Tag: Carthage Tigers baseball

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Kirk Chandler pitched a complete game on the bump and Alex Curry finished a triple shy of the cycle as Joplin defeated Carthage 10-2 in the final non-conference game of a three-team doubleheader with Smithville on Saturday at Carl Lewton Stadium.

The Eagles (14-9) broke a scoreless tie with a five-run third inning to take command. The Tigers (7-14) cut into the lead with two runs scoring in the bottom of the third, but Joplin continued to play add-on with two more insurance runs scoring in the fourth before putting the game away with a three-run seventh frame.

“It’s a big win for us after the way we played this morning,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “It didn’t feel like we completed real hard, and (Smithville) is good. … There is a fine line between us having fun and playing the game the right way. … It’s really fun when you are playing hard and playing the right way. That’s what we’ve got to find, that balance.”

Earlier in the day, Joplin fell to Smithville 9-3, while the Tigers also lost to the Warriors 6-0.

“We didn’t play well,” Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said. “We didn’t play well, end of story. Offensively, we struggled to have competitive at-bats. We wanted to not strike out and hit the ball hard on the ground and we failed to do that today.”

ON THE MOUND

Chandler pitched a gem for the Eagles to earn the win, limiting Carthage to two runs over seven complete innings. He allowed six hits, walked two and struck out six.

“We needed that not only today but we need that going forward,” Wolf said. “Kirk is a good pitcher and has been a good starting pitcher for us over the years. We need him to be confident in what he is capable of doing as we move forward not only with the remainder of the regular season but as we move into the postseason.”

Wil McCombs took the loss after allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits, four walks and two strikeouts. Max Templeman allowed two runs, one earned, while Clay Kinder allowed three runs in relief. 

BIG DAY AT THE DISH

Curry led the way for the Eagles, finishing with a 4-for-5 game at the plate with a team-high three RBI and two runs scored. Curry, a predominantly opposite-field hitter, pulled a ball down the third-base line for a single in the second inning before launching a solo home run over the wall in left to lead off the fourth. Curry roped a ball off the wall in left-center field for a double in the fifth and added a two-run single up the middle in the seventh.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Wolf said with a laugh when asked about Curry’s pull tendency in the win over Carthage. “But the thing is, he pulled the ball correctly. He pulled the ball that needed to be pulled and drove it. He had a good approach and good process. … The home run was impressive but the ball that he hit 20 feet high off the blue wall out there was hit really, really well.”

IN THE BOX

With a bit of a lineup change against the Tigers, Carson Wampler had a hit and scored a run in the leadoff spot, while Justin McReynolds drove in two and scored one to go along with two hits in the two hole. Bodee Carlson had two hits while scoring once and driving in one. David Fiscus, Fielding Campbell and Kyler Stokes all recorded a hit while driving in one. 

Sylas Browning led Carthage with two hits, while Kaden Kralicek doubled in the third to drive in the Tigers’ only two runs. McCombs and Caden Kabance each had hits and scored a run.

GAME ACTION

After stranding runners on second and third with no outs in the second inning, the Eagles redeemed themselves in the third. Kohl Cooper walked to lead off the inning before moving to third on Curry’s single down the line, with the throw to third allowing Curry to take second on the play. Fiscus followed with a single to center to score Cooper. Curry came in to score on a wild pitch in the next at-bat. Later in the inning, Campbell beat out a push bunt to first for an RBI single. McReynolds capped the inning with a two-out, two-run infield hit in a popup that found grass in between the mound and second base to make the score 5-0.

“There was one ball out of all of those that was hit really well,” Wolf said. “After that, it was just competitive at-bats. … At the end of the inning, we look up and we have a five spot. That is what we have to understand. We don’t have to do more than the situation asks for, we just have to do enough.”

Kralicek’s two-run double to center with one out in the bottom of the third cut the lead to 5-2.

Joplin answered right back with Curry’s leadoff homer to straight away left in the fourth before Stokes singled on the infield for an RBI later in the inning.

The first five batters reached base to start the seventh for Joplin. Wampler led off with a single before McReynolds walked and Cooper was hit by a pitch. Curry followed with a two-run single up the middle. Carlson wrapped the scoring with a sac fly to center to score Cooper.

UP NEXT

Joplin hosts Carl Junction on Tuesday.

Carthage is at Branson on Tuesday.

 

SMITHVILLE 9, JOPLIN 3

Smithville pushed a 2-0 lead to 8-1 by the end of the fourth in a win over Joplin to open the Eagles’ Saturday at Carl Lewton Stadium.

The Warriors scored twice in the first and four times in the third to build a 6-0 lead. Smithville scored twice more in the top of the fourth, with Joplin getting on the board with a single tally in the bottom half. Joplin scored twice more in the sixth but would get no closer.

Jacob Wheeler earned the win after allowing one run on two hits, four walks and five strikeouts in four innings.

