Stause leads Bearcats into district title game

Jerry Jarrell photo A happy and relieved Cody Stause (No. 2) is greeted with a rub on the head by Sawyer Smith as coaches and teammates gather to congratulate the Dexter pitcher after his 2-hit, complete game victory that sent the Bearcats into tonight's Class 3, District 1 title game against Notre Dame Regional High School. The second seeded Bearcats defeated No. 3 Kennett, 8-1.

Stause went the distance and allowed just two hits over his seven innings of work. The left-hander recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed four walks while facing just six batters over the minimum.

Dexter's defense commented just one error in support Stause's effort, which accounted for Kennett's lone unearned run in the first inning.

"That's stepping up to the challenge," Dexter coach Brian Becker said after the win. "That was just a great effort by a sophomore, or anyone for that matter. He basically just shut them down, except for their number three hitter (Shane Branum), who is a good player."

Branum collected the only two hits off Stause, both singles, but he didn't fair as well on the mound as the Indians' starter. Dexter roughed up the right-hander for three runs in the first, two in the second and one in third before Kennett coached Aaron New had seen enough and handed the ball over to Trey Bazzell.

Dexter touched up Bazzell for two runs in the fourth in set the final score at 8-1.

Dexter, the tournament's No. 2 seed, will now face No. 1 Notre Dame in the championship game, tonight at 6:30 at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau.

The Bulldogs own a 6-3 win over the Bearcats in the third game of the season on their home field.

"It's been a long time since we've had a shot at a district title," Becker said. "It's the first time since Notre Dame and Sikeston were added to our district."

Becker said he will send another sophomore to the mound tonight when Ben Mills gets the start.

Dexter banged out eight hits on the night, as senior David Hessling continued his hot hitting streak with a double and a triple, the only two extra base hits of the game. The Dexter center fielder drove in two runs with his double in the first inning then scored on Ben Mills' two-out single in the third after leading off with a triple over the head of Kennett's center fielder.

It was the second RBI of the game for Mills (2-for-3), who drove in Tyler Scott (1-for-3) in the second, then later scored on Caleb Miller's fielder's choice ground ball.

Eric Windham joined both Hessling and Mills with two-hit, two-RBI games. The senior right hander drove in Dexter's first run of the game in the first with a single, then connected for an RBI single in the fourth to plate Miller. He later scored his second run of the game on a passed ball.

Kennett put base runners on in all seven innings, but a 1-6-3 double play in the fourth eliminated one and Stause ended the second, third, fifth and sixth innings with strikeouts.

Dexter improved to 17-6 on the season with the victory.