CENTERBURG — Daniel Lemaster wasn’t his sharpest, but the Centerburg ace was still overwhelming.
A senior right-hander, Lemaster ran his record to 12-0 after allowing four hits in a 9-6 win over Northridge in the Division V district semifinals.
The Knox Morrow Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Lemaster struck out eight but walked seven. He allowed six runs in 6.1 innings of work, but only one was earned.
The third-seeded Trojans jumped to a 5-0 lead in the home half of the first. Mason Vallance delivered a two-run double while Ryan Long, Clarke Redd and Gabe Campos all drove in runs in the inning.
Ninth-seeded Northridge scored two in the second and tied it at 5-5 with three more in the third.
The Vikings took a 6-5 lead on a Kash Reeves run-scoring double in the top of the fourth, but Centerburg reclaimed the advantage with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the inning. Lemaster and Ricky Faught scored on a two-out error by Northridge.
The Trojans scored a pair of insurance runs in the sixth. Long had a one-out single to drive in a pair.
Faught was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Vallance was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Long drove in three.
Centerburg will play either Fredericktown or Amanda-Clearcreek for the district title at 2 p.m. Thursday at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Fredericktown was leading 2-0 when the game was suspended. It will be resumed Wednesday.
(Photos by Cheryl Splain)
