The West Plains varsity Zizzers waited for the right moment before blowing the game open
against Bolivar, eventually rolling to a 10-0 victory under the run rule Tuesday at Zizzer Ballpark.
“Bolivar did a good job of keeping us off balance for the first few innings, but we were able to
scratch a few runs across early,” West Plains Head Coach James Sharp said. “Once we were
up 4-0 with Landon Montgomery on the mound, they started using some of their weaker arms.”
That shift allowed West Plains to put together a decisive sixth inning.
“We continued to have good at-bats, and eventually walks and hits added up and allowed us to
score six in the sixth to complete the 10-0 run rule,” Sharp said.
West Plains scored first in the opening inning on an error, then added a run in the third when
Keenan Holloway grounded out. Holloway drove in two more runs in the sixth and finished with
three RBIs.
Sawyer Reid and Zeke Cunningham each drew a walk to bring in a run, while Dominic Hale and
Camden Bryant were hit by pitches to force in runs.
On the mound, Landon Montgomery dominated.
“Once he settled in, we knew we could control the game,” Sharp said.
Montgomery threw six shutout innings, giving up just two hits while striking out six and walking
none.
The Zizzers also made their presence felt on the basepaths.
“We had some good steals today and kept pressure on them,” Sharp said.
Ryan Montgomery stole three bases as the team totaled four steals overall. Josiah Long,
Cunningham, Bryant, Ryan Montgomery and Holloway each recorded a hit.
Sharp said the victory reflected both patience and aggression.
“When we put it all together, that’s what the team looks like at its best," he said.
Bill O'Dell Varsity Festival
The Zizzers faced a brutal weekend at the Bill O’Dell Varsity Festival in Carthage, dropping
three games against nationally ranked competition March 27 and 28.
“Webb City, Olathe West and Republic all have outstanding programs,” Sharp said. “We
competed, but it was a tough slate — we just couldn’t get the results we wanted.”
West Plains opened with a 6-1 loss to Webb City, then fell 10-0 to Olathe West of Kansas. The
final game against Republic was closer, ending in a 4-0 defeat.
Sharp said the team played one of its cleaner games of the season in that final matchup.
“Against Republic, we actually played pretty well,” he said. “We out-hit them 5-3, committed only
one error compared to their three, and created some opportunities with runners in scoring
position. But they scored all their runs on one swing — a grand slam in the first inning — and we
just couldn’t recover.”
Despite the losses, Sharp said the team gained valuable experience.
“We learned a lot this weekend,” Sharp said. “Games like these show you what it takes to
compete at a high level. We’ve got work to do, but the guys are digging in and getting better
every day."
Mtn. View-Birch Tree Liberty
Sharp said the early offensive surge set the tone, even as the pitching staff worked through
command issues.
“A lot of hits on our end, and we played okay defensively,” Sharp said. “We struggled early
throwing strikes, allowing them to chip away at our 6-1 lead. However, we did enough
offensively to keep them two to three runs down.”
Freshman Ean Cunningham earned the win in relief.
“Ean Cunningham came in during the fourth inning and threw 3.2 innings, giving up one hit and
zero earned runs to secure the win,” Sharp said.
West Plains collected 10 hits in the game. Bryant led the team at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a
double, while Holloway finished 2-for-4 with a double. Ryan Montgomery drove in three runs.
Ozarks Classic
West Plains recovered from an opening loss to finish 2-1 at the Ozarks Classic baseball
tournament March 20 and 21 in Harrison, Ark., winning its final two games after dropping the
first.
The Zizzers fell 11-1 to the Pea Ridge Blackhawks to start the tournament but bounced back
with a 4-2 win over the Belton Pirates and a 7-2 victory against the Patriots of Providence
Academy.
“We had a bad game to start off the tournament,” Sharp said. “After that, we played really well.”
West Plains relied on its pitching depth throughout the weekend, using eight pitchers across
three games and finishing with a 1.97 team ERA.
Sharp said the staff’s performance helped the team regain confidence and provided clarity on
roles moving forward.
“We were able to gain some confidence in a few pitchers," he said, "and will be comfortable
using them throughout the season."
(Game statistics courtesy of 2026 GameChanger)