Kohl Cooper took the loss after allowing eight runs, six earned, on five hits, five walks and five strikeouts in three innings. Tyler Duley allowed one run on two hits and two strikeouts in four relief innings.

Kyle Ruff led Smithville with two hits, an RBI and two runs scored at the plate. Cannon Kobylski doubled and drove in one, while Ryker Edwards tripled and scored twice. 

Justin McReynolds and Ethan Guilford, who doubled, had two hits apiece to lead Joplin at the plate. McReynolds also scored a run.

 

SMITHVILLE 6, CARTHAGE 0

*Story will updated when information becomes available

 

One of the most rewarding and mentally demanding experiences that comes with playing the game of baseball are the moments of dealing with success and failure.

On Wednesday, Joplin’s Alex Curry experienced both in the Eagles’ Central Ozark Conference matchup with Carthage at the JHS Athletic Complex. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Joplin (12-6, 4-1 COC) had the bases loaded and one out with the game tied at 3-3 when Curry hit a ball up the middle that looked like it might drive home the winning run. Instead, Carthage was able to turn a double play to end the threat and force extra innings. Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth with a runner on second and two outs and the game still tied, Curry came through with a single to right field to plate Bodee Carlson to give the Eagles a 4-3 walk-off win in extra innings over the Tigers (5-10, 0-4 COC).

“I really just learned from the last couple of at-bats,” Curry said. “He was throwing me a bunch of curveballs. I sat on one and hit backside like I always do. It’s a real confidence booster for everybody. … I think we will fly from here and do what Eagles do—win.”

“Alex has been really good for us all year,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said. “What you saw in his last at-bat, driving the ball backside, not trying to do too much, is what he has been able to do all year. … It is big on him to step up in that situation after three pretty tough at-bats and come through. That shows a lot of toughness on his part. There was a lot of focus and confidence right there to get the job done.”

GAME ACTION

Joplin took the initial lead of the game after Justin McReynolds crossed home on an infield hit with two outs by Kyler Stokes in the bottom of the second.

Carthage answered back right away, scoring three times in the top of the third. After a walk and an error allowed the first two Tigers to reach base and end up in scoring position, Wil McCombs grounded out for an RBI to tie the game. Caden Kabance scored later in the inning on a first-and-third double steal to put Carthage on top 2-1. Clay Kinder came around to score with two outs on a wild pitch to push the lead to 3-1.

The Eagles cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fourth inning after McReynolds, who reached on an error, came around to score on a groundout from Stokes. Joplin tied the game in the next at-bat, as Carlson singled to short to allow Carson Wampler to touch home.

“I told them that this game is hard enough and we are putting a lot of pressure on ourselves trying to do too much,” Wolf said about his team battling back from a two-run deficit. “We just have to do enough. Just be good enough. We were able to get guys to second and third and scored a couple of runs without hitting the ball out of the infield. Sometimes, that’s baseball. We just had to grind that game out.”

Carthage had a runner on second with two outs in the top of the eighth but failed to push across the go-ahead run.

Joplin had a chance to end the game in the bottom half of the eighth inning when McReynolds singled to center field with a runner on second with one out only to see the Tigers come up with a game-saving play by throwing the would-be winning run out at home plate.

“I told my guys that we’ve lost to two of the top teams this week in the COC (Joplin and Nixa) on a walk-off,” Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said. “It’s frustrating, but the overall message is we are right there with anybody if we play the ball we want to play. The negative note is eventually we have to start winning some of these one-run baseball games.”

ON THE MOUND

Kohl Cooper started for Joplin and took a no-decision after allowing three runs, one earned, on two hits, a walk and three strikeouts in three innings. Josh Harryman earned the win after tossing six dazzling relief innings without allowing a run. He scattered two hits, walked one and struck out three in his longest outing of the season.

“As long as he was throwing up zeros he was staying out there,” Wolf said with a laugh about Harryman’s outing. “That’s huge for him to come into that situation when we’re down. He came in and was able to hold them at bay and give us a chance to win. He made some really big pitches. … He was really efficient and pounded the zone.”

Mason Utter started and took the no decision after allowing three unearned runs on four hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Kaden Arr took a tough-luck loss after allowing one run on four hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

“Getting out of that bases-loaded jam in the seventh was huge,” Bordewick said of Arr’s outing. “They put pressure on us in the eighth, too. He was just, time and time again, locating his fastball, curveball and changeup. You can’t ask much more out of your reliever.”

IN THE BOX

Stokes led Joplin at the plate with two hits and two RBI. McReynolds had a hit and scored twice. Carlson and Wampler each had one hit and scored one run and Carlson drove in one. Curry had one hit and an RBI.

Kaden Kralicek had two hits in four trips to the plate to lead Carthage, while Kanen Vogt and Micah Lindsey also added base hits. McCombs drove in one.

UP NEXT

Joplin is at Kickapoo on April 26.

Carthage hosts Republic at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.