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National 12u squad rides hot streak to state crown

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The pressure of facing five elimination games in a sweltering two-day span only seemed to motivate a resilient crew of 12-year-old baseball players from the Mineral Area.

The MACRBA National Division all-stars competed in three contests over six hours with just two 30-minute breaks, and still managed to secure the Cal Ripken state championship for the 70-foot bases classification on Sunday.

Six players in the lineup collected multiple hits, Lucas Spray combined with reliever Evan Voyles to provide superb pitching, and Mineral Area upended Sikeston 10-3 in the winner-take-all final.

Joel Strauser finished 3-for-3 including two bunt singles, and leadoff batter Dawson Harper netted three RBI for the Nationals, who surged ahead to stay with five runs during a decisive fourth inning.

Mineral Area prolonged its season by ousting Jackson and Scott City on Saturday, and dominated Portageville 15-4 before avenging a Thursday loss to Sikeston with back-to-back triumphs.

Holden Mayberry provided some heroics with a tiebreaking solo home run in the fifth inning of a 5-4 win, as MACRBA forced a second championship game. He sparked Mineral Area in the final showdown with an early RBI single.

Sikeston pounced on Spray with four straight hits out of the gate, including a three-run homer by first baseman Bryce Bays, but silently scattered just a double and single over the remaining five innings.

Spray retired nine of his final 10 batters, and Voyles was equally impressive during his three scoreless frames with one strikeout.

Catcher Garret Bowen reeled in two consecutive pop-ups in foul territory to strand a Sikeston runner at third base in the third inning. Second baseman Cody Hubbard started a nifty double play in the fifth.

An RBI double by Harper brought the Nationals to within 3-2 in the second. He had another key swing in the third-inning outburst.

Chris Loida smoked a ground-rule double to left, and scored the tying run as Mayberry and Jason Mahurin followed with singles. The rally resumed following a double play that originated with a catch in center field.

Bowen ripped a go-ahead RBI double off reliever Noah Brown, and two walks eventually loaded the bases. Harper made it 7-3 with a timely two-run single after his foul was dropped near the first-base line.

Mineral Area tacked on two more runs in the fifth and another in the sixth after both innings started with walks. Mahurin, Harper, Loida, Mayberry and Bowen each finished with two hits.

The Nationals captured the automatic bid for the Midwest Plains regional tourney, which begins in Sikeston on Thursday.

Loida and Mayberry homered during the earlier rout against Portageville, as Voyles notched his first win of the day.

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