Tag: Carl Junction Bulldogs baseball

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

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction bounced back from its first loss of the season in the best way possible—sweeping a three-team doubleheader on Saturday.

The Bulldogs improved to 5-1 after opening the day rallying twice for a win over McDonald County before the offense exploded for 14 runs in the first two innings in a shortened win over Springfield Central.

“This was the first time we really faced adversity coming off a tough loss,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “Today was an opportunity to figure out who we are as a team bouncing back from a tough loss. Guys came out ready to play. … Mac County is a good team. I was pleased with how our guys bounced back in that first game. Against Central, we just got off to a hot start and we got a chance to get some younger guys some varsity opportunities. It was a good day at the yard.”

CARL JUNCTION 5, MCDONALD COUNTY 3

McDonald County struck first in the top of the opening frame when Destyn Dowd doubled to right to score Cole Martin, who singled to lead off the inning.

Carl Junction answered right back in the bottom half of the inning when Dylan Eck singled to left with the bases loaded to plate Drew Beyer, with Noah Southern also scoring on an error by the Mustangs to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage. 

McDonald County took the lead back an inning later when Martin tripled to center with two outs and a runner on first to score Weston Gordon and tie the game at 2-2. Dowd followed with an infield single to short to score Martin, putting the Mustangs on top 3-2.

After a scoreless third inning, Carl Junction’s Brendyn Downs led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk and wound up on third two batters later on a McDonald County error. Cole Stewart brought Downs home shortly after with a sacrifice bunt to tie the game at 3-3.

“It was a really good high school baseball game,” Stevenson said. “It was back and forth, pitchers were throwing strikes. It was just a good high school baseball game. I thought our guys took advantage of the opportunities when we had them, and we didn’t have a lot.”

Carl Junction took the lead for good in the last of the fifth when Beyer walked with one out and Alex Baker brought him home two batters later with a two-out, go-ahead two-run home run to left field to give the Bulldogs 5-3 advantage and all of the momentum en route to the win.

“Alex Baker, like a lot of our kids, is a good kid who you root for,” Stevenson said. “You want good things to happen for good people. He took advantage of the pitch left up in the zone and got his hands through one. It was a huge momentum swing.”

Baker also earned the start and the win after giving up three runs on seven hits, two walks and eight strikeouts over six innings of work. Kyler Perry pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief without allowing a hit and striking out one.

“I thought Alex threw extremely well today,” Stevenson said. “Mac County took advantage of some good pitches, put the ball in play and had some hits fall their way. Alex stayed the course and was able to get out of innings when he needed to.

“Kyler was facing the top of their order, and they came in having good days. Kyler came in and did a nice job of closing it out.”

Martin took the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits, six walks and four strikeouts in four 1/3 innings. Ethan Fransico allowed one run on one hit in 2/3 off an inning. Rylee Boyd pitched a clean inning of relief with three strikeouts.

CARL JUNCTION 15, SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL 0

Carl Junction made quick work of Springfield Central with an eight-run first inning followed by a six-run second inning before ending the game in the bottom of the third with a single tally and one out recorded. The Bulldogs totaled nine hits and 11 walks in the win.

“We did a nice job offensively,” Stevenson said. “They gave us some opportunities that we took advantage of—things on the base paths and things like that. Another thing, we had the chance to put the younger guys in and they picked up right where the older guys left off.”

Hunter Cantrell backed up the offensive output with an equally good pitching performance, throwing a three-inning no-hitter without allowing a walk and striking out two.

“The offense did a good job but I want to give a shout out to Hunter Cantrell,” Stevenson said of his junior hurler. “He did a nice job in those three innings not giving up any hits or any walks. He does a good job of throwing strikes, and throwing two pitches for strikes.”

Noah Southern hit a first-inning two-run home run to finish with two RBI and a run scored. Cantrell and Kyler Perry led Carl Junction with two hits apiece. One of Perry’s hits was a double, and he scored a game-high three runs and drove in one. Cantrell finished with an RBI and a run scored. Drew Beyer also had two RBI to go along with one hit and a run scored. Shane Diskin and Logan Eck added doubles and both scored once, with Diskin driving in one. Jaxson Mackney had one hit, one walk, one run scored and one RBI.

UP NEXT

Carl Junction hits the road for a matchup at Aurora, with first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Carl Junction took its first loss of the season after falling 8-3 to Hollister on Friday at Joe Becker Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-1) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth only to see the Tigers (3-1) score six times in the top of the seventh on the way to the win.

“You want to get out of the gate on a good start, and we’ve certainly done that,” Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson said. “But, it’s a process. In the end, we want to be the best team and best version of ourselves. You learn a lot about your team through adversity. … There wasn’t any talk on our part about going 27-0. We’re going to have a tough game in there. We get to bounce back tomorrow and we will get to learn a lot about our team tomorrow, too.”

ON THE MOUND

Drew Beyer earned the start and took the no-decision, allowing two runs on eight hits, four walks and three strikeouts. Carson Johnson allowed six runs, one earned, on four hits, four walks and a strikeout.

“I thought that, and Drew will tell you this, too, but he found a way to compete and get six strong innings while not having his best stuff or command of his breaking stuff,” Stevenson said of Beyer’s start. “Those are some things you will deal with in some outings. But, as a pitcher, that is not always going to be there and you still have to compete, and I thought he did that. He gave us a good outing.”

Landan Richards earned the win for the Tigers after allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits, six walks and eight strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Colby Teaster struck out five over 2 1/3 relief innings, surrendering one run on three hits.

GAME NOTES

Hollister recorded three hits and two walks in the top of the first inning and took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Clay Kemp.

The Tigers pushed the lead to 2-0 in the top of the third inning when Colby Teaster brought home Layton Morgan with a sac fly to center field. Morgan started the inning off with a single to right field before moving to second on a walk and third on a wild pitch.

The Bulldogs cut the deficit in half in the last of the fourth inning after Kyler Perry came up with a two-out RBI single to right field to score Dylan Eck, who led off the inning with a walk.

Carl Junction tied the game up at 2-2 an inning later when Alex Baker scored Cole Stewart with an RBI groundout. Stewart doubled to right field to lead off the frame.

“I thought those were certainly some good at-bats,” Stevenson said. “Also, I think it is good to play in a close game and to play from behind. It’s baseball. The ball is going to fall your way some of the time and sometimes it won’t. I thought our guys did a good job of fighting back in this game.”

Hollister scored six runs, five with two outs, on five hits and four walks in the top of the seventh. All but one run were unearned. 

Carl Junction added a run in the bottom of the seventh to trim the lead to five but would get no closer before the final out was made. 

AT THE PLATE

Johnson led Carl Junction at the plate with a 2-for-3 game, including a double while scoring a run. Beyer, Perry, Noah Southern, Brendyn Downs and Keaton Johnston all recorded hits, with Perry and Baker each driving in a run.

Konner Hatfield had three hits, including a double, and walked twice on the way to scoring once to go along with one RBI. Morgan had two hits, two RBI and scored two runs. 

UP NEXT

Carl Junction hosts McDonald County (3-1) at 10 a.m. and Springfield Central at 2 p.m. at CJHS.