By Levi Payton
sports@joplinglobe.com
The Joplin Outlaws couldn’t buy a break against the Sedalia Bombers in Thursday’s MINK League tilt at Joplin Athletic Complex. Meanwhile, nothing seemed to go wrong for the Bombers as they put together a two-out rally in the eighth inning to win 4-3.
The game unexpectedly turned sour for the Outlaws in the eighth. After relief pitcher Tyler Link struck out the first two batters, he plunked Bombers second baseman Kyle Zimmerman in the shoulder with a 1-1 pitch.
Travis McCormack then ripped the ball down the right field line. The ball glanced off the fence and skipped past right fielder Chase Barnes and into the corner for a run-scoring triple.
“Right now we are just finding ways to lose it seems,” Outlaws coach Chris Reddout said. “Freak things happen out there like the ball that skipped into the corner to score the last run. That’s the way the game of baseball works sometimes.”
It took another misfortune to keep the Outlaws from potentially tying the game in the bottom of the eighth.
Barnes led off the inning with a scorching drive into the gap in right center. To the naked eye it appeared Barnes had an easy double, but center fielder Jon Wegener got to the ball in a hurry and made a perfect throw to cut down Barnes at second. That seemed to knock the wind out of the Outlaws offense as their next five batters were retired in order to end the game.
“Stuff like that is happening to us right now,” Reddout said. “The guys just have to keep their heads up and keep battling.”
Sean Mattson started on the hill for the Outlaws and allowed two runs in five innings. Both Sedalia runs came in the fourth inning when Jordan May laced a two-out single into left scoring Tyler Knight and Jose Behar to make it 2-0.
The Outlaws also got on the board in the fourth. Barnes walked to lead off the inning and scored on a Jake Taylor double to make it 2-1. Sedalia added a run off a Joplin error in the sixth before the Outlaws tied it in the bottom of the inning.
Brad Shankle and Barnes both singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth. They moved up on a passed ball before Shankle scored on another passed ball to make it 3-2. Barnes scored on a two-out Sedalia error to tie it.
That would be all the help they would get.
Barnes finished the game with three hits and two runs scored to lead the Outlaws offense. Joe Walton added two hits.
McCormack rapped out three hits for the Bombers. Behar and May each had a pair of singles.
The Outlaws are back in action at 7 tonight when they host Ozark at 7.
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Sedalia slips past Joplin Outlaws 4-3
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