From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
The Carthage All-Stars, breaking away with an 11-run uprising in the top of the fourth inning, blanked LaCoMo East from Concordia 19-0 Saturday night in the Little League Baseball 11-year-old state tournament at Sunny Jim Park.
Carthage, after outscoring its first two opponents 33-0 in a pair of four-inning games, plays Daniel Boone National Little League from Columbia in the final pool game tonight at 8.
Carthage’s Cole Orscheln, Sawyer Shepherd, Blaine Diggs and Kyle Lee worked one inning apiece, combining for a no-hitter. LaCoMo East had three baserunners, two reaching on walks and another on an error.
Shepherd also rapped three singles and a double to pace Carthage’s offense. Orscheln and Riley Hirshey each hit a single and a double, Ralston Schramm had two singles, and Lee contributed a double.
Cherokee wins state
BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. — Caleb Spangler’s grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning capped a furious sixth inning and lifted Cherokee past Riverton 12-9 in the championship game of the Kansas Little League Baseball 11-12-year-old state tournament.
Cherokee, which beat Riverton 10-2 Friday night to force a second title game, advances to the Central Regional tournament in Indianapolis.
Riverton trailed 8-6 going into the final inning, but Landon North slugged a three-run home run to right-center field to give Riverton a 9-8 lead. North went 2-for-2 for the game.
But Cherokee loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, setting the stage for Spangler’s game-winning slam to left-center. Bryce Burdette went 3-for-4 for Cherokee, and Spangler was 2-for-2.
