By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

BLOOMFIELD - The Lady Bearcats will advance to the title game of the 2012 SCAA Tournament after defeating a tough Woodland team in a 13-7 decision on Tuesday evening. The Lady 'Cats rallied for 16 hits in the contest.

Becky Anderson was on the mound for the Lady 'Cats; the senior right-hander struck out 11 batters despite struggling with command periodically throughout the game.

"When we needed it, [Becky] was there for us. I hate the fact that she threw so many pitches, but we have a day of tomorrow, so we don't have to worry about throwing her again until Thursday," head coach Leonard Morse said after the game. "She shows what a senior is all about; she has that leadership and doesn't get too rattled. She knows how to 'right the ship' when things get rough. She's a competitor, and I'm proud of her."

The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after a triple by Kirkpatrick, but the Lady 'Cats responded with a three run rally in the top of the second, thanks in part to a two RBI triple from Anderson. The Cardinals tallied four runs in the bottom of the second to take a 6-3 lead.

Kendra Stevenson came up with a RBI double in the top of the third inning; Riley Rickman reached on a single to left field before Tiffany Watson cleared the bases with a triple to tie the game at 6-6. A single from Taylor Owens plated Watson for the go-ahead run.

The Cardinals had two on base with one out in the bottom of the third inning, but Anderson worked out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.

Diana Gilliam led off with a double for the Lady 'Cats in the top of the fourth and was driven in by Ashley Brown to increase the lead to 8-6. Anderson retired the Cardinals in order in the home half of the inning.

The Lady Bearcats plated two more runs in the fifth inning to increase their lead to 10-6; the Cardinals turned a perfect 4-6-3 double play to end the top of the sixth before plating their seventh run in the bottom of the inning.

The 'Cats tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh inning thanks to Brown's two RBI single; Whitney Layton followed up with an RBI singe to increase the lead to 13-7. Anderson struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win.

"I'm ecstatic; there's just no way around it. I think we finished fourth in this tournament the last three years in a row, and to be in the finals after beating a very good Woodland team...we earned it," Morse said. "The girls came out and were hitting well, they played some of the best defense they have all season. They didn't get rattle there in the early innings when we were going back and forth on the runs. They finally settled it, played really well, and earned this win; hats off to Woodland, that's a good team over there."

The 'Cats will be back in action on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., when they take on the top-seeded Advance Lady Hornets for the SCAA Championship.

"It's going to be every bit of this game tonight; I know their pitcher throws a bit harder than what we saw tonight, but she'll be around the plate. If we pay attention and not get rattled, but we've got a shot. Advance is a great team; they've lost just one game this year, and we hope to make it number two. If we do, it will be because we came through defensively and hit the ball well; the girls showed they were capable of doing that tonight."

Photos Above:
Top: Tiffany Watson rounds first base after hitting a game-tying RBI triple in the top of the third inning of Tuesday evening's semifinal contest against Woodland.
Bottom: Becky Anderson pitched a solid game against the Cardinals, giving up just seven hits and fanning 11 batters in the contest.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

PUXICO - The Lady Bearcats of Dexter Middle School are ready to put their undefeated records on the line tonight when they battle for the 2012 SCAA Volleyball Championship on both the seventh and eighth grade levels.

The 'Cats both earned #1 seeds in the tournament, with the seventh grade squad taking a bye in the first round.

The eighth grade squad picked up an opening round win over Richland on Saturday (April 14) morning; head coach Melissa Hahn noted that Matney Davis had some outstanding hits in the 25-10, 25-19 victory. Kendall Adams served six straight points in the second set.

On Monday (April 16) both squads were in action in the semifinal round; the seventh grade squad dispatched Advance, while the eighth grade squad sent the host Puxico Lady Indians packing in two sets.

The seventh grade squad had a tough battle with the Hornets, but ultimately emerged on top of a 25-19, 25-23 decision.

"They didn't play their best game last night and struggled to execute their offense for most of the night," Hahn said in a email earlier today. "We did some good things, however; as a team, we struggled with our mental game and playing under pressure. The girls know what they need to do tonight and I feel they are up to the challenge."

In the eighth grade contest, the Lady 'Cats won 25-9, 25-10 over the host Indians. Amber Spence and Julia Hahn combined for nine aces in the first set, while Hahn and Madison Bishop both served seven straight points in the second.

"I was very pleased with my 8th grade team's performance. We had some great sets and hits. I thought Matney Davis had another good night at the net," Coach Hahn noted. "Delaney Pullen, Ashlyn Werneck and [Julia] Hahn also had some big hits in the contest. Pullen made a nice block in the 2nd set. Lauren Thrower and Madison Bishop made some great passes to set up our offense. Overall, the girls played good team ball.

The seventh grade squad will face off with the Bloomfield Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. for the SCAA Title; the eighth grade team will face off against Advance in the championship game immediately following the seventh grade contest.

"We know that tonights game will be a tough one as Advance has taken us to three sets earlier in the season," Hahn said of tonight's eighth grade contest. "We have talked for the past week about what it takes to finish strong, and I believe my girls have what it takes to get the job done."

