By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
PLATTSBURG - Junior Denton Biller struck out 12 batters in a complete game, senior Caiden Bailey hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning and No. 4 seed Mid-Buchanan (11-6) took advantage of six errors by the opposition in a 9-2 win over rival and No. 1 seed East Buchanan in the Class 2 District 15 semifinals at Perkins Park in Plattsburg Monday.
The Dragons, who downed North Platte in quarterfinals 10-3 Saturday, won their fourth straight game and avenged a 14-12 loss to the Bulldogs in last year's district title.
"Yeah I mean, East Buch is a rival," Biller said. "So, I've been looking forward to this game however long. Since last year. Since we lost."
Mid-Buchanan batted first and quickly went up 5-0 on a pair of hits, a couple free passes and three East Buchanan errors in the top of the first inning.
East Buchanan (15-4) got a run on the board in the bottom of the first, but the Bulldogs were held to just three hits on the day and were sat down 1-2-3 in five total innings.
"Fast ball was working good," Biller said. "Slider was pretty good and the defense was amazing behind me. That really helped a lot."
Caiden Bailey's big moment came in the top of the fourth. With runners on the corners and two outs, Bailey laced a 1-1 pitch deep to left field to firmly put the Dragons ahead 9-1.
"That's a good rival team," Bailey said of the win. "It's just a blessing to keep playing in the postseason and keep this thing rolling."
East Buchanan got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Bulldogs didn't have a single baserunner in the game's final three innings.
Behind just one error in the field, Biller struck out 12 batters and walked only one. Junior Derek Sprague led the way offensively, going 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
The Dragons now advance to the district championship, where they'll face No. 2 seed Plattsburg (25-8) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The Tigers beat Bishop LeBlond 3-1 Monday in the second semifinal behind a 10-strikeout performance from Brock Steggall.
Mid-Buchanan, now one win away from its first district crown in baseball since 2017, beat Plattsburg in the regular season. It was 5-4 in 10 innings in late March. Coach Rod Elms knows - any win over a team in this stacked district won't come easy.
Even when his team was up comfortably Monday, he didn't breathe easy until the last out was recorded.
"Because (East Buchanan) is a very quality team, they've been here before and they know how to come back," he said. "As an old baseball guy, it's high school baseball, man. Things can happen really quick. So, our kids stayed focused. You heard me yelling, 'Stay focused, stay locked.'"
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