two runs (one earned) in the win.

Chase Young crossed the plate on an RBI single from Jordan Miller to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. The Rams tied things up in the home half of the inning, but the 'Cats rattled off four runs in the top of the fourth to retake the lead. Center fielder Cody Neldon came up with a single in the fourth inning rally, and showed much improved confidence at the plate despite his recent slump.

The Rams plated one run in the bottom of the fourth to bring the score to 5-2 going into the top of the fifth.

Owen Flowers led off with a single; a walk to Neldon and a single from Daniel Fitts loaded the bases for Potts, who delivered a 2 RBI double to kick off the massive inning. In total, the 'Cats recorded 10 hits, seven walks and 15 runs in the inning to set the final score at 19-2.

Young and Miller continue to show great skill at the plate as the season progresses. Miller led the way, going 3-4 with 4 RBI's on the day, while Young was 2-3 with 1 RBI and four runs scored. Potts also had a solid day at the plate, adding to his great showing on the mound, and went 2-3 with 3 RBI's.

The 'Cats, now 6-3 (2-3) on the season, will be back in action again on Monday (April 9) afternoon, when they host the Sikeston Bulldogs in a 4:00 p.m. contest.

Photo Above:
Brad Potts had a solid all-around game against Scott City; the junior struck out five batters and gave up just one earned run from the mound, while bringing home 3 RBI's in his 2-3 effort at the plate. SMT file photo by Andrew Cato.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The DMS Track team hosted the annual Dexter Open meet on Thursday afternoon. Despite damp conditions for most of the day, the young 'Cats were able to fit in the whole meet.

The Lady 'Cats finished in third place, missing out on second by one point to the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs, who tallied 124 points. Poplar Bluff took home first place in the girls division, with 140 points.

Dexter's boys game in fourth place, with 83 points. Poplar Bluff also finished in first place in the boys division, with 155 points.

School records fell in both divisions during the meet. Ethan Stevens broke the school record in the 100 meter hurdles, with a time of 15.31 seconds.

MaKayla Walker broke the record in the 100 meter dash with a 12.94 second effort; Waldner, along with Melanie McKuin, Karaline Keirsey and Dakota Reynolds, also broke the record in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 54.74 seconds. The same team set the record earlier in the season.

Photo Above:
Ethan Stevens flies over a hurdle during his record-setting race during Thursday afternoon's Dexter Open meet.