Sikeston, Scott County roll in first round games

Sikeston pitcher Landon Glueck falls to the ground as he throws the ball to first baseman Noah Hicks as Levi Dumbro of Centennial Blue, Colo., attempts to beat the throw. Dumbro was safe on the play. Brent Shipman, Staff

KELSO -- Both Sikeston and Scott County got off to hot starts Thursday in the Midwest Plains Regional 9-and-under Tournament.

Set up on the the same portion of the bracket, each squad run-ruled their first round opponents to set up a second round match-up against each other that will be played today at 3 p.m.

Sikeston was the first of the two teams to advance, scoring their final two runs in the bottom of the fifth to defeat Centennial Blue, Col., 15-5.

"I thought we played okay," Sikeston coach Brian Self said. "We struggled a little bit with the strike zone as far as our pitching, but overall when we got strikes (on offense) we hit the ball well and we came out with a victory."

Taking an early 7-0 advantage, Sikeston was able to capitalize on Centennial's first inning pitching struggles to draw 10 walks in the frame and score all seven runs without collecting a hit.

Starting in the second, Centennial would get their bats going to score five runs over the next three innings, but at the same time would prove unable to keep Sikeston's offense at bay, allowing six runs in those same three innings to make it a 13-5 ball game entering the top of the fifth.

After allowing an lead-off walk to start the inning, Sikeston relief pitcher Jeffery Thornbrough retired the next three batters in order, including two strikeouts, to leave his team two runs away from a 10-run mercy-rule win.

Those runs would came when, with runners at second and third with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Noah Williams would hit a ground to the shortstop whose hurried throw couldn't be hauled in by the first baseman allowing Landon Gluek and Dylan Erwin to score, ending the game.

"I've been with these boys for three or four years and on any given day we can beat anybody and on any given day we can lose to somebody," Self said. "It's just if we can play defense, throw strikes and hit the ball we're going to fare well against any of these teams."

In the final game of the evening, the host Scott County Rippers lived up to their nickname routing Emporia, Kan., 21-3 in four innings also on the run rule.

Starting with six runs in the first, the Rippers put up big numbers in all three innings they would step to the plate, adding another six runs in the second and nine runs in the third.

At the same time, Scott County pitching held Emporia to two runs in the first and one in the second before holding Emporia scoreless in the third.

Needing only three outs to secure the victory, pitcher Nate Hulshof would get a ground out to start the fourth before allowing two Emoria runners to reach.

Working out of the jam, Hulshof would get a force out second base for the second out, followed by a grounder fielded by the second baseman and thrown to first to secure the final out for the 21-3 win.