The Marmaton Valley Wildcats advanced to the 2-1A regional tournament semifinals after mercy-ruling Three Rivers League rival Erie Tuesday.
Six runs in the opening frame and a 10-strikeout performance by senior pitcher Dominic Smith allowed the Wildcats to put the Red Devils away early and turn their attention to the vaunted Colgan Panthers Tuesday.
“The last couple of years, this is the sixth time we’ve played Erie, so we know what to expect with them,” Marmaton Valley coach Adam Borth said. “We had a good idea what they were going to do to start the game and prepared for that. Everybody prepared well. We were on it. Our approach early on was good.”
The Wildcats may have had this game on their radar for quite some time after lamenting a 15-14 loss to the Red Devils, which may have impacted their tournament seeding. A chopping grounder by freshman third baseman Thomas Allee forced an infield error resulting in a pair of runs for Marmaton Valley in the opening frame. The next at-bat, junior second Baseman Brevyn Campbell drove in Allee, then a sacrifice fly by sophomore outfielder Brenden Newman plated Campbell to give the Wildcats a 4-0 advantage.
“It kind of took care of itself today. Good preparation will help you more than momentum,” Borth said. “We’ve prepared pretty well lately. We haven’t always been clean in practice, but we have been more focused. We know what’s at stake and we know we don’t want to play our last game.”
Marmaton Valley posted two more runs on the scoreboard in the first inning on an RBI triple from junior first baseman Todd Stevenson and an RBI single from junior outfielder Chris Ferguson.
As the Wildcats lit up their end of the scoreboard, Smith blacked out Erie’s side with 10 strikeouts over five innings while allowing two walks and a hit. 
Senior Dominic Smith throws while tallying 10 strikeouts Wednesday.
“I had to get in my rhythm again, throw strikes and let the defense work behind me,” Smith said. “My catcher helps me a lot, and my outfield and infield stop the ball. It gives me confidence.”
Looking to put the game away early with a 10-0 run rule, the Wildcats scored a run in the fourth inning on a bases-loaded walk.
In the fifth, junior shortstop Tyler Lord drove in both of his team-leading two RBIs on a triple. Freshman outfielder Kris McVey drove in Allee to secure the mercy-rule and advance Marmaton Valley to the semifinals.
“Teamworked helped me the most, just going with the ball and not trying to pull it,” Lord said. “I’m just going to the ball and not trying to do anything special. It’s just confidence. We just have to go in and play confident. That’s the main thing, and good defense.”
Coach Borth said he is familiar with past Colgan teams and knows what to expect when they play Monday in Erie. The Panthers made it to the semifinals after mercy-ruling Pleasanton 15-0. 
Marmaton Valley High School coach Adam Borth waves in sophomore Brenden Newman to home.
“We played Colgan two or three years ago when they knocked us out,” Borth said. “We know what to expect. Coach Mike Watt does a great job down there. They are a traditional program and to get to state you’re going to have to go through them.”
First pitch is at 3:30 p.m.
