By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

VANCLEAVE — There will be a new Class 5A state baseball champion this season.

East Central’s two year run atop the state came to an abrupt end Monday night in Vancleave, as the home-standing Bulldogs took a 4-1 win in the third and final game of that Class 5A South State semifinal series. Vancleave, now 25-8 overall, moves on to face South Jones Friday night in Ellisville to open the South State championship series.

The Hornets, the back-to-back and defending state champs, see their hopes for a three-peat come to an end at 18-13 overall. This marked the sixth meeting of the year between the two longtime arch-rivals, the most ever in a single season in the over fifty year history of the all-time series. Vancleave finished 4-2 against ECHS.

Vancleave led throughout the contest, tallying single runs in the bottom of the second and third frames and then securing the win with two more in the fourth.

That was way more support than Bulldog starting pitcher Levi Tapp actually needed, as he went the distance on the mound scattering five hits and striking out six while walking none in earning the win.

“Levi Tapp was phenomenal on the mound. He pounded the strike zone and competed all night long against a good offensive team,” VHS head coach Justin Edwards said.

Robert Tinson gave VHS a lead it would never relinquish in the second stanza, as he brought in a run when the Hornets couldn’t handle a hard-hit ball of his and misplayed it into an error.

Tyler West made it 2-0 in the third when he cracked an RBI-double to center field.

Vancleave added two more what would end up being insurance runs in the fourth frame on an RBI-single by West and a run-scoring ground out from Layton Eder.

East Central managed its lone run in the top of the sixth on an RBI-double by Tony Tanner. But that would be all the Hornets could muster off of Tapp.

Hunter Parker collected a game-high three hits to lead the way at the plate for VHS, while West chipped in two hits and a game-high two RBIs to the winning effort. West had the only extra base hit for the Bulldogs with that double.

“Big night offensively by Tyler West and Hunter Parker allowed us to put up enough run support to keep control of the game from start to finish,” Edwards added.

 East Central got five hits from five different players, with Tanner’s RBI-double the only extra base hit.

Christian McFaul started and took the loss for the Hornets, going three frames.

South Jones awaits Vancleave in the Class 5A South State championship after sweeping past Stone over the weekend in the other South State semifinal match-up.