From staff reports

sports@joplinglobe.com

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Galena moved into the baseball semifinals of the Kansas Class 3A Tournament behind the pitching of Dakota Walker and an 11-hit attack on Friday.

The Bulldogs ousted Hillsboro 6-2 behind senior right-hander Walker’s one-hitter and will face Doniphan County at 12:30 p.m. in a semifinal on Norvell Field at Eisenhower Middle School.

Galena is 20-3. Doniphan (20-2) defeated Douglass 8-5.

Walker, 10-1, struck out seven and walked four. He was reached for a two-run single in the top of the first by losing pitcher Tyler Ediger.

Ediger kept the Bulldogs at bay until uprisings of 2, 3 and 1 tallies in innings 4-6.

Said Galena coach Ken Cook: “We had a solid offensive game. We made some hard outs in addition to the 11 hits. We struck out only two times.

“Walker obviously had a strong overall performance,” Cook said. “He worked out of some trouble and we turned two double plays.”

Galena broke through for two runs in the fourth on a single by Troy Albright, a run-scoring double by Walker and a single by Dillon Katzer.

In the fifth, Grant Thompson singled, moved to third on a wild pickoff attempt and scored on a two-out single by Colton Leet. Albright then doubled in Leet and Walker singled home Albright.

Zach Gougler’s double, a stolen base and Thompson’s single produced the final Galena run in the sixth.

Albright, junior left-hander who’s 4-2, is the probable starting pitcher against Doniphan County, Cook said.