Sikeston's Gerald Winfield (right) gets back to first base ahead of a pickoff throw to Dunklin County's Matt Bader during the first game of Wednesday's Senior American Legion baseball doubleheader at Senath. (Mike Buhler/Dunklin Daily Democrat) [Click to enlarge]

Mike Buhler ~ SEMO News Service

SENATH -- Dunklin County Post 303 took a detour on the way to its first District XIV win of the season.

Post 303 could not hold to an eight-run lead in the sixth inning and ended up dropping a 12-10 decision to Sikeston Post 114 in the first game of a Senior American Legion baseball doubleheader here Wednesday.

Dunklin County (6-7, 0-2 District XIV) won the second, non-district game 11-1 to salvage a split behind a nine-strikeout performance from pitcher Dustin Crane.

Post 303 led 10-2 entering the top of the sixth inning, but three errors led to seven unearned runs in the frame as Sikeston pulled even.

Post 114 (11-7, 3-1) pounded out seven of its 15 hits in the sixth inning along, and ultimately tied the score on Dustin Barker's base hit to rightfield that scored Nick Lambert.

Dunklin County had a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but Jeremy Patton was thrown out trying to score on a flyball for an inning-ending double play.

Sikeston seemed to grab momentum from that, as Cody Anderson led off the top of the seventh inning with a double to rightcenter, went to third base on a Josh Pierce bunt and scored the go-ahead run on Austin

Williams' single to leftfield. Williams scored later in the inning on a Josh Steven base hit that provided insurance.

Post 303 had one more chance as the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh singled, but a 6-4-3 double play and a flyout to right ended the rally and the game.

Earlier in the game, Dunklin County seemed in control, taking a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run bloop double by

Taylor Laden that scored Shane Branum and Dustin Carter.

After Post 114 scored in the top of the fifth inning to make it 5-2,

Dunklin exploded for five runs in the bottom of the inning.

Josh Hutton singled home Patton, then Kenny Abernathy homered over the leftfield fence to drive in Hutton and make it an 8-2 game. Dustin Hunter and Matt Bader followed that up with back-to-back base hits to chase Sikeston starter Nick Lambert.

Three batters later, Laden capped the rally with a double to score Hunter, while Dustin Carter scored when the ball was misplayed to make it a 10-2 game.

Hutton finished the day 4-for-4 with two RBIs to pace Post 303, while Laden was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and the trio of Bader, Branum and Carter each had two hits.

Williams, Stevens, Lambert, Anderson, Seth Baker and Gerald Winfield each had two hits for Sikeston, while Baker drove in three runs and doubled twice.

Anderson picked up the win for Post 114 with two innings of zero earned-run relief, while Stevens tossed a scoreless seventh for the save. Patton took the loss for Dunklin County in relief of Hunter.