WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Joplin Eagles definitely concluded conference play on a positive note.
Joplin scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning to earn a 3-2 victory over Webb City on Tuesday in the Central Ozark Conference softball finale for both squads.
It was Joplin’s first win over Webb City since Oct. 8 of 2015.
“That’s a great win,” Joplin coach Brenden Schneider said. “It’s been a long time coming for these girls. Webb City has a great tradition, so it’s nice to come here and find a way to win. I’m very proud of the girls.”
After five scoreless innings, both teams pushed across two runs in the sixth inning.
The Eagles manufactured the go-ahead run in the intense seventh inning against Webb City reliever Karsyn Cahoon.
Jadyn Pankow reached on an infield single, with Carlie Howard pinch-running. Howard took second on a wild pitch and went to third on Riley Kelly’s groundout.
Next, Izzy Yust slapped a grounder to short, and Howard beat Jensyn Pickett’s throw home, giving the visitors a 3-2 cushion.
The Cardinals went down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
“Our girls could have laid down after giving up two runs in the sixth, but they didn’t,” Schneider said. “They responded. That’s been our thing all year…we find a way. I’m extremely proud.”
Joplin, ranked fourth in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association, hiked its record to 22-9 overall. The Eagles finished 5-4 in the COC.
The Cardinals, who featured five freshmen in Tuesday’s starting lineup, slipped to 16-17 overall and finished 5-4 in conference games.
Webb City coach Shauna Friend noted she was proud of her team’s effort.
“I’ve been proud the last two nights,” Friend said, noting a 3-1 loss to McDonald County one night earlier. “We’ve come out and played hard and competed really well. We’d love to come out on the other end of things, but we just couldn’t get enough run support. We just needed to string some hits together. But our girls fought hard tonight, so I’m proud of that.”
Joplin senior right-hander Jill McDaniel earned the pitching victory with a solid performance in the circle. A Highland Community College commit, McDaniel limited the Cardinals to two runs on five singles and two walks while striking out six.
“The thing I was really happy with was she only walked two batters,” Schneider said. “She’s just been a warrior. She was hurt for a while and she found a way to come back. She’s proven herself. She can pitch with anybody as long as she’s in the right frame of mind.”
Four Eagles recorded two hits apiece—Bailey Ledford, Pankow, Kelly and Kirsten McMillen.
Sophomore right-hander Laney Taylor started in the circle for the Cardinals. She went 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on nine hits while striking out two in a no-decision. Cahoon took the loss after allowing one run on one hit in 1 2/3 innings.
Alex Maturino, a freshman outfielder, had two of Webb City’s five hits.
The Eagles threatened in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but Taylor maneuvered out of trouble all three times.
“We did some things today that we don’t normally do,” Schneider noted. “We got thrown out at the plate three times. Credit to their shortstop on one of those. She made a phenomenal play. But we’ve got to be smarter on the basepaths. We’ve got some things to clean up.”
Joplin finally broke through in the sixth.
With one out, McMillen singled before McDaniel reached on Webb City’s lone error of the game, putting runners on second and third.
Maria Loum drove in the first run with a fielder’s choice, with McMillen scoring on a close play at the plate. Ledford followed with a run-scoring single up the middle for a 2-0 advantage.
Webb City responded in the bottom half.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out after Lily Hall singled and Dawsyn Decker and Pickett drew walks. Next, Maturino delivered a game-tying, two-run single through the left side.
McDaniel retired the side to keep the game deadlocked before the Eagles rallied in the seventh.
“I feel like we’re doing a lot better at competing until the end, and hopefully that carries into districts,” Friend said.
Webb City ends the regular season on Saturday with a non-conference doubleheader against Kickapoo and Class 5 No. 1 Rock Bridge. The Cardinals are the host of the Class 4 District 7 tournament.
Joplin concludes the regular season on Thursday at former Ozark Conference foe Waynesville. The Eagles will compete at the Class 5 District 5 tournament next week.
With the postseason quickly approaching, Schneider likes where his team is at.
“These last two wins, 2-1 over Glendale and 3-2 tonight, are great wins to get before we head to the district tournament,” Schneider said. “It’s good for us to be in these situations. You never know what the district tournament is going to bring. It’s a crazy atmosphere. It’s been good to see us in challenging situations against good teams like Webb City. We hope to have a good game on Thursday and then regroup a little bit. We need to find a way to hone in on the things we need to work on before the district tournament.”
District tourney seeds and brackets are expected to be released on Wednesday.
