BRANSON, Mo. — Joplin rallied in the sixth inning to win the first of a two-game split with Cassville to open the Branson Lady Pirate Invitational on Friday.
Joplin broke a 4-4 tie with a run in the top of the six in the opener to beat Cassville 5-4. In Game 2, the Wildcats scored first and held serve, holding off the Eagles for a 6-4 win.
JOPLIN, 5-4
Reece Schroer walked to lead off the top of the sixth before moving to third on a pair of groundouts by Madisyn Tracy and Ashley Phillips. With the score tied at 4-4, Bailey Ledford came through with a two-out single to center field to bring home the go-ahead run to send the Eagles to a 5-4 win.
Jill McDaniel earned the win after allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits, two walks and eight strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
McDaniel added two hits at the plate with an RBI, while Tracy doubled twice, drove in a run and scored a run. Schroer doubled and scored twice.
CASSVILLE, 6-4
Cassville and Joplin traded runs in the first inning before the Wildcats added two runs in the top of the third to take a 3-1 lead. Cassville scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to push the lead to six runs. Joplin rallied with three runs in the bottom of the third but would get no closer before the final out was made.
Ledford, Phillips, Izzy Yust and Kami Manning all registered hits for Joplin. Ledford scored twice, while Manning and Phillips each scored a run.
UP NEXT
Joplin takes on Neosho at 9 a.m. before matching up with Lebanon at noon. Joplin wraps Saturday play in the Branson Lady Pirate Invitational with a contest against Glendale at 1:30 p.m.
