In a season filled with adversity that ultimately led to a Central Ozark Conference crown, Neosho had to draw on that experience of battling through a daunting schedule one more time as the Wildcats found their backs against the wall with the season on the line.
Down to their final three outs and facing a three-run deficit, Neosho rallied behind a game-tying home run from Carleigh Kinnaird in the seventh inning to send the ballgame into extras before Kinnaird delivered once again an inning later by belting a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to send Neosho past Lee’s Summit West 8-6 in the Class 5 District 7 semifinals on Saturday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“I did know as soon as I hit it that it was gone,” Kinnaird said with a smile after being asked if she knew on contact. “But my mindset was just trying to get on because we needed as many baserunners as possible to get a run across. I just put the bat on the ball and it went out.”
“Some of our faculty members and other people from the community have called us the Comeback ‘Cats or the Cardiac ‘Cats, you can take your pick there,” Neosho coach Catie Cummins said with a smile about her team rallying late for the walk-off win. “Whether it was Webb (City) earlier in the year, or Raytown South, Nixa—we have always been a team that has done that. I think that resiliency from the tough schedule we played early on helped us here because we knew what it was like to play from behind and fight back and win.”
BIG SWINGS
After surrendering three runs and the lead in the top of the seventh on a three-run homer from LSW’s Bailey Amezcua, Neosho refused to see its season slip away, rallying back in the bottom half of the inning. Kynden Smith and Beclynn Garrett walked to lead off the frame ahead of Kinnaird, who followed up by depositing an 0-2 pitch over the wall in center field for a game-tying three-run home run.
“It was amazing,” Kinnaird said of her first long ball. “It was a game changer, which is what we needed in that moment because we were a little down after giving up those three runs. That swing felt great. I was so happy it went over so I could help my team out after letting them down by giving up those three runs.”
The first two Wildcats made outs to lead off the bottom of the eighth, but Garrett extended the inning by reaching base with a single up the middle to bring Kinnaird to the plate.
“That was huge,” Kinnaird said of her teammate. “She had a great at-bat.”
Kinnaird took a strike on the first pitch before working a 2-1 count and promptly smacked the fourth pitch of the at-bat off the scoreboard in left field to a standing ovation on the home side of the bleachers, with her teammates waiting for her at home plate.
“She is just nails,” Cummins said of Kinnaird’s walk-off home run. “Talk about guts. Just the maturity to go back up there with people on base and get the job done again.”
“We have confidence,” Kinnaird said about the never-give-up attitude her team has shown all season long. “That’s the biggest thing. We believe we are in every game no matter the situation. The fight that we have as a team is great. … That’s been our motto all year—‘fight till the end’— and we fought till the end.”
IN THE CIRCLE
Kinnaird also earned the complete-game win in the circle for the Wildcats. She allowed six runs, three earned, on nine hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in eight innings.
“To give up the home run in the seventh and think the game has ended, it shows how tough she is mentally to get right back in it,” Cummins said. “She could have just folded. But she didn’t. She has that no-quit mentality. She just bows her neck and says she’s going to take care of business and she did that.”
Kali Bogart started and took a no-decision after she allowed five runs on five hits, five walks and seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Rylee Vaughn took the loss in relief after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks in an inning of work.
HOW THEY GOT THERE
LSW recorded three straight hits with one out in the top first inning to get on the scoreboard with the first run. After a one-out single from Madelyn Reed and a double to right field by Amezcua put runners at second and third, Bogart singled to left field for an RBI and a 1-0 lead.
Neosho wasted no time responding, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead and the momentum. Addy Hart brought the first run home with an RBI single to left before Journey Arnall followed with an RBI single up the middle to score the runner from second for a 2-1 advantage.
Neosho added insurance in the last of the second inning when Garrett grounded a ball up the middle to the shortstop for an out, driving home the runner from third in the process to make the score 3-1.
Amezcua brought the Titans within a run of the lead in the top of the third after singling up the middle to score the runner from second to make the score 3-2.
Lee’s Summit West tied the game up at 3-3 in the top of the fifth when Kailey Coleman dropped a squeeze bunt down to score the runner from third.
Amezcua came up big once more in the top of the seventh when she ripped a one-out pitch over the scoreboard in left field to give the Titans their first lead, 4-3, since the first inning. JaJa Kastle delivered a bases-loaded single up the middle later in the inning to plate a pair of runners for a 6-3 advantage.
IN THE BOX
Kinnaird homered twice, drove in a game-high five runs and scored twice to lead Neosho in the win. Hart had two hits and an RBI, while Arnall also had a pair of hits and drove in one. Garrett had a hit, drove in one and scored three times. Ashlyn Stevens doubled and scored a run.
ON DECK
Neosho will take on top-seeded Raymore-Peculiar in the Class 5 District 7 tournament championship game at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
“It hasn’t quite sunk in that we are going to play for a district title, which has been one of our main goals all year,” Cummins said. “Our first was to win the COC, and we’ve checked that off, and this is kind of our next goal. We have our work cut out for us for sure, but I hope the confidence of this will carry over to Monday.”
