Baseball

Mexico loses Sam Ryan pitcher's duel 1-0 vs Father Tolton

Mexico had Sam Ryan on the mound Tuesday for districts but so did Father Tolton.

Mexico's Ryan pitched six innings and allowed one run on five hits and one walk in the Class 4 District 8 semifinals at Southern Boone in Ashland, but the Bulldogs lost 1-0 to the No. 4 team in Class 4.  Tolton's Ryan pitched seven innings with five strikeouts, two hits and one walk.

Brady Fox and Drew DeMint had the lone hits for the Bulldogs, who finish 15-17. 

Carter Henke came up with a two-out RBI single for Tolton (20-8) in the fourth inning.

North Callaway advances to district championship game with 7-5 win over host South Callaway

North Callaway had enough to hold off its county rival.

The Thunderbirds defeated South Callaway 7-5 in the Class 3 District 8 semifinals on Tuesday at South Callaway in Mokane. South Callaway (13-15) scored all of its runs in the final four innings and had the winning run at the plate in the seventh inning.

North Callaway, however, made its six hits count as Keaton Bell, AJ Haubner, Kyle Pennell, Carter Moore and Caleb Sheets each had RBI. Bell allowed one earned run on eight hits and no walks in seven innings while striking out five.

Head coach Kirt Kleindienst said Bell had a key play from the start of the first inning by bunting his way on. The third baseman was playing back, and that set up a three-run inning for North Callaway. Pennell also made a diving catch on a ball hit over his head in the first inning.

North Callaway (16-9) officially puts its win total at an 11-year high as it plays in its first district title game since 2021. The Thunderbirds face another Callaway County rival New Bloomfield (12-8) at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Boys golf

Centralia, Missouri Military Academy at Class 2 state tournament

The Centralia Panthers had a much better Day 2 at Paradise Pointe in Smithville.

Cullen Bennett rose five spots on Tuesday by shooting an 81, or nine-over par, to best his 83 from Monday and finish fourth. Bennett's 164, or 20-over par, earns him all-state honors.

Carter Moss was next for Centralia in a tie for 33rd, with his second day 86 besting his first-day score by four strokes and making him rise eight spots. Travis Brooks rose 17 places after shooting an 85, eight strokes better than Day 1, to finish in a tie for 39th; and Brady Schultz improved by 12 places after shooting an 87, or six strokes better than his first-day score, to finish in a tie for 44th.

As a team, Centralia finished sixth with a score of 698, or 122-over par, and miss a tie for fourth place by three strokes. The Panthers shaved 20 strokes off their Day 1 score with a 339 on Day 2. 

For Missouri Military Academy, Gabriel Ontiveros jumped nine places by lowering his Day 2 score to less than 100 at 92, which is 11 strokes better than Day 1. Ontiveros finished in a tie for 76th.

Hermann's Trigg Lindahl won the individual state title with a 149, or five-over par, and Cole Camp won the team championship with a 677. 

Van-Far, Paris at Class 1 state tournament

Pacey Reading made a big jump for Van-Far at the Class 1 state tournament at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club in Joplin.

Reading rose 20 places to a tie for 30th to finish with a 176, or 32-over par. He shot an 84 on Day 2 to take eight strokes off his Day 1 score.

Kaleb Baskett was next for the Indians with a 188 to finish in a tie for 60th, with his Day 1 score of 92 was four strokes better than Day 2; Nikos Connaway shot a 190 to finish in a tie for 64th, with his Day 1 score of 92 being six strokes better than Day 2; and Kasen Christian shot a 196 to finish in a tie for 76th, with his Day 1 score of 95 being six strokes better than Day 2.

As a team, Van-Far finished seventh with a score of 750.

For Paris, Logan Mitchell took two strokes off his first-day score by shooting a 97 on Day 2, finishing in a tie for 76th. Evin Reichmann shot a 198 to finish 81st, which improved his placing by three spots, and his Day 2 score of 94 was 10 strokes better than Day 1.

St. Vincent's Payton Strattman won the individual state title after shooting a 146, or two-over par. Salisbury repeated as the team state champion after shooting a 670.