CARTHAGE — It was a memorable day for Carthage coach Luke Bordewick, who watched his Tigers rally from a 4-1 deficit with two innings to play to earn a 5-4 walk-off win over Carl Junction in the championship game of the Bill O'Dell Tournament on Friday at Carl Lewton Stadium.
"It is awesome to win our home tournament," Bordewick said. "There are a lot of good teams in it. We are fortunate to come away with a win. We are going to hang this plaque in the locker room."
While the championship win in itself was special, this was also the first matchup between Bordewick, who is in his first season as the coach for the Tigers, and Carl Junction coach Jake Stevenson. Why is that significant? Well, both Bordewick and Stevenson played together at Pittsburg State from 2012-15.
"I love Jake," Bordewick said. "I know his teams always compete and play hard. This was definitely fun, but it's not something we put too much stake in. … This was really cool. It was neat for us to square off against each other. His team is always competing and they play hard for him. This was a great game."
"Luke is a good friend of mine," Stevenson said. "Anytime you get a chance to come back after you play college ball and compete against one of your former teammates, it's a pleasure. To see him get into coaching, he will be good for kids. To be able to compete against somebody who is a joy to be around, it's a pleasure for sure."
ON THE MOUND
In his first-career start on the bump, Carthage senior Wil McCombs earned the win after allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits, no walks and eight strikeouts in a complete-game seven-inning effort.
"There are going to be a lot more of them, apparently," Bordewick said with a laugh when asked about McCombs' first-career start. "He threw well. I told him early on he was going to need to throw both his fastball and curveball for strikes. … We started pitching backwards from the jump, getting strike one and the working back to the fastball. It worked and kept them off-balance for the most part."
Kyler Perry earned the start for CJ and took a no-decision after allowing one run on three hits, four walks and two strikeouts in four innings. Dylan Eck allowed two runs on four hits, two walks and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. Hunter Cantrell took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits, two walks and a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning.
GAME ACTION
Carl Junction (9-3) reached the scoreboard first with two runs crossing the plate in the top of the first. After the Bulldogs scored on an error by Carthage (4-5), CJ pushed the lead to 2-0 on a sacrifice fly from Dylan Eck to score Drew Beyer. 
Carthage's Clay Kinder led off the last of the third with a single to center field before moving to second on a sac bunt from Caden Kabance and third on a single by Grant Collier. Kinder scored moments later on an errant pickoff throw by Carl Junction to cut the lead in half, 2-1.
The Bulldogs answered right back in the top of the fourth when Eck tripled to left-center field with one out and came around to score on a two-out double to left-center by Perry to push the lead back to two runs, 3-1.
Carl Junction added to the margin after Cole Stewart and Carson Johnson had back-to-back singles to lead off the fifth to put runners on the corners. Beyer followed with a sac fly to center to push the lead to 4-1. Noah Southern doubled to the gap in right-center to put runners on second and third, but McCombs earned back to back strikeouts to end the threat.
"Wil has never started a high school game as a pitcher," Bordewick said. "And he said, 'Coach, I want to pitch.' I said, 'Giddyup, let's go.' It's all about limiting their production. They are going to score their runs, we just had to limit it. He got out of a couple of big jams."
After a scoreless fourth inning and stranding two runners in the fifth, Carthage started the sixth with consecutive strikeouts before a single up the middle from Sylas Browning and back to back walks loaded the bases. Helping himself out, McCombs singled to center to score two runs and trim the lead to 4-3 with one inning to play.
"I kept telling them to stay with it because we were knocking on the door so many times," Bordewick said. "Then in the sixth inning, our senior catcher, well our senior pitcher today, Wil McCombs—and I don't think I'd want anyone else in the box in that situation—pieced one up and took it right up the middle to score two runs. That was huge for us." 
After the Bulldogs went down in order in the top of the seventh, the Tigers led off the bottom of the inning with a walk from Kaden Kralicek. Kanen Vogt moved him to second with a sac bunt before Logan Carmickle singled to put runners at the corners. After Carmickle stole second, Max Templeman was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Browning worked a 3-2 count before singling to left to plate the Kralicek and tying the game at 4-4. In the next at-bat, Kinder drew a hit-by-pitch to force the winning run home, walk-off style. 
IN THE BOX
McCombs had two hits and two RBI, while Collier and Browning each went 2-for-4. Browning scored once and drove in one. Kinder finished with one hit and one RBI.
Southern led Carl Junction at the plate with two hits and a run scored. Johnson, Eck, Perry and Stewart all recorded hits. Eck drove in one and scored a run, while Stewart scored a run and Perry picked up an RBI.
-Lucas Davis, SoMo Sports Online

Carthage Upends Neosho In O'Dell Tourney

CARTHAGE — Carthage rallied back to take an early lead and held off Neosho late for a 10-9 win to close out the third day of action at the Bill O'Dell Tournament on Wednesday.

The Wildcats (1-12) broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the fourth before the Tigers (3-5) answered with four runs in the bottom half to take the lead. Carthage hung three runs on the board in the fourth inning and matched Neosho's three-run output in the fifth to hold onto a 10-6 lead with two innings to play. The Wildcats plated three runs in the sixth but failed to cross home with the tying run before the final out was made.

