EUGENE, Mo. - Sophomore starter Peyton Leeper threw a five-hitter and struck out 14 as the state-ranked South Callaway Bulldogs toppled the Eugene Eagles in a convincing Show-Me Conference victory Monday night.
Leeper threw 92 pitches and walked none to move his season record to 3-0. Eugene scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth.
"Peyton had command of his pitches, he kept the ball down and he hit his spots," South Callaway head coach Heath Lepper said. "He had a plan when he stepped up on the mound, and he executed it.
"When a pitcher has his stuff and a plan, it's something neat to watch."
The Bulldogs - ranked second in Class 2 - kept churning along with their 15th consecutive victory. South Callaway improved to 20-2 on the season and stayed unbeaten in the SMC at 5-0.
The Bulldogs can now concentrate on their SMC showdown at Fatima - ranked No. 7 in Class 3 - at 5 p.m. today. The Comets lost at Fulton 4-1 on Monday night.
"If you let this one (Eugene game) get away from you, then that one becomes a must-win," Lepper said of tonight's clash. "But they're all must-wins at this time of the year because you want to stay hot going into the postseason.
"I'm sure the atmosphere in the ballpark (at Fatima) is going to be a good one."
Leeper helped himself with an RBI single in the top of the first Monday night and sophomore designated hitter Austin Loucks drove in a run with a groundout to make it 2-0. After the Eagles scored in the fourth, sophomore third baseman Drake Davidson delivered a two-run single in the fifth to stretch South Callaway's lead to 4-1.
The Bulldogs then turned the game into a runaway behind a six-run outburst in the seventh. Davidson came through with another two-run single and junior right fielder Josh Johnson followed with an RBI double.
Sophomore left fielder Tyklen Salmons supplied a two-run single and eventually scored on senior catcher Graysan Peneston's RBI single.
Davidson went 3-for-3 with four RBI and scored a run as South Callaway piled up 14 hits. Peneston finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and Johnson was 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored once.
Leeper went 2-for-5 with an RBI.