July 27, 2021
By Brennan Mense
SEDALIA, MO—One night following the first playoff victory in franchise history, the Joplin Outlaws saw their season come to an end with a 10-3 loss to the Sedalia Bombers in the MINK League South championship on Tuesday night.
Sedalia (21-17) moves on the MINK League finals to take on the St. Joseph Mustangs, who rallied from seven runs down to defeat Clarinda 8-7. Joplin's season comes to an end at 22-22.
The game started off on a blistering pace, as both pitchers roared through the first three innings unscathed. Joplin starter Jack O'Brien ripped through the first three innings on just 22 pitches, while Sedalia starter Jake McMahill allowed two hits in the second, but worked out of that jam, needing just 26 pitches to finish three innings.
In the fourth, though, both teams got on the board. Joplin scored first with a two-out rally against McMahill. Brett Wiemers singled to left, then moved to third when Jared Toler singled up the middle. On an 0-2 pitch, McMahill spiked a pitch in the dirt that eluded catcher Zach Dillman, allowing Wiemers to trot home from third with the game's first run.
The Bombers responded right back against O'Brien in the bottom of the frame. Kellen Williamson was plunked to begin the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch, but conseuctive flyouts to center kept him there. However, Brayden McGinnis roped an RBI single to center with two outs which easily scored Williamson to tie the game at one.
That merely served as a prelude for the fifth inning, which permanently turned the tide in favor of Sedalia. O'Brien began the inning by inducing a ground ball to short from Duffin Makings. However, Jeb Jenkins muffed the routine grounder, putting the leadoff man aboard.
After a solid single from Dillman, O'Brien picked up a much-needed strikeout from Jacob McWhirter for the first out. However, Gideon Antle picked up McWhirter by blasting a 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall for a three-run homer, which put the Bombers in front 4-1.
Following the homer, O'Brien was lifted in favor of Gavin Heltemes, but he failed to put out the fire. After two walks and two hits, Heltemes was lifted without even recording an out. Austin Gottula entered and finished the inning, but by the time the smoke cleared, the Bombers had scored three additional times, for a six-run inning and a 7-1 lead.
The Bombers continued their offensive onslaught against Gottula in the sixth, as Williamson added a two-run double which stretched the Sedalia lead to eight runs.
McMahill was lifted after six innings, but three relievers combined to not allow any serious rally by the Outlaws. Joplin did score a run in the eighth, when Drake Angeron came home on a wild pitch, and in the ninth on a Brandon Ulmer RBI single, but Joplin never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
Connor Wolf caught pinch-hitter Dawson Walters looking at a called third strike to end the ballgame, securing a 10-3 victory for the Bombers, which sent them to their first MINK League finals since winning their most recent championship in 2018.
Sedalia will face off against a St. Joseph squad that has won four of the last six MINK League titles, with the Bombers owning the other two. The series will start tonight in Sedalia at 7:00, with games two and three (if necessary) in St. Joseph on Friday and Saturday.
Joplin, meanwhile, sees a season marked by injuries and uneven play come to an end, though there were several positives. In Chris Dawson's first season on the job, the Outlaws set a MINK League record with 138 stolen bases. Additionally, the Outlaws set a franchise record for team strikeouts, punching out 365 batters, with Christian DeJesus tying the team record of 53.
Commenti