By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Emily Triplett hit a two RBI triple to right-center with one out in the bottom of the first inning to plate the Lady Bearcats' first runs of the game, and the blowout built from there.

The Lady Bearcats shredded the Charleston Blue Jays on Tuesday afternoon, scoring 12 runs in both the first and second innings to run-rule the Jays with a 24-4 final score.

Dexter gave Charleston's pitching staff problems all day; the Lady 'Cats jacked eight hits, and seemingly every other at-bat resulted in a walk.

The Jays drew first blood in the game; two wild pitches and an error allowed Charleston to plate three runs in the top of the first inning. Triplett's triple in the home half of the first was just one of four hits in the inning; Dexter added scored five runs off bases-loaded walks to take a 12-3 lead into the second inning.

Another wild pitch led to a fourth run for Charleston, but the Jays were shut down by Riley Rickman for the rest of the game.

The Lady 'Cats reached base on four walks and three errors in the bottom of the second before Tiffany Watson came up with a RBI single. Ashley Brown followed up with a RBI triple to extend the big lead. Taylor Owens and Kendra Stevenson hit back-to-back singles before Triplett was caught off-base on a Rickman fly-out to end the inning with a 24-4 lead.

The game was called after the top of the third due to the '15 after three' rule, improving the Lady Bearcats' record to 4-5 on the season.

Triplett led the way for the 'Cats at the plate with a 2-2 effort and three RBI's. Rickman drove in two runs on the day.

The Lady Bearcats will be in action again Thursday afternoon when they travel to Puxico for a SCAA Contest. First pitch is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

Photo Above: Emily Triplett looks back to the field as she crosses third base after her two RBI triple in the first inning.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Lady Bearcats' struggles continued on the diamond Monday afternoon when they played host to the New Madrid County Central Lady Eagles. The Eagles' dominance of the Southeast Missouri spring softball scene continued in their 17-14 victory over the Lady 'Cats to extend their win streak to 51 games.

Becky Anderson took the start and the loss for the Lady Bearcats. The senior struck out two batters, walked one, and threw seven wild pitches in her seven innings of work.

The Eagles jumped on Anderson early, racking up five runs in the first inning. The Lady 'Cats were three up, three down in the first, and NMCC tacked on four more runs in the top half of the second to take a 9-0 lead.

Riley Rickman smacked a one out triple in the bottom of the second; Tiffany Watson hit a fielder's choice to third base to drive Rickman in for Dexter's first run of the day.

The Eagles added three more runs in the third, one in the fourth, and four in the fifth to take a 17-1 lead.

The Lady 'Cats struck hard in the home half of the fifth; walks to Anderson and Madison Christian set up eight consecutive RBI singles to leave the bases loaded and the score at 17-9. Ashley Brown delivered a grand slam to pull the Lady 'Cats within five runs. Triplett grounded into a fielder's choice to score Owens and set the score at 17-14 heading into the sixth.

Neither team was able to score a run in the final two innings, sealing the final score at 17-14 in New Madrid's favor.

The Lady Bearcats, now 3-5 on the season, will be back in action this afternoon (Tuesday, April 10) against the Charleston Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Photo Above: Becky Anderson hurled a complete game for the Lady 'Cats, but struggled throughout. The senior was able to strike out two batters, but walked one, gave up 10 hits, and delivered seven wild pitches in the game.

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.