Raiders and Knights collect needed wins

By DONN ADAMSON
Daily Journal Sports Editor

BONNE TERRE — The North County Raiders inched one game closer to a conference title with a 6-0 shut-out of the Fredericktown Blackcats on Wednesday. The Raiders scored half of their runs in the first inning and the second half in the third.

Jake Cavins pitched a complete game, allowing only four hits and striking out seven batters on the way to face only two batters over the minimum 21.

Jordan Thompson had North County’s only extra-base hit with a double for one of his two hits. Derek Gibson and Will Swofford both hit two singles, and Matt Robinson, Derek Emily, Cody Huff, Joe Winckel, Sam Hulsey and Cavins had one hit each.

The Raiders (9-1) will travel to Cuba today for their next game.

Farmington 4, De Soto 3 (10 innings)

FARMINGTON — The Farmington Knights raised their run level to four on Wednesday, the most they have scored in a game this season, but they had to wait an extra half of a game to get it.

Zach Hibbits hit a short single to drive in the tying run in the bottom of the seventh, and the two teams locked horns for three extra innings until Pete Grindel hit a ball that eluded De Soto’s outfielder for a game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Jesse Williams, who had relieved Nick Baker, pitched the last four scoreless innings to claim the win, allowing only three De Soto hits, while striking out four batters.

De Soto scored three runs in the top of the third inning on a two run single by starting pitcher Brandon O’Day and an RBI single by Neal Finch.

Hibbits drove a ball off of O’Day’s glove in the bottom of the inning which scored two runs to cut it to a one-run game. The score stood at 3-2 until Hibbit’s power swing in the seventh.

The Knights had  a total of 10 hits in the game to De Soto’s nine.

Farmington (4-5) will travel to Cape Girardeau on Monday to play Cape-Notre Dame.