Hicks performance sparks No. 5 Cardinals

Making his first start of the season Webb City senior Kyle Hicks made some key pitches at key times and his defense came through numerous times.

Hicks ran into problems in the top of the seventh inning, but freshman Tyler Burgess got out of a bases loaded jam with little damage and Webb City held on for a 6-4 victory over visiting Neosho Friday afternoon at Barnes Field.

The victory by the Cardinals, who jumped up from No. 8 to No. 5 in the latest Missouri State High School Baseball Coaches Association Poll, allows for no worse than a share of the final Southwest Conference championship.

The Cardinals have one game left in league play, against Carthage, the only team to have defeated them in league play. The two play Tuesday and if Webb City wins, it locks up its eighth straight SWC title.

The latest win in league play for the Cardinals was a lot more difficult then the 14-0 setback they handed Neosho the previous Saturday.

Despite jumping out to a 5-0 lead, Webb City held on with everything it had to secure the win as a valiant rally by the Wildcats (7-13, 2-5) came up just short.

Webb City (16-5, 6-1) came up with a big insurance run in the sixth inning and then held on as a four-run lead dwindled to two runs.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Mack Kyle ended a mini-slump with a single to left field. After moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Lepper, Kyle trotted to third base when an errant pickoff throw sailed into center field. A double by Patrick Drake made it 6-2.

Hicks, who was very efficient with his pitches, ran into trouble in the seventh inning after getting a groundout to open the inning. The next four batters reached safely to spark the Wildcat rally.

Pinch hitter Anthony Hendrix walked and moved to second when Austin Paul reached on an infield single.