June 20, 2008 12:55 am
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By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
The Joplin Slashers received clutch pitching and clutch defense in nudging El Dorado 3-2 on Thursday night in Jayhawk League baseball at Joe Becker Stadium.
Joe Walton’s two-run homer gave the Slashers a 2-1 lead and they boosted it to 3-1 before hanging on behind pitching and key defensive plays.
Joplin, which took 2-of-3 from the Broncos, improved to 6-8 overall and 4-8 in the Jayhawk entering a six-game jaunt to Hays and Liberal.
The series with the Larks starts tonight at 7 with right-hander Ben Hays scheduled to open on the mound for the Slashers.
El Dorado, which outhit Joplin 8-6, stranded 12 runners in falling to 8-6, 6-5.
“We had timely hitting and the pitching kept us in the game,” Joplin assistant Kevin Nelson said. “Our pitchers, for the second game in a row, gave us quality innings. We’d been struggling with middle innings but these guys in this game stepped up.”
A trio of right-handers worked for the Slashers.
Tom Luce worked six innings in picking up his second win in three decisions. He was touched for seven hits but struck out five, walked one and the run was unearned. Josh Cruse allowed just one hit and an unearned run in 22/3 innings. Drew Erwin notched the save by securing a strikeout against the only batter he faced with the bases loaded via a hit batsman and two walks.
“Defensively, although we committed four errors, we made some outstanding plays,” Nelson said.
Two times, Nelson noted, the Broncos had the bases loaded (in the sixth and eighth) but Luce and Cruse induced batters to roll into inning-ending double plays. Shortstop Colby Price fielded the grounder in the sixth, tagged second and threw the ball to first baseman Keith Kenny. Third baseman Mick Doyle did it in the eighth by fielding a grounder, stepping on the bag and gunning the ball across the diamond.
The Slashers spoiled a double steal attempt in the seventh by nailing the runner at the plate. Catcher Tyler Smith whipped the ball to Price who moved up a bit and flawlessly returned it to nab Matt Davis.
Walton said he picked on a changeup for his first homer of the season (a shot pulled down the left field line). The blast came in the fourth after a two-out walk to Will McGinnis.
Patrick Walsh’s fast feet provided the Slashers with their insurance tally in the sixth.
Walsh was running on the pitch after drawing a leadoff walk and came all the way home when shortstop Heath Wall muffed a liner by McGinnis. The ball dribbled into short center and the Broncos didn’t even attempt a throw home.
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