CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. --Poplar Bluff and Jackson will meet for the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 championship for the third time in four years after both teams advanced Saturday with wins at Cape Central High School.
The top-seeded Indians beat Hillsboro 11-4 before second-seeded Poplar Bluff used a five-run fifth inning to beat Northwest 7-1.
The Mules (21-2) and Jackson (20-8) split two meetings this season and the previous showdowns for the district title with Poplar Bluff winning last year. They will face off at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Central High School.
"Obviously everybody wants to see Poplar Bluff and Jackson go at it," Mules coach Steven Edwards said.
Mason Libla allowed two hits through four shutout innings before the Lions made things closer.
Leading 2-0 in the top of the fifth, the Mules had their lead cut in half but got the second out in the process to help hold off sixth-seeded Northwest (9-14).
Libla hit a batter to start the inning, then allowed a single up the middle. After a strikeout on three pitches, Austin Jerger hit a single to right field and Kyler Carr's throw to the plate was late. But catcher Blake Robertson quickly threw out a runner at third base.
"It was huge for us," Edwards said. "It was a good ballgame all around."
A walk ended Libla's day, putting the tying run at second, but Michael White got the next hitter to ground out to the second baseman to end the inning.
Tyson Cox, who was 2 for 4, led off the bottom half of the fifth with a single to left field, and Austin McIntosh followed with another to right field to put runners at the corners. Turner Fritts loaded the bases when he was hit by a 1-2 pitch and Libla was hit by ball three to push across a run.
Two runs scored when Noah Burkey's grounder to the shortstop was misplayed, and Carson Webb's RBI single to left field put the Mules up 6-1 with nobody out.
Burkey later scored on a wild pitch to set the final score, as the Mules scored five runs on three hits in the fifth.
"We did what we we had to do to scratch a couple across," Edwards said.
The Mules scored twice in the first inning after loading the bases. Cox led off with a single, McIntosh was hit by a pitch and Fritts walked after fouling off a 2-2 pitch. Northwest nearly escaped the jam with a strikeout and fly ball caught by the catcher in foul ground, but Cox scored on a wild pitch and Webb hit an RBI single to the left side.
"I thought Tyson Cox, his bat was awesome today," Edwards said. "He was a true leader on the field today on defense."
Northwest pitcher Seth Fortner hit four batters, walked one and struck out four in four innings.
Libla fanned seven, walked two and hit two in 4 2/3 innings while White struck out four of the seven hitters he faced, allowing two hits. Poplar Bluff didn't commit an error.
"Mason pitched well from the get go, fastball was moving well," Edwards said.
Webb drove in two runs and was 2 for 3 for the Mules, while Fritts, who came in hitting .603 on the season, was walked twice and hit twice.
Poplar Bluff has won eight straight since being no-hit by Jackson pitcher Tyler Martin in a 6-0 loss on April 19 at Jackson. The Mules beat Jackson 7-3 to claim the SEMO Conference Tournament championship 11 days later.
The Mules will try to defend their district title for the first time after losing the 2015 final 2-1 to Jackson a year after ending a 37-year title drought.
Edwards said he expects to see Martin start again for Jackson, adding, "We got the kitchen sink to throw at them."