The Joplin Outlaws are headed to the MINK League’s championship series.
With the South Division championship on the line, the Outlaws upended the Jefferson City Renegades 4-2 on Tuesday night in front of a large crowd at Joe Becker Stadium.
With the win, the Outlaws (24-21) advance to the league’s championship series against the St. Joseph Mustangs (35-14), the champions of the North Division.
“To be able to do this for the city of Joplin feels phenomenal,” Outlaws manager Gonzalo Gonzalez said after his squad captured the franchise’s first-ever South Division crown. “This is just great. This city has supported us all the way through. To be able to do it for the fans really means a lot. It took a full team effort tonight. Our offense started off slow, but we adjusted to the off-speed pitches later in the game. That allowed us to come out with the win.”
The opener of the best-of-three championship series is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday at Joe Becker Stadium. The final two games of the series (if both are necessary) will be played at St. Joseph’s Phil Welch Stadium.
GAME RECAP
Runs were at a premium in the win or go home contest.
The Renegades had the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the third, but Outlaws starting pitcher A.J. Moreno maneuvered out of trouble by recording a pair of strikeouts before inducing an inning-ending fly ball.
After the visitors stranded two more on-base in the fifth, the hosts finally broke through in the bottom half of the inning.
Tyler Davis singled and went to second on a balk. With two outs, Carl Junction product Carson Johnson delivered an RBI single up the middle, giving the Outlaws a 1-0 cushion.
“I was just looking for a fastball in the zone,” said Johnson, a third baseman. “I wanted to jump on whatever I could get. It came in, I put a good swing in on it and it ended up being the first RBI of the night.”
Gonzalez noted the former Carl Junction Bulldog came through in the clutch.
“His ability to stay on that pitch a little longer was the difference right there,” Gonzalez said.
Joplin extended its lead with two key insurance runs in the sixth.
Caden Bressler singled and Joe Ricchio was hit by a pitch, putting two on with no outs. Jakob Machuca followed with a three-run homer to make it 4-0.
“I’ve been watching him do that for years,” Gonzalez said, noting Machuca played for him at Fort Scott CC. “That guy is tough to get out.”
Jefferson City plated two runs in the seventh against Outlaws reliever Edrian Rangel, cutting Joplin’s lead in the half.
But the Outlaws kept the Renegades off the scoreboard in the eighth and ninth innings to secure the historic win.
“This is pretty amazing,” Johnson said. “We all had the same idea tonight. We were just going to come out and play baseball and have a good time regardless of the outcome. You can really tell how far we’ve come from the start of the season. It’s been amazing. The atmosphere here tonight was awesome.”
Moreno, a right-hander from Cal Poly-Pomona, was the winning pitcher. Moreno tossed six scoreless innings, limiting the Renegades to seven hits and two walks while striking out three.
“That was unreal,” Gonzalez said of Moreno’s performance. “He kept his pitch count low. When they had the bases loaded there (in the third) he was able to get two punchouts and a pop-up. That shows the maturity he has as a pitcher. He has the ability to throw everything for a strike. That guy is one to watch in the future.”
Rangel went two innings, striking out three and scattering four hits. Justin Schrader pitched a scoreless ninth, fanning two.
The Outlaws won the game despite recording just five hits. Davis was the lone Outlaws to have two hits.
Braden Maltbie took the loss for Jefferson City. He gave up four runs on five hits in six innings. Xander Lovin pitched two scoreless frames in relief.
Adonis Forte had four of Jeff City’s 11 hits. Cole Wagner had the lone RBI.
“Jeff City is a class act team,” Gonzalez said. “They’re tenacious. They’re hard to put away and there’s a reason they made it this far.”
HOME GAME THURSDAY
After surviving and advancing, the Outlaws will have one final home game of the summer—Thursday against the St. Joseph Mustangs in the opener of the league’s championship series.
Johnson noted the Outlaws are looking forward to another game inside the friendly confines of Joe Becker Stadium.
“We play really well at home,” Johnson said. “We have to protect our home territory. We just have to come out and play our best baseball.”
Gonzalez said the Outlaws hope to see another big crowd on Thursday night.
“I think being at home is big for us,” he said. “I hope the whole city of Joplin comes out and supports us. We really need to take that first win.”
BOX SCORE: Mink Baseball League (minkleaguebaseball.com)
