'Cats outslug Kennett

SEMO News Service photo/Mike Buhler Dexter's Cody Stauss delivers a pitch against Kennett during Wednesday's baseball game at Indian Park.

KENNETT -- With a stiff breeze blowing Wednesday, it may have seemed more like Wrigley Field than Indian Park. The way the ball flew out seemed like Wrigley Field, too.

The Dexter Bearcats hit four of the game's five home runs and got strong pitching from junior Cody Stauss to take a 10-7 win over the Kennett Indians at Indian Park in the Tribe's final home game of the season.

"We hit the ball well today," Dexter coach Brian Becker said. "The wind was blowing out and some of them may not have gone out on a normal day, a couple of them we really drove the ball well."

Indeed, six of Dexter's 11 hits went for extra bases.

The Bearcats started the scoring in the top of the second inning when Tyler George hit a two-run blast over the center-field fence to plate Josh Sifford and give his team a 2-0 lead.

Dexter (16-5) did even better in the top of the third, as Mason Noe reached on an error and Caleb Miller doubled him home to make it 3-1. After Jarrett Laird singled to left to drive in Miller, Sifford stepped up and hit one over the left-field fence to make it 6-1.

"They've got a good-hitting ballclub," Kennett coach Aaron New said. "The balls that they hit today weren't windblown home runs -- they hit the ball hard."

However, Kennett (10-9) did not go away.

Clayton Gibbons led off the bottom of the third inning with a double down the left-field line and scored on a two-out delayed steal to make it 6-2 -- a play that saw Cameron Wallace barely beat the throw back to first and keep the inning alive.

Brian Hardwick then singled home Wallace to make it a three-run game, then Gage Blue's base hit to left plated Hardwick and Logan Dollins and cut the Bearcats' lead to 6-5.

"After we went up 6-1, we kind of let our guard down," said Becker. "They had first and third with two out and they tried a little double steal there. All we had to do was execute the play on first base and we didn't execute it. Next thing you know, we're up 6-5 instead of 6-2."

However, the Tribe came no closer as Dexter added four more runs, including a fifth-inning homer by Miller.

Meanwhile, the 'Cats got a strong day on the mound from Stauss, who allowed just one earned run while striking out 11 to earn the complete-game win.

"Cody's been doing that for us all year," Becker said. "He's a very good pitcher. Whenever he keeps the ball down, he's hard to beat."

Miller and Sifford each had three hits for Dexter, while George added two more.

Dollins was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a solo homer to pace the Tribe.

"He swung the bat well again today," said New. "He's improving day after day. I'm pretty excited about what he's doing so far."

Weather permitting, Dexter hosts Campbell today, while Kennett heads to Kelly.

Despite the loss, New was optimistic after Wednesday's game.

"The last time we played them it wasn't even a game," "This time we played their rear ends off. ... We're at a point now where if a couple of breaks go our way, we've got a chance to win."