By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
By the time the game reached its 12th inning, Neosho had played four or five junior varsity players in the field and was using a catcher who hadn’t been at that spot since the beginning of last year.
But it was Strafford coach Shane Pierce who got to breathe a “huge” sigh of relief.
The visiting Indians had three singles, a hit batter and a sacrifice fly while plating three runs in the top of the 12th to beat the Wildcats 8-5 in a marathon game Saturday afternoon for the championship of the inaugural Roy B. Shaver Baseball Classic.
“It was just a really fun high school baseball game,” Pierce said. “I think both teams really competed well and it was just a fun day to play baseball.”
Junior Dekota Ames had the go-ahead single with one out in the 12th, a sharp grounder past a diving shortstop that scored Blake Cowan, who reached on a single. Strafford added two more runs for good measure, one on a single by JD Hunt that scored Gabe Moore, who was hit by a pitch, and the other on a sacrifice fly by Mason Denning to score Ames.
And then Moore finished it off with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 12th to send both teams home after more than three hours of baseball.
“That’s the thing about turf is you get a lot of these games,” Pierce said. “We’ve been down to Forsyth for years on their turf and kids make plays. There’s no bad hops which is fun so it makes the game fun. You get a lot of games like this where kids make plays and it’s tough to score.”
Strafford, which improved to 4-0, jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the first inning. A single by Lane Boswell scored the first, and then Evan Helton doubled to deep right with the bases loaded to score three more.
Neosho scored one in the first, two in the second and another in the third to tie it up. The Indians broke the deadlock in the fifth when pinch runner Cody Fisher scored on a wild pitch.
The Wildcats tied it again in the sixth. Kael Smith reached on an infield error and found himself at third after a wild throw on a bunt and a sacrifice moved him over. He scored on a groundout to first.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
And then the teams went five-plus innings without scoring. Strafford starter Ames allowed three earned runs in his six innings of work, Denning allowed one hit in two scoreless innings and then Moore finished it off with four innings of two-hit ball.
“I’m really proud of Gabe Moore,” Pierce said. “A sophomore kid that just came to us this year, just moved in. He really did well there. Proud of all of our pitchers but really proud of that kid.”
Neosho’s Quenton Hughes pitched the first four innings and allowed four earned runs. Wyatt Shadwick allowed an unearned run in his one inning of relief, and then Carson Williams pitched the final seven innings and didn’t allow a run until the 12th.
“Pitching was great,” Neosho coach Bo Helsel said. “Carson Williams came in in the sixth and just grinded. That kid is one of my seniors and he’s one of my hardest workers I have. Game ball goes to him for sure. He came out and shut them down and that’s a really good Class 3 team. Defensively they’re good, they can hit the ball, their pitchers are throwing strikes all day. He gives up his fair share of hits but always strands those runners. I told him eventually they’re going to get a couple across and that’s what happened there.”
Strafford’s defense was also pivotal in the win. Neosho had the bases loaded with two outs in the fifth and tried to score on a wild pitch but Ames tagged the runner out at the plate. Neosho loaded the bases in the eighth with two outs but grounded into a fielder’s choice at third.
In the ninth, Eli Zar was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a bunt. Neosho’s Carter Baslee then hit a bloop single to left, but Zar was thrown out at the plate.
The Indians made another big play at the plate in the 10th. The bases were loaded with one out and Colton Southern hit a high fly to left field. Strafford’s Blake Cowan caught the ball then fired a throw to home where the Indians made another play at the plate.
“We shouldn’t have gotten to the 12th,” Helsel said. “You get those opportunities, bases loaded. One time we had bases loaded with one out. You’ve got to do something. Maybe I was pushing the baserunners to go a little bit but these are high school arms in the outfield and I want to test them. We had probably four opportunities for one big hit and just didn’t get it today.”
Still, Saturday marked Neosho’s first loss of the season and the Wildcats (4-1) have already matched last season’s win total.
Strafford’s Hunt was 4-for-7 and Boswell and Cowan each collected three hits. Helton had three RBI’s, and Cody Fisher scored two runs.
Neosho’s Baslee was 3-for-5, Brill drew three walks and Zar drove in two runs.
