BRANSON, Mo. — Joplin struck early for the initial lead before scoring five times in the fourth inning on the way to an 8-3 Central Ozark Conference road win over Branson on Thursday.
With the win, Joplin improves to 11-4 with a 3-0 COC record, tops in the conference.
Ethan Guilford earned the win for the Eagles after shutting out the Pirates over four innings. He scattered two hits and struck out two. Kirk Chandler allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits, two walks and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 relief innings. Josh Harryman closed it out with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out two.
Kale Lankton took the loss for Branson after allowing eight runs, five earned, on nine hits and three walks. Heath Cole pitched four scoreless innings in relief, surrendering two hits, walking one and striking out two.
Joplin broke through on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the first inning. After the first two at-bats resulted in outs, the Eagles’ next five batters reached to push across two runs. David Fiscus highlighted the inning with an RBI double to left. Kohl Cooper had a double and scored a run, while Alex Curry singled and scored a run.
The Eagles pushed the lead to 3-0 in the top of the second when Cooper singled home Carson Wampler, who walked to lead off the inning.
The first five batters reached base in the top of the fourth to propel Joplin to a four-run inning. After consecutive singles from Fielding Campbell and Bodee Carlson started the inning, Cooper doubled to center field to bring home both runners, with Curry following up with a double of his own to left field to score Cooper. The Eagles scored two more runs to make the score 8-0 later in the inning when a Branson fielding error with two outs allowed two runs to score.
James Houston singled home a run to highlight the three-run bottom of the fifth for the Pirates.
Cooper led Joplin with a 3-for-3 game with two doubles, a team-high three RBI and two runs scored. Curry and Carlson each had two hits and scored a run, while Curry had an RBI.
Joplin hosts Pittsburg at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
