Liberty, Grain Valley advance to Missouri baseball semifinals with Saturday victories

Liberty and Grain Valley reached the Missouri high school baseball semifinals with hard-fought victories Saturday in the state semifinals of their respective classifications.

The Blue Jays of Liberty became the first team to qualify for the Class 6 semifinals, beating Raymore-Peculiar 5-2 at the Pleasant Hill Rec Complex. The Jays next get a Friday final-four matchup in Ozark against Christian Brothers College.

That semifinal game is set for 4 p.m. Friday.

With Ray-Pec leading 2-0 in Saturday’s state quarterfinal, Liberty scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on just two hits. Liberty added its final run in the bottom of the sixth.

Ray-Pec pieced together a two-out, seventh-inning rally, loading the bases via a throwing error, walk and single, but a flyout ended it.

In the other two Class 6 baseball quarterfinals Saturday, Fort Zumwalt West beat Francis Howell 7-6 and Jefferson City beat Republic 1-0. Those winners now meet in next Friday’s other state semifinal in Ozark.

Class 5 Grain Valley, meanwhile, beat Smithville 7-3. It’s Grain Valley’s first final-four appearance in 17 years.

The Eagles will play Rockwood Summit, an 11-4 victor Saturday over Festus, for a spot in the Class 5 championship game at 11 a.m. Friday. The other Friday Class 5 semifinal will pit Fort Zumwalt South against Willard.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 3:18 PM.