Whether it was at the plate or in the field, it was a game of missed opportunities for Joplin, as the Eagles suffered a 5-3 loss to John Hersey (Illinois) on Wednesday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“Absolutely, it was missed opportunities,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said after the loss. “We had a lot of chances throughout the course of that game to push a run across or to make a play here or there. We just have to do the little things better.”
Joplin’s first scoring opportunity came and went in the last of the first inning. The Eagles (3-4) led the inning off with a single from Brady Mails before Cole Lawrence drew a walk. Joplin ultimately had runners on second and third with no outs before a fly out and back-to-back strikeouts ended the frame with no damage done.
“Early in the first inning, we had runners at second and third with less than two outs and we didn’t get anything out of it,” Wolf said. “It gave them a little momentum and completely changed the complexion of it. We’ve got to be able to understand our approach there and get a ball put in play to give ourselves a chance to score the run early. We didn’t do it. You look at the final scoreboard and that’s part of the reason we were on the wrong side of it.”
Hersey led off the fourth inning with a double that one-hopped the wall by Will Hickey. David Denton went down swinging but reached on a dropped third strike, which allowed Hickey to move to third with no outs. Brandon Pflomm followed with a carbon copy of Hickey’s at-bat, smacking a double to right field that one-hopped the wall, driving in a pair of runs in the process for a 2-0 advantage. The Huskies pushed the lead to 3-0 after Chuck Meister plated a run following the third double of the inning for Hersey.
“It’s just fundamental things and communication,” Wolf said of the defensive lapse on the dropped third strike. “It’s things that we work on daily. We’ve got to put a premium on understanding that those things matter. It can be a play in the fourth inning that becomes the huge play in the course of the game. We’re capable of making all of the plays and we’re capable of making adjustments at the plate … we just have to get committed to being able to do it.”
Joplin answered back in the next half inning after reaching the scoreboard with a single tally. Justin McReynolds led the frame off with a double down the third-base line before moving to third on a bunt single by Landon Maples, who later stole second to put runners on second and third with no outs. Jackson Queen followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home a run and cut the lead to 3-1. With a runner on third and one out, the Eagles’ inning ended with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Eagles rallied all the way back in the bottom of the fifth inning with a pair of runs to tie the game. Caden Shoemaker led the inning off with a shallow single to right field before Mails singled through the right side. With runners on second and third and one away, Reither hit a sacrifice fly to score a run and trim the deficit 3-2. Joplin got its first hit out of the infield with runners in scoring position when McReynolds roped a ball to the gap in right-center field for a two-out, run-scoring double to tie the game at 3-3.
“Justin will tell you he has struggled a little bit early, but like I told him the other day—he’s been a .370 hitter his whole career.” Wolf said. “He is going to hit. It’s just a matter of getting going, and hopefully that’s the start of it right there. … That was a big hit. It tied the game and gave us a little momentum.”
Hersey had the go-ahead run at third with two outs in the top of the sixth inning when a popup on the infield by Meister was lost in the sun and fell to the turf behind first base to allow the run to score. The Huskies added an insurance run when Carson Naegele followed with an RBI single to left-center for a 5-3 lead.
“I thought Alex (Isbell) came on in relief and did a good job that inning,” Wolf said. “He gave us an opportunity to get out of that inning without a run scoring. The ball gets up in the sun, and that’s part of the game, but we have to figure out how to shield your eyes or just communicate. When you lose it, let everyone know because there are guys around who could maybe step in and make the play.”
AT THE PLATE
Joplin’s offense left eight runners on base, struck out 12 times and were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position in the loss. Hersey left four runners on base, struck out seven times and was 4-for-11 with RISP.
Meister doubled on the way to two hits, two RBI and a run scored. Naegele had two hits and drove in a run. Pflomm doubled, had two RBI and scored a run.
Mails had two hits and scored a run, while McReynolds doubled twice, drove in a run and scored a run. Reither doubled and had an RBI.
ON THE MOUND
Keegan Luxem earned the no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits, eight strikeouts and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. John Balla earned the win in relief after allowing one hit, walking one and striking out four in 2 1/3 innings.
Reither took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits, a walk and five strikeouts in five innings. Alex Isbell allowed one run on three hits and two strikeouts in two relief innings.
UP NEXT
Joplin is Rogersville for a twinbill against the Wildcats and Marshfield.
