Youthful Indians end Bearcats' season

Jerry Jarrell photo Dexter's Caleb Miller avoids a sliding Logan Dollins (No. 21) and throws to first to complete a double play during the Bearcats' 8-7 loss to Kennett Tuesday during Class 3, District 1 semifinal action Tuesday at Dexter.

After watching an early 8-0 lead shrink to a single run against the Bearcats, the Indians found away to over come their youthfulness and the pressure of the moment to hang on for a 8-7 win and advance to the Class 3, District 1 championship game today against Notre Dame Regional High School.

"It was an exciting ball game and both teams gave up big innings," Kennett coach Aaron New said after the win. "For us, we've gave up big innings most of the year and we haven't been able to come back, so I was proud that our kids stayed in there and battled a very good Dexter team and was able to get the win.

"We've kind of thrown some (young) guys into the fire this year," New continued. "Luckily you could tell they have had some experience and the young kids played well."

Kennett's maturity as a team was never more evident than in the bottom of the seventh trying to protect a 1-run lead against the tournament's No. 2 seed and a team that had two regular season wins against them.

Dexter's Caleb Miller singled to lead off Dexter's last attempt to try and extend or win the game, but a missed hit-and-run play with Jarrett Laird at the plate saw Miller easily gunned down at second. Laird followed the missed play with a single that could have put runners at first and third with no outs.

Kennett made Dexter pay for the miscue with a textbook 6-4-3 double play to end the game

"It's baseball," Dexter coach Brian Becker said after the game. "We tried a hit and run and it didn't work out. At the end of the day you've got to tip your hat to Kennett. They did a great job today and coach New has done a great job with their team. They are young and they are going to be a force to reckoned with for the next few years."

Dexter could have thrown in the towel early after the Indians took advantage of an off day by starter Mason Noe, who only lasted an inning and two-thirds as Kennett scored seven runs in the second inning. Cody Stause came on in relief of Noe and worked the 'Cats out of the inning. Stause was on the mound for an unearned run in the third that would prove to be the game winner, but the left-hander only allowed four hits over his 5 1/3 innings of work.

Kennett Trey Bazzell was in complete control early in the game as the Indians added a single run in the third for an 8-0 lead before Dexter had been through the batting order one time.

"I was proud of my kids for the way we came back," Becker said. "We got down 8-0 and it would have been real easy for us to drop our heads and call it a year, but we battled back and I'm extremely proud of my boys for doing that."

Leading 8-0 and facing the minimum nine batters through the first three innings, Dexter got to Bazzell the second time through the lineup, chasing him from the mound with just one out and the bases loaded in the fourth after scoring six runs.

Cameron Wallace came on in relief and worked out of jam allowing just one more run as the Bearcats had cut the lead to 8-7.

After a lead-off walk from Wallace to open the sixth inning, New brought in Andy Lack, who worked out a bases-load jam to preserve the lead and was then on the hill to nail down the win.

Kennett will now take on Notre Dame Regional High School, which advanced to the championship game with a 10-0, 5-inning win over Fredericktown.

"We've played them tough," New said of the Bulldogs. "They beat us 2-0 the first time and we were ahead 4-0 going into the fourth or fifth inning the second time we played them and gave up a big inning. So you know, if we come and play with our A game we'll have a chance to compete with them."

The championship game will get underway at 4 o'clock.