Canton Claims Lewis County Showdown with Big Bats and Big Ks

Canton, MO – The Highland Cougars and Canton Tigers met for the Lewis County Showdown on Monday, May 12, with both teams looking to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season and district tournament play. Canton turned to senior Preston Brewer on the mound, while Highland countered with sophomore Brock Schneider.

Early on, the matchup was a pitchers’ duel until the bottom of the third, when Canton broke through. A walk to junior Jayden Shuman and a single by junior Kaden Oliver put two aboard. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Brewer eliminated one runner, but an RBI single by junior Drew Gottman put the Tigers on the board. Senior Brett Ehrenreich followed with a two-RBI single to stretch the lead to 3-0. A groundout to Tyson Voth at first base ended the frame, but not before the Tigers grabbed the momentum.

Highland’s Anthony Walter led off the fourth with his second hit of the day, but Brewer responded by striking out the next three batters to keep the shutout intact.

Due to a limited pitch count after throwing Friday, Highland handed the ball to freshman Heath Feldkamp in the fourth. A leadoff walk to senior Bleu Taylor, followed by a wild pitch and groundout by junior Drew Logsdon, moved Taylor to third. An errant throw to the bag allowed Taylor to score, extending Canton’s lead to 4-0.

The fifth went quietly, but the Tigers added insurance in the sixth. A series of walks and a balk put runners in scoring position. A fielder’s choice briefly kept the Cougars within reach, but Shuman came through with a two-RBI single to make it 6-0.

“That was a lot of breathing room on that hit,” Canton head coach Andy Anderson said. “When he drove in those two runs and made it 6-0, that gave us a little extra breathing room going into the last inning.”

Voth helped Highland avoid further damage with a double play after Oliver’s line drive, giving the Cougars one last shot at the plate. But Brewer slammed the door with an immaculate inning—striking out the side on nine pitches—to seal the win.

“Preston threw a heck of a game,” Anderson added. “He just attacked them and got right after them.”

Canton

Brewer finished with 16 strikeouts in a dominant complete game performance. He credited early strike throwing and pitch variety for his success.

“I feel just getting ahead in the count early let me throw the kitchen sink at them and try to throw them off balance,” Brewer said. “I feel like I can own batters from there.”

Brewer also spoke about the upcoming challenges ahead, including the unique situation of competing in both the state golf tournament and district baseball on the same day.

“I believe one of my parents is gonna come watch me play state golf, and as soon as my round’s over and I turn my scorecard in, I’ll be leaving from there and heading up to Schuyler County.”

Canton improves to 13-4 on the season and will host Macon on Tuesday, May 13, at 5:00 p.m. before entering district play. The Tigers earned the No. 2 seed and a bye. They will face the winner of Schuyler County and Knox County on Monday, May 19.

Highland

Highland, now 3-14-1, will also wrap up the regular season Tuesday, hosting Hannibal at 5:00 p.m. The Cougars are the No. 6 seed and will take on Clark County in the first round of districts on Thursday, May 15 in Macon.

Despite the loss, Highland saw solid performances and growth from its younger players.

“It’s awesome playing with these kids since I was young—it’s been really great,” said Schneider. “I always trust my defense to get out of these jams and it worked today.”

Highland will look to improve with runners in scoring position heading into districts.

“That’s definitely one of our bigger problems,” Schneider admitted. “We just gotta get guys on base, collect hits, and once we get that going then we can be a dangerous team.”

Junior Tyson Voth, who made several key plays at first base, kept the energy up despite struggles at the plate.

“It was good, I do like playing in Canton and playing against kids I’ve been playing with,” Voth said. “Had a defensive day is all I can put it, and I like to keep the high energy—I think high energy wins games.”

Reflecting on a key double play in the sixth, Voth laughed, “I was a little scared—I thought there were two outs. But I got it with the help from my team.”

Voth, returning to baseball after a five-year break, praised his teammates and coaches for helping him develop as a first baseman.

“This team is real important to me and they’ve helped me grow,” he said.

Key Stats