By Richard Polen
sports@joplinglobe.com
Kelson Boyer allowed just four hits in eight innings as the Joplin Outlaws defeated the Ozark Generals 8-3 Saturday night at the Joplin Sports Complex.
Boyer, who had two walks and eight strikeouts, kept the Outlaws in the game until a five-run outburst in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Joplin an 8-2 lead.
“I had a lot of defense today and we broke out the bats, which helps a lot,” Boyer said. “I had good command of my fastball and the velocity was there.”
Boyer, originally from Eudora, Kan., pitched this spring at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College.
The Outlaws, trailing 2-1, took the lead in the sixth inning on a two-run single by Cody Stephens that drove in Spencer Barnett, who led off the inning with a double, and Mitch Albright, who had walked.
The five-run seventh was aided by two mental breakdowns by the Generals. Wesley Stokes drove in the first run with a single to center field, Albright drove in a run with a ground out, and another scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Taylor.
In between, the Generals committed four errors on two plays, including a throwing error on a bunt to the pitcher and another throwing error when the ball was returned to the infield.
The Outlaws took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a single by Albright, an error and a run-scoring single by Taylor.
Meanwhile, Boyer didn’t allow a ball out of the infield until the sixth inning.
A leadoff single to center field by shortstop Chris Loveday and a walk to Dave Weger was followed by a two-run double to right by Brett Neill that put the General in front 2-1.
After that, Boyer allowed just three base runners until he was replaced at the start of the ninth inning by Wayne Coldwell. The Generals scored in the ninth without a hit on three walks and a hit batsman.
The two teams wrap up their three-game series today at 2 p.m. The Outlaws then will be on the road until a home game July 1 against Nevada.
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Boyer, Outlaws beat Ozark
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