ST. MARYS — A pair of four-run innings broke open a 1-0 game through two innings as Class 1A fifth-ranked Martensdale-St. Marys shut out Creston Monday night, 9-0.
Brady Gavin had three hits and Tanner Foster hit two singles and a double in support of the three-hit pitching of Blue Devils sophomore Bret Barnett, who finished with 12 strikeouts and only one walk.
“They threw one of their top kids,” Creston coach Steve Birchard said. “He’s 4-1 and has about twice as many strikeouts as innings pitched. He throws pretty hard and early on he’d change it up a little bit and got us swinging at some bad pitches.”
With four conference games and another non-conference game left this week, Creston only had one of the top four starting pitchers in for one inning. Kadon Hulett threw a shutout first inning, and then Brenden McDowell went just over four innings, with late relief from Dalton O’Riley.
“In the third we gave up four runs on three walks and a hit batsman, and only two hits,” Birchard said. “They scored four again in the sixth.”
Martensdale-St. Marys improved to 21-4 for the season.
Hulett had two Creston hits. Chase Shiltz had a single and stolen base.
The Panthers (8-9 overall, 7-6 Hawkeye 10) start a busy week of conference action tonight with JV-varsity games at home against Red Oak. Little League recognition will take place before the varsity game at about 7:30 p.m. All local youth players wearing their team jersey will be admitted free.
A makeup doubleheader against Carroll Kuemper Catholic is scheduled at home Wednesday, with JV-varsity home games against Atlantic on Thursday before traveling to Treynor Friday.
Substate groupings for Classes 3A and 4A were announced late last week, and the Panthers are in a balanced Substate 8 in 3A that includes 10th-ranked Harlan (13-5). Other teams and their records going into this week are ADM (7-13), Atlantic (13-8), Carroll (9-7), Denison-Schleswig (11-10), Glenwood (11-8) and Greene County (12-9).
Pairings for district play beginning July 17 will be announced later, based on seeding through July 1 or 30 games. Seedings are based on a graduated point system for victories over teams in Class 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A, along with one point for loss to a 4A team and zero points for other losses. The top two seeded teams are separated into different districts.
“We’d like to finish with a good week and hopefully get to host a (district) game,” Birchard said.
Junior varsity
Martensdale-St. Marys won the JV game, 11-3, in three innings.
Garrett Dahl and Deaven Reese each doubled for the Panthers. Cory Marquardt drove in two Creston runs and Tucker Flynn had an RBI. Kylan Smallwood added a single.
Flynn pitched two innings for the Panthers, ending with no strikeouts, 10 walks and six hits allowed.
The Panther JV plays at home today against Red Oak at 5:30 p.m.
Martensdale-St. Marys 9, Creston 0
R H E
Creston 000 000 0 — 0 3 2
M-SM 014 004 x — 9 8 2
C: Kadon Hulett 0K 0BB, Brenden McDowell (2) 1K 6BB 1 HBP, Dalton O’Riley (6) 0K 2BB and Jaden Driskell. MSM: Bret Barnett 12K 1BB 1 HBP and Jake Catron. W — Barnett. L— McDowell. 2B — MSM: Tanner Foster, Brady Gavin. Multiple hitters — C: Hulett 2; MSM: Gavin 3, Foster 2.