WAYNESVILLE, Mo. — Joplin softball hit the road to close out the regular season and came out on the wrong side of a 2-1 loss to Waynesville on Thursday.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning to take the initial lead and held Joplin off the scoreboard until the top of the sixth inning when the Eagles pushed across the tyring run with two outs. Waynesville responded immediately with a run in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the win.
Joplin’s regular season ends with a 22-10 record. The Eagles are the fifth seed in the Class 5 District 5 Tournament and play fourth-seeded Neosho (21-4) at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Central Ballpark.
Emma Ray earned the complete-game win for the Tigers after allowing one run on four hits, two walks and 11 strikeouts in seven innings.
Jill McDaniel took the loss after allowing two runs on five hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts in six innings.
After two and a half scoreless innings of play, Waynesville got on the scoreboard with a single run in the third. After the first two hitters were retired, Jennifer Boyd reached on a bunt for a hit before stealing second and third base. Alyssa Hillman proceeded to drop down a bunt of her own, which scored the run and gave the Tigers the lead.
Joplin was able to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning with a two-out RBI single to left field to score Izzy Yust from second. Yust singled in the previous at-bat and stole second to get into scoring position.
Waynesville rallied right back in the bottom of the sixth inning when Hillman led off the inning with a bunt single before Ray helped her own cause with a double to center field, which scored Hillman from first base for a 2-1 lead.
The game-tying run reached third base for Joplin with two outs in the top of the seventh inning after McDaniel reached on an error to lead the inning off. A groundout and a bunt moved her to third, where she was left stranded when the final out was made.
Yust had two hits and scored a run, while Munn had a hit and drove in one. Abby Lowery had a hit as well for the Eagles.
