By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carl Junction continued its postseason scoring binge at the expense of Clinton on Friday night.
The Bulldogs rolled into the semifinals of the MSHSAA Class 3 baseball playoffs with aplomb by trimming the Cardinals 13-1 in five innings at spacious Carl Lewton Stadium in Carthage Municipal Park.
Carl Junction (15-10) faces Fulton (16-9) at 7 p.m. next Friday at Meador Park in Springfield.
It’s the second trip to the semifinals for the Bulldogs. Phil Cook’s 2000 edition finished second to Jefferson City Helias.
The 13 runs — the Bulldogs scored five times in the third inning — gave Flave Darnell’s charges 61 in their last five outings (11 or more in each game).
Clinton coach Jim Garvin left impressed with the Carl Junction offense.
“Carl Junction had a lot of good two-strike at-bats,” Garvin said. “Their kids competed very well. They understood the strike zone. Right now they’re hot. Tip your hat to that coaching staff.”
Bulldog right-hander Jake Stevenson, a junior, allowed only three hits in hiking his record to 5-2. He struck out four, walked one and hit a batter.
Said Darnell: “He threw strikes and he went after them. He really had just one bad inning — the third — when they opened with a single and a walk. He attacked the mitt.”
Stevenson also keyed the Carl Junction two-run first inning.
Payton Walker opened with a single and cruised home on Stevenson’s booming triple to left center. Batterymate Travis Green then grounded out to score Stevenson.
Cardinal center fielder Cory Coale, who was shaken up after crashing into the wall chasing the ball hit by Stevenson, remained in the game after a few minutes but eventually was removed.
The Cardinals scored in the bottom of the first on Nick Petree’s two-out, opposite field home run to right. It was the third of the spring for the Missouri State signee.
But Stevenson then allowed only singles by Seth Eshleman in the third and Tyler Ford in the fourth.
Carl Junction scored an unearned run in the third before striking for five runs with the help of four singles in the third. Seth Spencer, Logan Deem, Matt Thompson and Walker had the safeties.
Walker and Spencer each had two hits for the winner and Deem drove in two runs.
“We had timely hitting,” Darnell said. “I thought we scored several runs with two outs (that was true of all runs in the third).”
Defensive gems were turned in by Stevenson, who speared Hunter Cloud’s shot for the final out, and diving Clinton third baseman Connor Hilty, who back-handed a line drive by counterpart Garrett Carden in the fifth.
Garvin’s 19th Clinton ballclub, which started just three seniors, finished 20-8 in making its third appearance in a row in the playoffs. The Cardinals ousted Carl Junction in the quarterfinal round in 2007.
