MALDEN -- It took the Greenville baseball team one time through the batting order to figure out what Doniphan was throwing at them.
Once they had it down, the crooked number followed.
Behind six hits, the third-seeded Bears scored all of their runs in two innings to nail down a 10-5 win over the sixth-seeded Dons Saturday in the first round of the MSHSAA Class 3 District 2 tournament.
Greenville (8-4) will face Twin Rivers (7-7) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Monday.
"We just made little adjustments here and there after our first time through and really started making things happening by putting the ball in play," Greenville coach Scottie Blackburn said. "
The Bears went hitless through the first inning and gave up a run on an error in the second, but once the middle of the lineup made its way to the plate to face Doniphan starter Jake Eddington, they were ready.
Jason Bratton singled while Alex Hicks and Noah Suratt followed with walks to load the bases. After a pair of strikeouts, Greenville leadoff hitter Tye Huff dropped in a bloop single behind first base to put the Bears up 2-1.
"He's our leadoff guy and always does a good job of just getting the bat on the ball to make something happened," Blackburn said.
Jack Becker, Greenville's starter, helped himself during the next at-bat with a two-run single to make it 4-1 and went back to the mound to silence the Dons.
The sophomore didn't allow another hit through the next two innings and retired the side in order in the fourth on a pair of groundouts and his third strikeout. Becker finished with four punchouts, gave up three hits two earned runs and walked two in six innings to get the win.
"Jack pitched great and that's what we've been working towards," Blackburn said. "We've needed that second guy to come out and be able to throw like that, and he gave us that lift we needed."
Doniphan (4-14) finally got to him when Becker walked the Dons' No. 9 hitter Alex Littrell to start the fifth. Becker got a strikeout and a groundout before Eddington's bloop single dropped in to cut the lead to 4-2. Greenville made up for the lost run with a 6-run fifth inning. The Bears sent 10 players to the dish and all but three came around to score.
Trey Mcdaniel reached on an error to begin the inning, Will VanMatre followed with a single and Bratton walked to load the bases for Suratt, who drew another walk for a 5-2 lead.
After getting a strikeout, Eddington was lifted for Kyle Lowery, who got a strikeout before Wyatt Barks fly ball was dropped by the center fielder allowing two runs to score.
Huff was hit by another pitch and Becker drew another walk to load the bases for McDaniel, who reached on another error to plate two more runs.
"We got some good, key hits through all of it and I'm happy to see that side of it too," Blackburn said. "Big inning all around."
It proved to be the difference.
Though the Dons never got within five runs, they made it interesting in the final two innings as Lowery and Hunter Leroux came through with consecutive RBI groundouts to cut the advantage to 10-4 to end Becker's day.
McDaniel, the Bears' ace, got some work in the seventh. The senior gave up a double to Eddington with two outs then got a strikeout that appeared to end the game. But an errant throw to first on a dropped third strike allowed Eddington to score the Dons' final run. McDaniel recovered to get his third strikeout to end it.
"Our defense just goes brain-dead from time to time and it's like we just quit paying attention," Blackburn said. "You just never feel comfortable and it's something we'll have to be better about in this next game."
Twin Rivers 7, Puxico 0
Four pitchers combined on a no-hitter and recorded 15 strikeouts as the second-seeded Royals rolled past the seventh-seeded Indians.
Jack LeGrand started, struck out four and walked one in two innings to get the win. The senior also went 3 for 4 at the dish with two doubles and two RBIs. David Deken followed suit on the mound with the same line while Zac Hardin pitched two perfect innings with five strikeouts.
Baylen Teague closed things out with two strikeouts and opened the scoring by reaching on an error in the first to score Hardin, who singled.