Tigers escape rain, beat Indians in five innings

IRONTON — The Arcadia Valley Tigers escaped bad weather Wednesday afternoon en route to a 13-0 win over the Bismarck Indians in five innings of play.

Jon Hankins picked up the win for Arcadia Valley. Hankins pitched five innings, gave up just three hits, and struck out three batters. Mike Randazzo suffered the loss for Bismarck. Randazzo pitched one inning and gave up five hits.

Bismarck got a one-out single from Sam Fisher in the first inning but ended up stranding the baserunner at third base.

The Tigers broke the ice in the bottom half of the inning by plating four runs. Brandon Granger hit a single and went on to score on a double by Hankins. Dave Glaskey then scored Hankins with a RBI double. Stephen Blankenship and Grant Gardner rounded off the scoring with RBI singles each.

Bismarck got another baserunner in the second inning as Matt Jackson was hit by a pitch. However, the Indians still had problems scoring runs as the baserunner was also stranded. The Indians had another opportunity to score in the third inning as Adam Oder led the inning off with a single but later was picked off at first base. Adam Randazzo followed with a single, but from that point on the Bismarck bats were quiet.

Arcadia Valley made some noise in the bottom half of the third inning as Granger hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run. Hankins followed with a single and would later score on a fielder’s choice by Glaskey.

The Tigers then scored five more runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning to grab a 13-0 lead. Hankins shut the Indians down in the top half of the fifth inning to pick up the win.

Granger led Arcadia Valley at the plate with a home run, a double, and a single. Hankins had a double and a pair of singles, and Glaskey had a double and a single. Abe Warren, Gardner, and Blankenship each had a pair of singles.

Adam Randazzo, Fisher, and Oder each had one hit for Bismarck.

The Tigers improve to 5-6 (2-3 in the MAAA) and will host Valle today. Bismarck falls to 3-6 (2-5 in the MAAA) and will host Valley today.

Hillsboro 12, Ste. Genevieve 6

STE. GENEVIEVE — The Ste. Genevieve Dragons stepped out of conference play on Wednesday to host the Hillsboro Hawks. The Dragons had a big second inning, but were unable to keep up with the Hillsboro offense, as the Hawks won 12-6.

Jake Donze got the start on the mound for the Dragons and suffered the loss. Donze gave up nine runs, but only five were earned in four innings of work. Donze recorded four strikeouts, but also walked five batters.

Hillsboro scored a run in the first inning and six more in the second to build a 7-0 lead. The Dragons immediately responded with five runs in the bottom of the second to cut their deficit to 7-5. The Hawks added a pair of runs in the fourth inning, and three more in the fifth, to seal the victory.

Kyle Palmer went 2-4 in the game for Ste. Genevieve, and had the big hit on the day with a three-run homer in the second inning. Andy Miller finished 2-3 with a triple and a run scored. Donze helped his own cause with a double.

Ste. Genevieve saw its record fall to 4-6 with the loss. The Dragons will return to conference play this afternoon, when they host Potosi.

Grandview 14, Kingston 3

WARE — The Kingston Cougars hit the road Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference date with the Grandview Eagles. The Eagles exploded offensively as Kingston fell 14-3 in five innings of play.

Kyle Smith suffered the loss for the Cougars. Smith, Jordan Kincaid, and Chris Roux each led Kingston at the plate with two hits apiece. Cody Portell and C.J. Bone each had a hit.

The Cougars are still looking for their first win on the season and will host West County today.