North Shelby falls short to St. Elizabeth in state semifinal

Published 1:20 pm Tuesday, June 2, 2026

OZARK, Mo. — It was a close game for three innings for North Shelby in its Class 1 state semifinal game against St. Elizabeth on Monday afternoon.
The last three innings were not, with St. Elizabeth putting up three runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to defeat the Raiders 11-1.
The Hornets struck first in the top of the second inning when Keyton Doerhoff singled home Charlie Rowden.
North Shelby responded back in the bottom of the second when Kale Pollard singled home Grady Gander to tie the game.
St. Elizabeth took the lead for good in the top of the third after Kyson Green singled and later scored on a pair of throwing errors.
Hornets starting pitcher Sam Luetkemeyer earned the win after pitching six innings wtih six strikeouts, while allowing two hits, one walk and one earned run.
North Shelby starting pitcher Lane Pollard was tagged with the loss after pitching 3.1 innings with no strikeouts, while allowing five hits, six walks and five earned runs. Cole Browning pitched 2.2 innings in relief with two strikeouts, while allowing nine hits, one walk and five earned runs.
Browning and Pollard had the lone hits for North Shelby, with Gander drawing a walk.
St. Elizabeth shortstop Eli Demna went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, RBI and a run, while Hornets third baseman Cooper Demna went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.
Luetkemeyer went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs for the Hornets, while Doerhoff went 3-for-4 with a double, four RBIs and two runs.
North Shelby (17-4) will play Dadeville (20-11) in the Class 1 state semifinal at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.