WEBB CITY, Mo. — After four straight setbacks on the road, a return to the friendly confines of Chuck Barnes Field appeared to be just what the Webb City Cardinals needed.
With a solid overall performance, and ignited by a pair of big innings, Webb City earned an 11-1 run-rule win over rival Carthage on Monday in a Central Ozark Conference clash.
Playing at home for the first time following seven straight road dates, the Cardinals halted a four-game skid in a big way.
“Today was a good day for us,” Cardinals coach Flave Darnell said. “We know our schedule is tough by design, but at the same time, we weren’t playing real well coming into this game. We didn’t feel good about ourselves after Saturday’s two losses. But the best thing about baseball is you get to turn around and play right away. Today was good. We were good on the mound and our defense played well. And when those two things are good, you’ve got a chance to win a lot of games. A lot of our guys had multiple hits today and it was good to see us play calm and with good energy.”
The Cardinals took control with a three-run first inning before the hosts added a single tally in the second. The Tigers got on the board in the fourth, but a four-run fifth and three-run sixth allowed the Cardinals to end the game early.
Webb City (7-8, 1-1 COC) recorded 16 hits, with seven different players getting into the act.
“We swung it pretty good and we kept putting the ball in play,” Darnell said. “We kept putting pressure on them. (Kaden) Arr’s a good pitcher and he stymied us a lot last year with that breaking ball. It was good to see how we swung the bats.”
The Tigers (5-6, 0-1 COC) were limited to two hits by Webb City pitchers Cooper Crouch and Walker Sweet.
Carthage coach Luke Bordewick noted his team simply couldn’t generate much offense.
“The Crouch kid and the Sweet kid are high-velocity guys,” Bordewick said. “It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve seen guys throwing in the upper 80s. They filled the zone up and they had a good secondary pitch to go with the fastball. We had some chances, but we just couldn’t come through with a big hit.”
The Cardinals plated three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first.
Jeremiah Leaming drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, Aidan Brock hit an RBI single and Kaylor Darnell contributed a run-scoring groundout.
A fielder’s choice off the bat of Cy Darnell made it 4-0 in the second.
Carthage got on the board in the fourth, as Logan Carmickle walked and later scored on Sylas Browning’s RBI single into left.
Webb City used a four-run fifth to go up 8-1. In the big inning, Eric Fitch delivered a two-run single and Cy Darnell and Kenley Hood both contributed RBI singles.
The Tigers stranded two on-base in the top of the sixth before the Cardinals ended the game in the bottom half.
Cade Wilson and William Hayes drove in runs with base hits before Fitch’s fourth hit of the game resulted in a walk-off victory.
Fitch drove in three runs on four hits, while Kaylor Darnell and Hood had three hits apiece. Wilson and Brock contributed two hits apiece, while Cy Darnell had two RBI.
A senior right-hander, Crouch earned the pitching victory. A Crowder College signee, Crouch went five innings, allowing one run on one hit and three walks while striking out four.
“He was a reliever last year and we’ve worked him into a starter this year,” Coach Darnell said. “In his first start against Logan-Rogersville, he threw like a reliever in the first inning. But since then he’s been really good. He was consistent today. He gave us five solid innings.”
A junior right-hander, Sweet tossed a scoreless sixth in relief, striking out two while allowing a walk and a hit.
Browning had Carthage’s two hits and the lone RBI. The Tigers stranded six on-base.
Carthage senior right-hander Kaden Arr was charged with the loss after allowing six earned runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Arr struck out four and walked four. The Tigers also committed two errors in the field.
“I thought he threw really well,” Bordewick said of Arr. “I told him I thought he threw well enough to keep us in the game. We gave them some free outs and some free baserunners with our errors. But I thought Kaden kept them off-balance with his breaking ball and changeup. He’s a really good pitcher for us.”
Zach Geter gave up three runs in an inning of relief.
The Cardinals, who dropped games to Hickman and Sylvan Hills this past Saturday at the Hollister Festival, return to action on Wednesday at Hillcrest.
Carthage hosts Carl Junction on Tuesday in a rematch of the Bill O’Dell Tournament championship game.
Bordewick noted his squad will look to bounce back against another close rival.
“We’ve got 30 games this season for a reason,” Bordewick said. “We’ve got five more games this week, so that’s five more opportunities to learn, get better and improve.”
