Dover had a blowout win and had to grind another one out as it makes its way closer to the baseball postseason.

The Longhorns runruled Shidler 10-0 at home on Monday and then opened the Ripley Tournament on Thursday with a 4-1 victory against Varnum.

That put the Longhorns at 18-4 on the season as they entered Friday’s semifinals against Calumet (after press time of this edition).

Brok Cooper pitched a gem against the Whippets, who are ranked 19th in Class B.

Cooper allowed four hits, walked three and struck out eight in his complete- game effort.

Varnum got the run on him in the first inning before he shut down the Whippets the rest of the way.

Dover tied it up in the top of the third on Trypp Lack’s RBI single. That scored Casen Buck, who reached on a double.

The Longhorns added two runs with two outs in the fifth, both coming when Lack reached on an error.

Lack then provided some cushion with a solo homer in the seventh.

Dover had seven hits, two each by Lack, Buck and Sloan Merrill.

Buck scored twice. The senior busted a grand slam to cap a fiverun third inning in the four-inning victory against Shidler.

Dover got its runs on just six hits.

Cooper had half of them, the first being an RBI single in the first.

He scored on Lack’s double.

Cooper also had an RBI double in the second.

The Longhorns enter the weekend ranked No. 3 in Class B.

Calumet, the reigning Class B champ, is ranked fifth.