SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The sixth seeded Carthage Tigers battled the third seeded Nixa Eagles for seven innings in a Class 6 District 6 game Wednesday.
The Tigers ultimately fell short in the 4-2 loss to end their 2024 baseball season.
Landon Bland (2-3, 2.06 ERA) started for the Tigers and went five and two-thirds innings allowing four runs on six hits in the loss. He struck out one and walked three. Nolan Brown pitched one-third of an inning in relief and walked one batter.
Nixa scored first in the second inning on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
The Tigers pulled back to even in the fifth when a ground ball was misplayed by Nixa's second baseman which scored Landon West and Langston Morgan.
Nixa pushed across another two runs in their half of the fifth on back to back singles to make the score 4-2.
Carthage threatened to score in the top half of the seventh inning.
With one runner on, West hit a ground ball to the third baseman and a wide throw pulled the first baseman off the bag as West lunged towards the bag. The field umpire originally called West safe, but the home plate umpire overruled the play to call West out by tag to end the ballgame, and the Tiger's season, in controversial fashion.
Carthage had three hits for the game and committed one error.
The Tigers finished 16-17 for the season.
This was the final baseball game as members of the Carthage High School baseball team for seniors Eider Lyckman, Bradyn Tate, Colson Brust, Ty Perry, Brodie Cole, Austin Mitchell, Ethan Stark and Bradon Abbott.
-David Hoover, Carthage News Online