Mason Utter earned the win for the Tigers after giving up seven runs, four earned, on five hits, four walks and six strikeouts in five innings. RyLee Barker allowed two runs on two hits, a walk and a strikeout in 1/3 of an inning. Kaden Kralicek pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, walking one without allowing a hit.

River Brill took the loss after allowing seven runs, three earned, on eight hits, three walks and five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Karson Thomas surrendered three unearned runs on two walks, a hit and a strikeout in one inning, while Brett Slavens struck out three over 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Max Templeman led Carthage with two hits and a game-high four RBI, including a two-run double in the fifth. Grant Collier doubled and drove in one. Logan Carmickle and Kanen Vogt each had hits and drove in one, while Vogt scored twice.

Slavens doubled twice, drove in one and scored a game-high three runs for Neosho. Chase Flynn doubled and tripled, drove in a team-high three runs and scored a run.

Wyatt Keplar and Ryan Cargile each doubled.
-SoMo Staff Reports

Carthage Pounces Early, Pulls Away From Monett In O'Dell Tourney

CARTHAGE — Carthage jumped out to a big lead early and staved off Monett late before pulling away to a 17-7 six-inning win to open the second day of the Bill O'Dell Tournament. 

The Tigers (2-5) scored seven runs in the first two innings on the way to an 8-1 lead through four complete. The Cubs (4-6) rallied with six unanswered runs with three in the fifth and three in the sixth to trim CHS' lead to 8-7. Carthage ended the game early with nine runs in the bottom of the sixth to invoke the run rule.

"It was really nice to see our bats get going a little bit and smack seven up there in the first two innings," Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said. "In the middle innings, we got complacent and let them get back in it. Credit to Monett, they did what they needed to do to make it close. I just think they ran out of pitching there at the end … and we took advantage of it. It was really nice to see."

ON THE MOUND

Kaden Arr earned the win after allowing four runs on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts. 

"I think he got a little fatigued at the end," Bordewick said. "He was locating well early before losing it a little late, which is when he got into trouble. Overall, It was a really solid start from him."

Zach Geter allowed three runs on three hits, one walk and a strikeout in one inning. Wil McCombs pitched 1/3 of a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.

Doss Nation took the loss after allowing seven runs on six hits, a walk and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 of an inning. Alex Huntress allowed six runs, five earned, on five hits, four walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Carlos Valenciano and Harrison Merriman combined to allow four runs on four hits and two walks without recording an out.

GAME ACTION

The Tigers blanked the Cubs over the first two innings while crossing home seven times in the process. After back-to-back one-out singles in the first inning from Nate Norbury and Kaden Kralicek, Kanen Vogt smacked a line drive to the gap in left center for a two-run double to give the Tigers the initial lead.

An inning later, Sylas Browning doubled to left field with one out before coming around to score on a Monett fielding error to give Carthage a three-run lead. With two outs and the bases full later in the frame, Vogt came up clutch again with a three-run double to left to double the Tigers' lead, 6-0.

"Those were two big-time doubles that really set the tone for us," Bordewick said of Vogt's early doubles. "Those first two innings set the tone for us. He jumped on a fastball early in a hitter's count on the first one, and the second one was a curveball that he really stuck with and kept his bat speed on it. It was cool to see him get fired up for his team because he is an even-keeled kid."

Grant Collier got in on the offensive burst after a pitching change, ripping his own RBI double to left field to plate Vogt and push the lead to seven to wrap the scoring in the inning. 

Monett's Marcus Young singled up the middle to lead off the third before coming around later in the inning to score on a wild pitch to get the Cubs on the board. 

Kralicek reached on an infield hit in the last of the fourth and promptly stole second and third base before scoring on a groundout by Collier to make the score 8-1.

Young singled to lead off the fifth and scored on an error. With two outs in the inning, Estin McBroom yanked a ball over the wall to left for a two-run home run to bring the Cubs within four of the lead, 8-4. 

Young again led off with a single in the top of the six before coming around to score on a wild pitch. Monett then used a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch all with two outs to load the bases. Josh Wallace brought one run home with a single too left to trim the deficit to 8-6. After a pitching change, Daniel Geiss cut the Tiger lead to one with a bases-loaded walk. 

Carthage's Wil McCombs got out of the jam without allowing the tying run to score by striking out Cole Davis looking.

The Tigers put the game away in the bottom of the sixth with nine runs crossing the board. Norbury led the inning off with a double to left before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from Kralicek, which he beat out for a hit. Norbury scored on a sac fly from Vogt, and Kralicek touched home after scoring on a first-and-third delayed steal when the pickoff throw went to second. Two batters later, Logan Carmickle doubled to center to score a run and push the lead to 11-7. A bases-loaded walk from Caden Kabance was followed by a two-run single through the left side by McCombs, with a third run coming around to score on a Monett error, to push the lead to 15-7. Kralicek and Collier each had RBI singles to end the game with one out in the sixth. 

"I was just playing for one run," Bordewick said with a smile. "It was nice to see our kids finish a game."

AT THE PLATE

Vogt led Carthage with two doubles and a game-high six RBI at the plate. Norbury and Kralicek each had four hits, and RBI and scored four times. Collier had two hits, including a double, three RBI and scored a run. Carmickle had two hits, drove in one and scored one.

McBroom homered and had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored for Monett. Young had three hits and three runs scored.

UP NEXT

Carthage takes on Neosho at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
-Lucas Davis, SoMo Sports