Matt Woodmansee and Cade Wilson drove in three runs apiece as top-seeded Webb City decked fourth-seeded McDonald County 14-2 in five innings Wednesday afternoon at Barnes Field.
The Cardinals (26-5) have another home game at 1 p.m. Saturday against Glendale for the district championship. The third-seeded Falcons blanked second-seeded Carl Junction 8-0 in the other semifinal.
The Mustangs (15-13) used two unearned runs in the second inning to take the lead, but Webb City responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning.
"I thought getting five was huge, but to answer back in the second, that was big," Webb City coach Flave Darnell said on his postgame radio interview. "Scoring first in playoff baseball is really, really important. We started to play a little small ball and the kids executed that. We have worked hard on bunting and running. They were successful at that today."Wilson's bases-loaded double to center field scored two runs to tie the game, and Eric Fitch reached on an error as the go-ahead run scored, and the last two runs of the inning also scored on an error.
Wilson drove in another run with a groundout in a three-run third inning. Woodmansee's bunt scored a run in the third inning, and he drove in two more runs with a grounder in a six-run fourth.
Shane Noel and Woodmansee, who scored three runs, each had two hits to account for half of Webb City's eight hits.
"Matt's a grinder," Darnell said. "He's a baseball player. He has hit the ball well for us all year. Our lower half has been doing great. Aidan has been solid and is having a heck of a tournament. Having Cade, he puts pressure on with some speed offensively."
Fitch gave up two hits and two unearned runs in the first two innings, walking one batter and fanning two. Cole Gayman fanned one batter in two hitless innings, and Cooper Crouch struck out the side in the fifth.
"Cole's been our guy," Darnell said. "Eric didn't quite have it today andthey were putting a little more pressure on than we wanted to. I felt like Cole could get a few more swings and misses and not quite as good as contact. He was able to do that today. Cooper did a good job. He throws hard and got the strikeouts he needed."