Ash Grove dominant in sectional win over Marionville

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By Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Ash Grove pitcher Brock Mooneyham knew something was amiss early in the Class 2 State Sectional against Marionville on Monday.

No matter what adjustment he made, Mooneyham couldn’t find the strike zone with his fastball, so after two innings, he decided to change up his game plan; literally.

Mooneyham ditched using his heater, and opted instead for his changeup, a move that kept Marionville hitters off balance throughout the Pirates’ dominating 13-0, 5-inning victory at Aurora High School.

“I had no command of my fastball today,” Mooneyham said. “Honestly, during the first two innings, I was just trying to throw a strike. After that, I got command of my off-speed stuff and started rolling.

“My changeup had command and it was moving a lot. I basically used it like a fastball and mixed in the curveball every once in a while.”

Ash Grove (22-0) will host Iberia (24-4) in the Class 2 State Quarterfinals, May 24 at 5:30 p.m.

The Pirates scored a run in each of the first three innings and held a 3-0 lead going into the top of the fifth inning, when Ash Grove blew the game open with a 10-run inning, sending 15 batters to the plate.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

“We’ve always been a late-inning hitting team and we knew they were on the ropes,” Ash Grove coach Berrah Brown said.

“When they brought their reliever in, we did a good job of being patient at the plate and swinging at strikes.”

Shortstop Bryce Davis had a pair of RBI singles in the fifth inning, and finished 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs batted in.

“Ever since district started, Bryce has been absolutely crushing the ball,” Brown said. “He’s been putting nice level hacks on everything and hitting line drives.

“He had a couple two-strike hits tonight and he’s the guy we want at the plate with a runner on base right now, because he’s going to give you a chance to score them.”

Tyler Tummons, Cooper Burks, and Parker Crow each had RBI singles in the decisive fifth inning. Second baseman Burks, finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs.

“It’s a really good feeling to win a sectional game, especially against Marionville, our big rival,” Mooneyham said. “It was a great time out here today. I wasn’t expecting a score of 13-0, but I expected us to win by a good margin.”

Ash Grove scored 10 runs off of eight hits and four walks in the fifth inning where every Pirate scored at least one run.

“It gets exciting in the dugout, everybody is up and ready to go, and when we have that energy, nobody can stop us,” Davis said.

Mooneyham gave up just one hit (to second baseman Isaac Stimpson in the second inning), struck out six and walked two while earning the victory.

“He’s a gamer. He knows how to compete,” Brown said of Mooneyham.

“Something clicked with him in the third inning and he figured out his release point, which is what he’s kind of struggled with the last few games. After that, he was in control the rest of the night.”

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