JOPLIN - The Joplin Eagles stayed within striking distance for most of the night, but Carthage used a six-run sixth inning to pull away for good in a 9-1 victory over the hosts on Monday in Central Ozark Conference prep softball action at the JHS athletic complex.
"We competed well, but we had one bad inning and that's been our Achilles heel all season," Joplin coach Manny Flores said. "That one inning hurt us today. We have to learn to compete on every pitch. And we have to be able to make routine plays and execute."
The Eagles only trailed 3-1 lead when the game-changing sixth inning arrived.
"We did a good job in the sixth," Tigers coach Mike Godfrey said. "We executed some bunts and put ourselves in a position to do something. We did a good job of getting on base and moving runners."
Joplin stranded 10 runners on base in the game, leaving runners on in six of the seven innings. For the Eagles, key clutch hits never materialized.
"Offensively, we have to find a way to get those runners in and put pressure on the defense," Flores said. "We needed a big hit."
The Tigers got themselves out of jams again and again throughout the clash.
"Our pitchers struggled with their command, but we found ways to get out of it defensively," Godfrey said. "Our defense did a really good job. And when they needed to, our pitchers came through."
Freshman Jill McDaniel started in the circle for the Eagles and took the loss after allowing eight runs in five innings. Brittany Shryock pitched the final two frames.
Gabby Quinn, Izzy Yust and McDaniel had one hit apiece for Joplin.
Emily Calhoon earned the pitching victory for Carthage. She allowed one run on two hits and six walks while striking out four in four innings. Jensen Elder tossed three scoreless innings in relief.
Landry Cochran drove in three runs on two hits for Carthage, while Aubrey Willis went 3-for-4. Karlee Kinder, Katie Crowe and Averi Heese had two hits apiece for the Tigers.
In the second inning, Carthage's Cochran tripled to right field and later scored on a wild pitch. Joplin tied it up in the bottom half when Tatum Stogsdill reached on an error, stole second and came home on Yust's RBI single to center.
Cochran's two-run double gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead in the third before the Eagles stranded the bases loaded in the bottom half.
In the six-run sixth, the Tigers batted around and took advantage of two walks with the bases loaded before infield singles off the bat of Willis and Kinder, a fielder's choice by Hallie Patrick and a run-scoring ground out from Cochran made it 9-1.
Flores, who noted his young squad is making steady progress, said a couple of miscues in the field were tough to overcome in the key frame.
"We were in the game at that point, but defensively, we have to be able to make the routine plays," Flores said. "If we do that, it's still a close ballgame and anything can happen."
Both teams host conference contests on Thursday, as Carthage plays Republic and Joplin meets Nixa.
-Jason Peake, Joplin Globe Sports Online