CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction bounced back from a loss to Carthage in the Bill O’Dell Tournament championship with a 12-2 Central Ozark Conference win over the Tigers on Tuesday.
“I don’t think anyone was complacent after that loss on Friday in the championship game,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “We had a meeting before Monday’s practice and guys seemed hungry and ready to go compete today. I was happy for our guys.”
The Bulldogs (10-3) scored three times in the bottom of the first before the Tigers (4-7) cut the lead to one with two runs in the third. Carl Junction answered back with two runs of its own in the bottom half and peppered crooked numbers on the scoreboard in the back half of the game en route to the five-inning victory.
“CJ is a good team,” Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said. “They are senior heavy, and their leadership is showing through while our inexperience is showing through. … That is kind of the issue we have been having this year.”
ON THE MOUND
Drew Beyer earned the complete-game win after allowing two runs on seven hits, no walks and seven strikeouts in five innings of work.
“Drew is really composed every time he steps on the mound,” Stevenson said. “He gives us a chance to compete and win. I thought he settled in and did a nice job. He looked good.”
Mason Utter took the loss after allowing 11 runs on 13 hits, two walks and three strikeouts in four innings. Zach Geter allowed one run on one hit and a walk in 2/3 of a relief inning.
GAME ACTION
The importance of fundamentals showed up in the first inning for both teams. Carthage’s Wil McCombs led the game off with a single up the middle and the Tigers attempted to sacrifice him over to second with a bunt but failed to do so for the first out of the inning. Kaden Kralicek followed with a single to left to put a pair of runners on base. Back to back strikeouts ended the threat with both runners stranded.
In the bottom half of the inning, Carl Junction’s Carson Johnson led off with a walk before being pushed to second on a sac bunt by Beyer. Noah Southern followed with a deep drive to the gap in right-center field for an RBI triple and Alex Baker added an RBI double to center in the next at-bat. Dylan Eck singled to right for a third straight run-scoring hit to plate Baker and push the lead to 3-0.
“Anytime they step up to the plate, you feel like they have a chance to put a ball in play hard and they did that,” Stevenson said of Southern’s and Baker’s extra-base hits. “I thought those two guys had really good swings, but I thought a lot of guys contributed with some good swings and really good at-bats. That is what you are looking for as a coach.”
“I told them once the inning was over that we had the same exact plan,” Bordewick said. “These COC teams have the same exact plans: get on, get over and get in. They executed (the bunt) and we didn’t, so it was no surprise the score was what it was.”
Carthage broke through in the top of the third, trimming the deficit to one with some two-out magic. With Caden Kabance on third and two away, Kralicek reached on an infield hit to score Kabance. Kralicek stole second and moved to third as the throw found its way into center field. Kanen Vogt lined a two-strike single to center in the next at-bat to score Kralicek and cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 3-2.
“A couple of guys stuck with the approach and did a good job of executing,” Bordewick said about his team’s approach with two outs.
Carl Junction wasted no time answering back, touching home twice in the bottom of the frame to push the lead back out to three runs, 5-2. After a leadoff double from Southern, Baker singled up the middle for an RBI before moving to second on an errant pickoff throw. Kyler Perry singled with two outs later in the inning to right to bring home Baker.
“That was huge,” Stevenson said of his team’s response on the scoreboard. “The momentum started to shift in their direction. Our guys took it back, ran with it and never looked back. Answering back in that innings was a huge reason the game ended up the way it did.”
The Bulldogs made the score 8-2 with three runs in the fourth thanks in large part to the first five batters reaching base. Johnson highlighted the inning with an RBI single to right, while the Bulldogs added a run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch drawn by Baker, and Beyer, who walked, scored on a double-play groundout.
Carl Junction ended the game in the fifth with a four-run output. Cole Stewart brought the first run home after reaching on a sac bunt. A balk allowed the second run to score, and Southern ended the game via run rule with one out in the fifth following a two-run single to right field that scored Stewart and Johnson.
“It’s a whatever-it-takes mentality,” Stevenson said of the offensive approach. “If it’s a base hit, a bunt, a ground ball to the right side to move a guy with no outs—whatever it takes to control the bat and do a job. This group just seems to do it.”
IN THE BOX
Johnson was 3-for-3 with a team-high three runs scored and an RBI out of the leadoff spot for CJ. Southern was 3-for-3 with a double and a triple, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Baker had two hits, including a double, to go along with three RBI and two runs scored. Perry, one run scored and one RBI, and Stewart, two runs scored and one RBI, each had two hits.
Kralicek had two hits as well as an RBI and a run scored to lead Carthage. Kabance also had two hits and scored a run.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction is at Republic on Thursday.
Carthage is at Nixa on Thursday.
