By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Thursday’s baseball game at Miller featured two of the top teams in Class 2 – and the Southwest Conference – and might have served as a preview of a future postseason matchup.
The seventh-ranked Cardinals shook off a four-run deficit and scored eight unanswered runs en route to an 8-5 win over No. 10 Marionville, a victory that head coach Jaren Hulette called “huge.”
“We know that they’re going to be a team we possibly could see again at the end of May so we knew we had to come out and play with intensity,” he said. “They’re a great ball club. Alex (Weathermon) does a great job with them. They’re going to make a postseason run along with us. That’s our goal, to be playing in June and we talk about that all year.”
Miller (9-3, 3-0) trailed until the fifth after Marionville (7-3, 2-1) manufactured four runs in the top of the second. It was a 4-2 game with two outs in the bottom of the fifth when the Cardinals did their damage.
Garrett Stewart earned a full-count walk, Isaiah Bolin singled and Logan Adams tied the game with a single to right field. Adams went to second on a wild pitch and scored when Brenden Thom singled to shallow right.
“We have a round in which we go two strike hitting and we try to score runs with two outs and they did a tremendous job executing that,” Hulette said. “I’m just proud of those guys for doing that and I think that was kind of the turning point in the game.”
Miller added three insurance runs in the sixth. Brady Johnson walked, Stewart reached on an error and Jeff Lung singled up the middle to make it 6-4. Bolin followed by bouncing a single over the third baseman to score two more and give the Cardinals a four-run lead.
Marionville’s four-run second started with singles by Duane Hammonds and Jacksen Smith. After a bunt sacrifice, Blane Young sacrificed to center to score one. Jacob Davis reached on an infield single to score another and Wyley Brown made it 3-0 when he singled to right and Miller couldn’t field a throw to the infield. A bloop single by Cale Clark down the third base line made it 4-0.
“It’s so imperative for us to get that leadoff guy on so we can start moving him around,” Weathermon said. “In a few other games this year we’ve struggled to do that. That second inning our four hole does a great job, gets a base hit to start us off. Another guy gets on then we can bunt them over and let the bottom of our lineup do some damage because we have the luxury of having a 7-8-9 that are all very talented hitters at the plate.”
Miller got a run back in the bottom of the second. Gavin Hill led off with a single and scored on a two-out liner to right by Joey Williams. The Cardinals cut it to two in the third; Lung was hit by a pitch and later scored on a groundout by Adams.
“They just always put the ball in play,” Weathermon said. “They’re a very good team. They make the routine play and they never got down on themselves. There was never a doubt in their mind they could lose that game. They’re going to battle every single inning. I thought our guys did a great job of that today too.”
Miller’s starting pitcher Joel Kleeman got better as the game went on. He retired 13 of 15 batters in the middle of the game, working around a two-out single in the fourth and a two-out walk in the fifth. He finished with five strikeouts. His only trouble late came in the top of the seventh when Marionville notched a run after an infield single and an error.
“Joel did a tremendous job throwing,” Hulette said. “He had two pitches really working for him today. The difference in this game than what he’s been able to do earlier is just attacking fastball and getting ahead. We can do a lot when we’re ahead of hitters.”
Clark, Marionville’s starter, struck out the side in the first and second and finished with eight strikeouts before departing with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
Lung had two singles, two steals and two runs scored for Miller. Bolin was 2-for-4 with two steals, Hill was 3-for-3 with a run and Stewart scored twice.
Marionville’s Brown was 2-for-3 with two runs. Hammonds got on base twice and scored, Clark doubled and Smith singled and scored.
“Guys came out swinging, we were excited,” Weathermon said. “Today was a big step for us as far as attitudes go and approach. I thought it was much better. Joel Kleeman on the mound does a great job. We battled all day. It was a very good game. That’s a very good ball club over there and I know our guys are going to come back tomorrow, bounce back and get better.”
