Webb City shuts out Willard to remain unbeaten in conference

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By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Willard, MO — Dominant pitching was on full display Thursday afternoon, as Webb City’s Tyler Martin and Willard’s Matthew Eleiott combined for 17 strikeouts and four walks.

Cade Beason’s third-inning RBI got the Cardinals on the board, and it turned out to be all the left-handed Martin needed en route to a 4-0 victory.

The senior Nebraska commit worked just under six innings and kept Willard’s lineup off-balance, for the most part, despite not having a full arsenal of pitches.

“My curveball wasn’t working very well today,” Martin said. “It was mainly a fastball day. I’d spin a few in there for strikes, but they were doing a great job at not swing at stuff that were balls.”

Once Martin settled in, his pacing increased to the point where he was delivering pitches mere seconds after receiving the ball from catcher Noah Wooldridge.

“I definitely don’t want to give the hitter time to think about what I’m going to throw or where I’m going to throw it,” Martin said. “It helps out a lot, and my defense is back there ready for me. It’s just great to have a fast tempo.”

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

Martin finished with eight strikeouts, scattering five hits before giving way to Beason in the sixth inning.

Webb City head coach Garry Highfill was pleased with Martin’s performance.

“Tyler’s stuff was really good,” Highfill said. “He’s had better games this year, but his stuff was pretty good tonight and he was hitting spots. I think [Willard’s hitters] were just getting up and taking big swings, but he spots the ball well enough that he could shut that down a little bit. He just came out and did what he really needed to do.”

In the top of the third, Webb City leadoff hitter Manuel Peskar reached base on a dropped third strike that ended up reaching the back wall.

“It’s just crazy the effect [Peskar] has on pitchers,” Highfill said. “They start worrying about him, and our two-hole guy gets to see a few more good pitches down the middle, and they’re not as precise. The pressure he puts on guys really affects their pitching staff and helps our hitters a ton.”

After being moved to third on Bryson Matthew’s single, Peskar scored on a ground ball from Beason.

Highfill pointed to the series as a crucial opportunity for the Cardinals in a tight game against a quality opponent.

“When you get in games like this — [Willard] has a great pitcher on the mound, and we have a great pitcher on the mound — if somebody makes a mistake, you know they’re going to end up paying for it in these types of games,” Highfill said. “For us to get [Peskar] on right there, it was huge, because we have good hitters coming up behind him.”

Beason, one of those hitters, finished the game with 3 RBI on a fielder’s choice, triple and sacrifice fly.

While Willard was unable to break through on the scoreboard, the Tigers did have opportunities.

In the fifth inning with one out, Willard loaded the bases on an error and a pair of singles from Evan Dock and Garrett Rice; however, a timely double-play from the Cardinals allowed Martin to escape the inning unscathed.

Willard coach Scott McGee talked about his team’s inability to capitalize in critical spots.

“When you face a really good pitcher and get opportunities, you have to capitalize on them,” McGee said. “We’re down three with bases loaded, one out and our clean-up hitter up. He hits a ground ball, and it’s a bang-bang play at first. If he beats that out, or whatever, then maybe it’s a different game. You have to capitalize though.”

Willard starter Matthew Eleiott threw five innings, finishing with nine strikeouts, six hits, one walk and one earned run.

In the end, defensive miscues — including three crucial errors — proved to be the Tigers’ undoing.

“When you spot Tyler Martin two runs, it’s going to be tough,” McGee said. “We’ve got a young team, and we just make mistakes that don’t allow us to beat really good teams yet, but we’ve got some more big games coming.”

Up next for Willard (19-5) is a visit to Aurora Saturday, April 28. Webb City (20-2) travels to Nixa Monday, May 1.

Webb City – 6, Willard – 3

Webb City 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 — 4
Willard 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0

Hits: Webb City – 7, Willard – 5
Errors: Webb City – 2, Willard – 3
LOB: Webb City – 6, Willard – 9

Webb City Pitching
Tyler Martin (5.67 IP, 8K, 5H, 3BB)
Cade Beason (1.33 IP, 3K, 0H, 0BB)

Willard Pitching
Matthew Eleiott (5.00 IP, 9K, 6H, 1BB)
Garrett Rice (2.00 IP, 1K, 1H, 0BB)

Time of game: 1:52

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