Jerry Jarrell photo - Jackson's Michael Mouser (No. 9) takes to the air as he tries to beat the throw from the out field to Dexter third baseman Caleb Miller during Monday's 5-4 win by the Bearcats in the third-place game at the SEMO Conference tournament in Cape Girardeau.

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Dexter staged yet another last ditch rally to take third place at the SEMO Conference baseball tournament with a 5-4 win over Jackson Monday at Capaha Park on the Southeast Missouri State University campus in Cape Girardeau.

Dexter, the tournament's No. 1 seed, needed 10 innings and another last-at-bats victory in the first round Friday against No. 9 Kelly to make it to the second round. In a game that started at Dexter but was suspended at 4-4 in the 10th due to wet field conditions and resumed Saturday morning at Cape, Dexter needed six runs in their final at bats to pull out a 10-9 win.

In Saturday's semifinal game, No. 4 Cape Central ended Dexter's comeback rallies with a 9-4 win to knock the Bearcats out of title contention.

In the third place game, Dexter fell behind early, but rallied in the sixth to tie the score at 3-all in the sixth. The game went to extra innings where Jackson pushed cross a single run in the eigth inning, but the Bearcats managed two in the bottom of the frame to steal the game, 5-4.

"Would you guys please try to win a game 12-0 or something like that," Dexter coach Brian Becker jokingly told his squad after yet another come-from-behind win. "By heart just can't take it.

"But seriously, you guys are the most reslient team I've ever coached," the eighth-year head coach continued. "You never give up. Don't ever lose that."

In the opener against Kelly, the game was suspended in the 10th win Kelly runners at first and secon with no outs. When play resumed, Kelly loaded the bases, then scored five runs to take a 9-4 advantage and appeared poised to pull off the upset of the top-seeded 'Cats.

Ben Mills led off the bottom of the inning for Dexter with a single, and the Bearcats would go on to bat around before Mills would back it back to the plate where he delivered the game-winning single.

Errors hurt the 'Cats against the Central Tigers in the semifinals.

Against Jackson, Dexter trailed 3-0 before the bats came alive. Miller led off the sixth with a double, then with one out, Eric Wiondham and David Hessling connected on back-to-back triples to cut the advantage to 3-2. Hessling then stole home on a close play to tie the game. Jackson again took the lead in the eighth, but Dexter bounced back with two runs, on two hits and three walks. The last two walks scored the tying and goahead runs.

The Bearcats will be in action again today at home when they will host the Malden Greenwave at 4 p. m. at the East Park ball field.