A key to many of the Poplar Bluff baseball team's wins this season has been discipline at the plate.
Chasing pitches out of the strike zone isn't their style and hammering those that catch the zone have made teams pay.
The top-seeded Mules used that same approach mixed with a strong outing from pitcher Austin McIntosh to dismantle No. 8 New Madrid Central 13-3 Friday in five innings in the opening round of SEMO Conference Tournament at Bobby Strenfel Field.
Poplar Bluff (15-5) had 13 hits -- at least one from every starter -- and broke out for an early lead in the first inning. It was the 11th straight game in which the Mules scored in their first at-bat.
"When momentum gets on your side, it's kind of hard to stop that train," Mules coach Steven Edwards said. "New Madrid is a good team, we just hit the ball, played good defense behind our pitcher and everything came together."
Poplar Bluff will face Notre Dame, which beat Kennett 3-2 Friday, at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau on Monday in one semifinal.
The Bulldogs beat the Mules 4-2 on April 10.
The other semifinal features Sikeston, a 12-2 winner over Dexter, against seventh-seeded Cape Central. The Tigers upset No. 2 seed Jackson 3-2 in eight innings.
Tyson Cox put the Mules up for good with an RBI groundout. Mason Libla followed with an RBI double and traded places with Mike Anagnostopoulos on his RBI single two batters later, which pushed the lead to 3-0 and chased Central starter Jacob Keene from the game.
Keene was tagged with the loss and allowed five earned runs on three hits in 1/3 innings.
Anagnostopoulos along with Turner Fritts, who also singled, came around to score on Matt Lambert's bases-clearing double to the center field fence off of reliever Tripp Cravens.
Lambert took third on a throw home before Joe Darlin walked to put runners at the corners for McIntosh. The Poplar Bluff hurler helped himself with a slow-rolling grounder that was misplayed by Central's third baseman, allowing Lambert to score.
Jared Moses, who drew a walk to begin the game and scored the Mules' first run, cleared the bases with a double to the fence for an 8-0 advantage.
"That's a great way to start any game," Edwards said. "The plan was to be consistent at the plate like we have all year and look for your pitch to drive."
Central (6-12), meanwhile, couldn't figure out Poplar Bluff's crafty left-hander.
After giving up a one-out single to Gabe York, hitting Jared Reed with a pitch and surrendering another hit to Jared Reed to load the bases, McIntosh roared back to get consecutive strikeouts with a couple of nasty curveballs.
"I think they were expecting fastballs in that situation, so we go curveball and get them shaking their knees a little bit," Edwards said. "It just worked to perfection today and he has control on his curveball just as much as he does on his fastball. He's got the green light to throw it whenever he wants and he and (catcher) Mason (Libla) knew what to do."
McIntosh finished with six strikeouts to get his second win on the mound. The junior allowed three runs on nine hits and only walked one.
Lambert, who was 2 for 3, knocked in his third RBI of the day with a single to score Libla and pad the lead to 9-0 in the second.
Central finally broke through with two outs in the fifth when No. 6 hitter Brian Sylvester doubled to the gap in right-center to score Keene, who singled. But Sylvester was picked off at second to end the inning.
McIntosh needed five pitches to record a 1-2-3 fourth inning before the Eagles started chipping away.
Palmer Campbell doubled with one out in the fifth and scored a batter later on Chase Silman's RBI hit. Keene followed with a walk before McIntosh got Sylvester to ground into a fielder's choice for out No. 2. York followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 9-3, but McIntosh got his final strikeout to end the threat as the Eagles stranded two.
"I don't think they were expecting to see him out there today, but we rolled the dice because we believe in him," Edwards said of McIntosh. "He was in command, threw his best stuff and got the job done."
Poplar Bluff answered with four more runs in the fifth to end the game.
McIntosh singled to start it off, Moses followed with his second double of the day and Ronin Rice drove in McIntosh with a single. Libla added a sacrifice fly before Tyson Cox drew a walk, stole second and slid under a tag at home on Fritts' grounder to seal the run-rule victory.
Times for Monday's games were not available at press time but will be posted on Twitter (@darsports).