WEBB CITY, Mo. — It couldn’t have been a more exciting debut for Webb City coach Flave Darnell, who saw his Cardinals earn a 7-6 walk-off win against Rogersville in nine innings to start the 2021 season with a victory.
“I guess a win is a win, and we will take it,” Darnell said with a laugh. “I just wish we could have finished it a little earlier, I suppose. We used a little more pitching than we wanted. We stayed in it and made some good defensive plays when we needed to, and so did they. It was a good high school baseball game. … We are really happy to beat a team with the quality of Rogersville.”
Webb City took the early momentum with a three-run bottom of the first before pushing the lead to 4-0 with a single tally in the third. The Wildcats crossed homes three times in the fifth to trim the lead to one before the Cardinals added another run in the last of the fifth to make the score 5-3. Rogersville tied the game up in the top of the seventh with two runs to send the game into extra innings. After both teams notched runs in the eighth, Cole Gayman sent the Cardinals home happy with a walk-off line drive to the gap in right-center with the bases loaded on a 3-2 pitch with two outs.
“It’s a long game, and Cole had a chance to end it in the seventh and didn’t,” Darnell said. “He was pretty down about it, but the one thing about baseball is you just have to stick with it. He ended it (his next at-bat), so I am very proud of him for that.”
Gayman started the game and took the no-decision after allowing three runs on three hits, six strikeouts and four walks in five innings. Noah Mitchell allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits, a walk and a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings, while Eli Goddard earned the win after allowing one run on five hits, a walk and five strikeouts in the final 3 2/3 innings.
Drew Cornelison took the loss after allowing one run on two hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning.
Devrin Weathers had three hits to lead the Cardinals, while Matt Woodmansee had a double, a triple, scored two runs and drove in one. Gayman had two hits and a team-high two RBI. Eric Fitch added two hits and scored a run.
Clay Palen, who doubled, had three hits, three RBI and two runs scored to lead Rogersville at the plate. Cornelison had two doubles and an RBI.
