Comeback magic: Outlaws rally past A's
Jun. 26—CLARINDA, Iowa. — The resilient Joplin Outlaws struck again.
The Outlaws erased a 3-0 hole in the top of the ninth and rallied past the Clarinda A's 7-4 in MINK League road action on Saturday night.
Joplin, plating seven runs on four hits, four walks and one hit batter in the ninth, snapped a two-game skid and improved to 10-10.
Clarinda slipped to 14-5.
In the top of the ninth, Carson Carpenter trimmed the deficit to two with an RBI double. Carpenter eventually scored on a passed ball as the Outlaws suddenly looked at a 3-2 score.
Lucas McKain worked a bases-loaded walk to tie things up. Tyler Davis touched home on a wild pitch as Joplin pulled in front 4-3.
That's when the visitors padded their lead.
Mike Long followed with an RBI double to give the Outlaws a 5-3 lead. Matt Campbell put an exclamation point on the inning with a two-run single.
The A's got the bases-loaded with nobody out to start the bottom of the ninth against Joplin hurler Cole White.
White, who goes to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, struck out the next two batters. He walked Luke Saunders which cut the score to three, but punched out Conagher Sands to end the game.
In total, White threw 38 pitches to earn the hard-fought victory for Joplin.
Clarinda was seemingly in complete control throughout the game. Michael Ramos, who got the start for the A's, fired seven two-hit frames. He struck out five batters and only walked two.
Ramos was pulled after 93 pitches. Luke Saunders followed him in relief and worked out of a bases-loaded jam with a flyout to earn a hold in the top of the eighth.
Tab Tracy, who patrolled center field for the entirety of the game, allowed all seven of Clarinda's runs in the ninth as he suffered the loss.
The A's struck for two runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Bryce Phelps and Tracy accounted for the early offense with RBI singles each.
Tyler Large collected an RBI double to give Clarinda a 3-0 lead in the sixth.
The Outlaws' ninth-inning comeback got starter A.J. Moreno off the hook for the loss. The righty scattered two runs on three hits over five solid innings of work with four strikeouts and two walks.
Webb City product Brett Graham allowed one run on two hits in the sixth, while former Carl Junction pitcher Jared Wells and Andrew Sumner tossed scoreless innings apiece in the seventh and eighth innings.
Joplin's offense worked eight walks and had seven hits. Campbell finished 2 for 5 with two RBI, while Caden Bressler had a pair of singles, one run scored and one walk.
Tracy went 2 for 4 to pace the A's offense.
Joplin travels to play a two-game set against first-year MINK foe Carroll Merchants. Both games are slated to start at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
