In what was one of the most competitive and entertaining days of games this season, the Class 4 and 5 Final Four is set, with a few teams who we expected to see and a Cinderella team in New Madrid Central, who looks to keep pulling off the upset.

Class 5
CBC 10   Vianney 5
In what was expected to be an entertaining and competitive game between two quality teams, fans were not disappointed and CBC overcame some pitching woes early to advance to the Final Four. 

CBC came out swinging in the first inning, with leadoff hitter Joe Schrimpf blasting a homerun, his first of the season. One batter later, Justin Paulsen blasted a solo shot to give CBC an early 2-0 lead. 

Vianney responded scoring two runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game, and knocking out CBC starter Dan Herrmann. 

In the bottom of the second inning, Jack Klages was driven in by Matt Dreyer giving Vianney a 3-2 lead. 

After two scoreless innings, CBC scored two runs and took a 4-3 lead in the fifth.

Not to go away quietly, Vianney catcher and Mizzou commit Jack Klages blasted a solo shot to right field to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth. 

With the score tied 4-4 going into the seventh, and CBC exploded for six runs to put the game away. Schrimpf led the inning off with a double, followed by a Matt Vierling single to put runners on the corners. Paulsen lobbed a single to centerfield scoring Schrimpf to break the tie. After CBC loaded the bases, Jalen Gilkey delivered the knock out blow with a bases clearing single.

In relief, Collin Burnham held the Vianney bats at bay, throwing four innings and allowing three hits, while allowing one run. Robert Plohr got the win after relieving Burnham. 

CBC will face Willard in the Class 5 semi-finals next Friday at 4:00 at TR Hughes Ballpark. 

Willard 3   Rock Bridge 2
Willard found a way to get it done again. After graduating eight seniors for the 2012 squad that reached the Final four, Willard earned a somewhat unexpected second consecutive appearance in tge semifinals, and for the second consecutive game scored a come from behind win. Justin Atchison put in a gritty performance scattering six hits and striking out three; remaining undefeated in his high school career. 

Rock Bridge scored their only two runs of the game in the fourth inning on a David Plain two RBI single 

Down 2-0 in the fifth inning, Nik Taylor led off with a walk, and advanced on a bunt single by Kyle Latham. An error loaded the bases and was followed by run scoring singles off the bats of Patrick Latham and Keaton Presley. A sacrifice fly by Michael Pfeifer proved to be the game winner. 

Staley 4   Blue Springs South 2
Four Blue Springs South errors proved costly as Staley capitalized, and will advance to the Semi-Finals to face Francis Howell. Staley scored two runs on a wild pitch and an error in a three run second inning, which proved to be the difference in the game. Staley scored their fourth run on an error as well

 

Class 4
Westminster 7   Notre Dame 5
The Westminster Wildcats overcame an early 4-0 deficit after two innings to defeat Notre Dame 7-5 and advance to their third consecutive Final Four. 

In the bottom of the first, Notre Dame plated three runs. Chase Urhahn drew a one out walk, followed by Josh Haggerty reaching base on a fielding error. After Chase Simmons struck out, a two out single by Cody DeBrock drove home Urhahn followed by a Lucas Haines single allowing Haggerty and DeBrock to score. 

Notre Dame extended their lead to 4-0 in the second inning, when Justin Landewee came around to score on an Urhahn double. 

The Westminster bats finally came alive in the top of the fourth. Brett Bond singled with one out and came around to score on a Caleb Hicks double. Travis Ralls then reached on an error, advancing Hicks to third.  The next batter, Tyler Catlett singled, scoring Hicks. A two RBI double by Andrew Colgrove tied the game at 4-4 and Colgrove came around to score after when Kyle Kinner reached on an error to put Westminster up 5-4.

Notre Dame fought back in the bottom of the fourth. Griffin Seibert drew a two out walk and advanced to second after Landewee was hit by a pitch. A Chase Urhahn single drove home Seibert to knot the score at 5-5. 

The tie did not last long, Shane Benes led the top of the fifth off with a homerun to left field, followed by a double by Brett Bond. Bond would advance to third on a wild pitch, and another Notre Dame error allowed Bond to score, extending the lead to 7-5.

Logan Rogersville 10   Warrensburg 2
Logan-Rogersville powered their way into the Final Four, using the long ball to defeat Warrensburg and pick up their 21^st consecutive win. After Warrensburg scored a run in the top of the first, Evan Gruener blasted a two run shot to put Rogersville up 2-1, and they didn’t look back from there. 

After Warrensburg responded with a run in the second to tie the score, Gruener added another RBI in the third to extend the lead to 3-2. 

In the fourth inning, Rogersville blew the game wide open, highlighted by a grand slam by Dayton Karr, the first homerun of his career, giving the Widlcats a 8-2 lead.  Justus Boever would add a two run homerun, the third homerun for the game for Rogersville. 

Starting pitcher Jacob Schlesener and reliever Tad Mitchell, both sophomores, held Warrensburg to three hits on the afternoon.

Booneville 6   St. Mary’s 4
A two run second inning got the scoring started for Booneville, highlighted by an Ethan Sanders triple, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead, a lead that they would hold on to for the rest of the game. Sanders had three hits to lead the Booneville offense. Jordan Copeland picked up the win, and Booneville will face Oak Grove on May 30 at 7:00 at TR Hughes Ballpark in the Class 4 semifinals. 

Oak Grove 3   St. Pius X (Kansas City) 2
After St. Pius took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, Corey Bolin scored on a bases loaded groundout by Cole Doherty, a play that was overturned by the umpire crew after deciding that the Pius first baseman’s foot was off the base. A single by Dakota Hearn in the next at bat drove home Sean Baker, tying the score at 2-2. Levi Harmon would score the winning run in the fifth inning after drawing a walk, stealing second, advancing to third on a wild pitch and scoring on a hard grounder by Hearn. 

Cole Doherty picked up the win on the mound, allowing one earned run and four hits in five innings. Conner Matson relieved Doherty and struck out three in his two innings of work for the save.

 

Class 3
New Madrid Central 3   St. Pius X (Festus) 0
New Madrid’s Cinderella ride continues to the Final Four, knocking off St. Pius 3-0 and advancing for the first time to the state semifinals, where they will matchup with Springfield Catholic. 

With the game scoreless headed into the top of the seventh, Tim Clayton led the inning off by reaching on an error. Clayton was replaced by pinch runner Jake Reed, who would steal second and advance to third on an errant pick off attempt. Reed would score the winning run on a passed ball, giving New Madrid a 1-0 lead. New Madrid wasn’t done yet, loading the bases later in the frame and adding a few insurance runs. With two outs, Lane Chamberlain’s two RBI single extended the lead to 3-0. JaShawn McDaniel, who picked up the sectional win on Tuesday, entered the game in the sixth inning and pitched himself out of a bases loaded jam and held Pius in the seventh to pick up the win.

 

Class 2
West Platte 2   Archie 1 

Class 1
Dadeville 9   Weaubleau 8