CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — After trailing early, No. 6 Carl Junction rallied back for a 4-3 walk-off win over No. 1 Willard in a Central Ozark Conference clash between two powerhouse Class 5 teams on Thursday.
“The bottom line is Willard is a heck of a baseball team,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “The COC, every game you play, is going to be a dogfight. … We talked a lot about playing for 21 outs. If it doesn’t go your way early, stay in and play hard for 21 outs. … Truly, our guys were super mentally prepared the last few days in practice, stayed the course and got it done today. I was very proud of our guys.”
With the game tied at 3-3 to start the last of the seventh, the Bulldogs (12-4, 3-1 COC) led off the inning with a bunt single to the right side past the pitcher by Cole Stewart, who ultimately reached second on the play after a throwing error. Carson Johnson and Drew Beyer drew back-to-back walks with a Willard pitching change in the mix to load the bases with no outs. The Tigers (13-7, 3-2 COC) shifted defensively and moved to five infielders and two outfielders, with left field wide open. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Noah Southern laced a line drive to an empty left field to bring home Stewart as the winning run.
“First-pitch strike,” Southern said when asked what he was looking for. “I got it and just yanked it down the line. There was nobody in left field and I am a right-handed guy, so I am going to hit to left field most of the time.
“(This win) means a lot. Our goals at the beginning of the year was to be conference, district and state champs. We got another win in conference and hopefully we see these guys again later in the season. Only time will tell.”
“The one thing about it is, and anybody can feel this way, is you could want to try to do too much there,” Stevenson said of the walk-off hit. “Noah stayed short and stayed through a baseball.”
ON THE MOUND
Alex Baker started the game and earned a no-decision after allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits, two walks and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Johnson earned the win after pitching 1/3 of an inning in relief and didn’t allow a run.
“They got out and got an early lead but he is such a composed individual, such a high-character kid that the moment is not going to be much for him,” Stevenson said. “There is no one you would rather see on the mound when that happens. You know he is going to overcome it. He did a nice job of settling in and getting outs when he needed it.”
Gavin Burk started for the Tigers and took a no decision after allowing three runs on six hits, two walks and six strikeouts in six innings of work. Jared Miles took the loss after allowing one run on one hit and two walks without recording an out. Evan Gaunt allowed one hit without recording an out.
GAME ACTION
Willard took the game’s first lead in the top of the first inning with two runs. After working a leadoff walk and a one-out single from Grant Merryman put runners on the corners, Cooper Hampton doubled to right-center to plate Blake Hultgren. The Tigers brought home the second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Klayton Kiser.
Willard pushed the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single to left-center from Elliott Friend that scored Kiser, who reached base to lead off the fourth inning on a dropped third strike.
Southern led off the bottom of the fourth with a deep shot to the gap in left-center for a triple before coming around to score on an RBI groundout from Dylan Eck to get the Bulldogs on the scoreboard and trim the lead to 3-1.
“It didn’t happen early, which is why they kept us at bay,” Stevenson said about the importance of getting the leadoff man on offensively. “Once we were able to get the leadoff guy on and move some guys over, we felt like we could have some success. It certainly helped us round things out there in the end.”
Carl Junction used some two-out magic to tie the game up in the bottom of the fifth. Johnson singled before Drew Beyer drew a walk. Southern reached on an infield hit to load the bases. With Alex Baker at the plate, the Bulldogs cut the lead one when Johnson scored on a wild pitch Shortly after with Baker still up, Beyer scored on another wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3.
IN THE BOX
Southern led CJ at the plate with a perfect 4-for-4 game to go along with a run scored and the game-winning RBI. Johnson had two hits, a walk and scored a run, while Brendyn Downs and Cole Stewart, who scored a run, each recorded hits.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction hosts Pittsburg at 10 a.m. on Saturday