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Dexter High School Athletic Director Chuck Powers just announced that the DHS baseball game, originally scheduled as a 4 p.m. home game today (Tuesday, April 17), has been moved to Jackson due to poor field conditions at Dexter's East Park.

The varsity game will be played at Jackson's Herzog Field, while the JV teams will play at the local American Legion field. Both games are set for a 4:15 p.m. start, on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bearcats will look to extend their win streak to five games this afternoon against another SEMO Conference opponent; Brad Potts (2-0, 2.40 ERA) gets the start for the Bearcats.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

JACKSON, Mo. - The Dexter Bearcats hit the links at Kimbeland Country Club on Monday afternoon in the Jackson Invitational match.

The Bearcats finished eighth in the 12 team field with a 362 score. Poplar Bluff, led by Carr Vernon's two-over par 72, took home the team trophy with a 306; host Jackson's varsity squad finished tied with Fort Zumwalt South for third place with a 319, while the JV squad finished seventh with a 339.

Cody Stevens' five-over par 75 was good enough to land him fourth place in the individual scoring. Other Bearcats competing were Myles Urhahan (91), Drake Mitchell (96), Ryan Joyner (98) and Brandon Strickler (104).

The 'Cats will be back in action on Wednesday (April 18), when they return to Jackson for a showdown with Notre Dame at Bent Creek Golf Course. The match is set to get underway at 4:00 p.m.

Photo Above: Sophomore Myles Urhahn shot a 91 in Monday's Jackson Invitational match at Kimbeland Country Club in Jackson, Mo. (SMT File Photo by Andrew Cato)

Team Results -- 1. Poplar Bluff 306; 2. Notre Dame 313; T3. Jackson 319; T3. Fort Zumwalt South 319; 5. Sikeston 323; 6. Central 332; 7. Jackson (Red) 339; 8. Dexter 362; 9. Ste. Genevieve 374; 10. Bloomfield 386; 11. New Madrid County Central 390; 12. Park Hills 433

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

BLOOMFIELD - The Lady Bearcats opened the 2012 SCAA Tournament with a bang, knocking off host Bloomfield in a 16-6 run-rule decision on Monday afternoon.

The Lady 'Cats showed great aggression on the base-paths all game, earning 12 stolen bases and advancing eight times on wild pitches and pass-balls. Taylor Owens plated the game-ending run in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch.

Riley Rickman took the start and win for the Lady 'Cats; Rickman fanned eight batters and gave up one hit, but walked 13 in 3 2/3 innings of work. Becky Anderson had four K's and didn't give up a hit in 1 1/3 innings of relief.

"It just looked like Riley was starting to tire a little bit; I thought I'd go ahead and put Becky in there to close it out and get the save," head coach Leonard Morse said of the win. "I was trying to hold Becky out and not overuse her. We have this tournament, and then the Bernie Tournament later this week, but she only had to pitch to four hitters."

The Bearcats struck for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning; Bloomfield plated its first two runs in the top of the second inning on a hit batter and a bases-loaded walk.

Anderson smacked an RBI single into left during the bottom of the second to score Emily Triplett; Cierra Learue followed up with a single of her own to bring home Tiffany Watson to increase the Lady Bearcats' lead to 10-2.

With two outs in the top of the third inning, catcher Kendra Stevenson threw out a Wildcat baserunner attempting to steal second base to end the inning. Stevenson, Rickman, and Triplett all crossed home on pass-balls in the bottom of the third; Anderson picked up her third RBI of the game with a line drive to left field to plate the fourth run of the inning.

The Wildcats exploded for four runs in the top half of the fourth inning; Tabitha Massey connected on Bloomfield's only hit of the game for an RBI single, but the rally stalled when Anderson entered the game and struck out the final batter of the inning.

The Lady 'Cats were retired on three fly-outs in the bottom of the fourth, but Anderson froze all three batters she faced in the top of the fifth with three looking strikeouts.

Owens was walked with one out, and stole second and third on consecutive pitches. A wild pitch to Anderson allowed the sophomore to cross the plate and give the 'Cats a 10 run lead to end the game.

Anderson had an outstanding day at the plate, going 3-3 with two runs scored and three RBI's. Ashley Brown was 2-2 with two runs scored and three RBI's, while Whitney Layton was 2-4 with one run scored and two RBI's.

The Lady Bearcats will be back in action Tuesday afternoon at 5:30, when the take on the #2 Woodland Cardinals. Morse was quick to point out the similarities between his club and the Cardinals.

"We've seen some of the teams that they've played, but haven't heard a lot. Advance has beaten them twice now, after beating them Saturday in the Oak Ridge Tournament," He said. "They have a decent pitcher; I think they'll be a mirror image of ourselves, and I think it will be a really good game."

The Lady 'Cats are riding a four game win streak and stand at 7-5 on the season after the win. Becky Anderson is expected to be on the mound in Tuesday's contest.

Photos Above:
Top: Riley Rickman slides under the tag at home plate after advancing on a pass-ball.
Bottom: Becky Anderson swings for an RBI single in the bottom half of the second inning during Monday afternoon's SCAA Tournament action.