BOWLING GREEN, Mo. - The top-seeded North Callaway Thunderbirds managed only four hits and were stunned by the No. 5 Hallsville Indians in the Class 3, District 7 semifinals Monday.
North Callaway scored two runs in the second and then tied the game at 3-all with a run in the fifth. Hallsville (13-12), though, took the lead for good with two runs in the sixth and tacked on a pair of pivotal runs in the seventh.
The Thunderbirds - who defeated the Indians 8-3 on March 23 at Auxvasse - ended the season with a 13-8 record.
North Callaway senior catcher Wyatt Branson was 1-for-4 with a run scored and came up with his 56th career stolen base. Branson finished the season with 15 steals and was never thrown out in his high school career.
Junior left fielder Chad Maupin went 1-for-3 with two RBI for the Thunderbirds on Monday, while sophomore center fielder Skyler Morris finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base.
Junior first baseman Clark Zerr was 1-for-2.
Junior starter Sam Althiser was pinned with the loss for North Callaway, giving up six runs - five earned - on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Althiser (4-2) struck out three and walked three.
"Hallsville was the better team today," Thunderbirds head coach Kevin O'Neal said. "We had a good season, especially our five seniors.
"They did a great job of leading the team the entire year."