By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
If any team is going to beat Ash Grove this season, they’re running out of time to do it.
The Pirates maintained their unbeaten record on Tuesday in Aurora with two wins – and a championship – in the Class 2 District 12 tournament, and they clinched the title with a win over a familiar foe.
Class 2 No. 1 Ash Grove used a pair of big innings to down eighth-ranked Marion C. Early 10-2 in the championship and improved to 21-0 on the season with a sectional game against Marionville looming May 22.
“It’s been a few years since we’ve been able to crest that hill,” Ash Grove coach Berrah Brown said. “Marion’s had our number the last two years but this year we came out, we had a new approach at the plate and it worked out for us.”
Marion C. Early knocked off Ash Grove 4-1 in last year’s district championship, and won 12-3 in the 2021 title game.
But the Pirates earned a 6-2 win against the Panthers (22-7) in the regular season, and they entered Tuesday not having allowed a run in the month of May.
That streak ended Tuesday afternoon in a 15-5 over Pierce City in the district semifinals, but Ash Grove had plated nine runs in the championship game before the Panthers scored.
The Pirates scored once in the second when Elijah Morrison singled through the left side to bring home Tyler Tummons, who reached on a walk.
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They added three more runs in the third. Wyatt Dennis walked, Brock Mooneyham singled and Bryce Davis doubled to make it 2-0. Mooneyham scored from third on a foul pop out, and then Jon Rollhaus singled up the middle to make it 4-0.
Ash Grove delivered a knockout blow in the fifth inning. Mooneyham and Davis singled and Tummons walked to load the bases for Rollhaus, who reached on an infield single that scored one run. Nate Trammell then doubled to make it 7-0 and force Panthers starter Triston Bruegman off the mound.
Morrison followed with a grounder to third but reached on an error while two more runs scored for a 9-0 lead.
Marion C. Early scored its runs in the top of the sixth. Ben Lewis (single), Coltin Jett (walk) and Landen Burrow (walk) loaded the bases for Bruegman, who singled on the infield to score one. Colby Pellham grounded out to score another.
Ash Grove’s Mooneyham reached on an error in the bottom of the sixth and scored on another defensive miscue.
“We worked real hard in the cages the last four days actually which is kind of different for us,” Brown said. “Usually we’re a big defensive team but we worked really hard on offense and it really showed tonight. A lot of bottom-of-the-lineup hits tonight for us and that was a big thing.”
The other key for Ash Grove was starting pitcher Bryce Davis, who struck out 10 hitters and didn’t allow a hit – or a baserunner – until the sixth inning.
“He threw an excellent seven innings of baseball,” Brown said. “He just came out dealing. He’s a gamer. In big games like this, that’s who you want on the mound because he’s going to give you a chance to win.”
“They did a good job against our pitcher obviously,” Panthers coach Jason Grose said. “They’ve seen him several times and probably had a pretty good game plan. They just found a way to put balls in play. Defense has kind of killed us this year, that’s been our weak point. We made some mistakes, and it got out of hand there. They’re a good group, we know that and we knew we’d have to play really, really well to beat them. Hats off to them.”
