Gopher rally sends Green City to District 12 baseball final

The Green City Gophers, heading into the bottom of the 5th inning, trailed LaPlata by a score of 4-2, with the number of outs in their seasons becoming slimmer by the pitch.

Green City, in the fifth, received a key hit by Devin Fields to drive in two runs.  After the contest with the Bulldogs went to extra innings, Camden Williams drove in the game-winning run in the 8th inning, lifting the Gophers to a 5-4 win in Class 1, District 12 semifinal action from Green City.

While Williams drove in the game-winner with his bat, it was perhaps his arm that had the most important job for the Gophers, as Camden, after giving up early runs and the lead to LaPlata, settled down to twirl eight innings with 10 strikeouts.

The victory sends the Gophers into Thursday night’s District 12 title game to take on long-time rival Novinger.  The second-seeded Wildcats, taking on Bevier in the first game of the night, took a 7-2 win.

The Novinger-Green City showdown will take place tonight (Thursday night) at 6 ‘clock in Green City, Missouri.  The Gophers enter with an 11-1 record, while the Wildcats are 10-8.

Elsewhere in high school baseball district action, the Linn County Mustangs claimed a dramatic extra-inning win over Northwestern on Wednesday night in Purdin.  The Mustangs, in eight innings, took a 9-5 victory.  Linn County will battle Macon County in the Class 1, District 15 title game at 4 o’clock this (Thursday) afternoon.

The Braymer Bobcats routed West Nodaway, 12-2 in five innings, in a Class 1, District 16 semifinal played at Burlington Junction.  The Bobcats, this (Thursday) afternoon at 4:30, will play North Nodaway in the district title game.  North Nodaway shut out Platte Valley by a score of 6-0.

It will be a all-KCI Conference matchup to decide Class 2, District 16 baseball.  The West Platte Blue Jays slipped by Lone Jack 3-2 while Mid-Buchanan hammered North Platte 8-1 in Wednesday night’s semifinals in Weston.  The championship between the Blue Jays and Dragons will be this (Thursday) evening at 6:00.

The Class 2, District 6 title game between Scotland County and Canton will be played on Thursday night at 6 o’clock in Canton, Missouri.

Lexington and Higginsville will meet in an-all MRVC East title game in Class 3, District 14, with that contest slated for 5 PM Thursday at Knob Noster.

The Lawson Cardinals scored runs in five of the six innings they batted, doubling up KCI rival East Buchanan 8-4 in a Class 3, District 16 semifinal played Wednesday afternoon at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.  The win sends the Cardinals, now 16-6 on the season, into a 5 o’clock championship game on Thursday afternoon with the Bishop LeBlond Golden Eagles.  LeBlond advanced through the semifinals with a 6-5 nail-biter over Lathrop.  The Cardinals-Eagles matchup will be 5 PM on Thursday at Phil Welch Stadium in St. Joseph.

The title game is set for Class 4, District 15, as Smithville will battle St. Pius X at 5 PM Thursday in Excelsior Springs.  The Lafayette Irish are the champions of Class 4, District 16, as a fourth-inning run was the difference in a 1-0 victory over Benton on Wednesday night at Phil Welch Stadium.