Season ends in extra innings

By Anvil Welch, Joplin Globe

The Clinton High School baseball team lived up to its advance billing on Saturday.

The Cardinals relied on stingy enough pitching, timely hitting and superb defense to oust a game Carl Junction 4-3 in eight innings in a quarterfinal game of the MSHSAA Class 3 playoffs.

Clinton (16-7) will play Sullivan (17-3) at 4 p.m. Friday in a semifinal in Springfield at Meador Park. Sullivan beat Farmington 6-5 in a quarterfinal.

Carl Junction, which eliminated two-time defending state champion Webb City in the District 12 Tournament, finished 18-10.

Carl Junction trailed 3-0 but battled back to tie the Cardinals with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.

Clinton quickly won the game after a scoreless top of the eighth by the Bulldogs.

Clinton, facing Bulldog ace Zak Porath, received a one-out walk from Matt Helm. Kyle Spackler then doubled just inside the third-base bag and Seth Eshleman was given an intentional pass to load the sacks and set up a force play at the plate.

Brady Summers obliged by grounding to shortstop Evan Clemons. But Clemons threw high to the plate and Helm scored.

Clinton coach Jim Garvin had to let out a sigh of relief after the pressure unleashed by the Bulldogs in the sixth and seventh.

“It was pretty typical for us,” Garvin said. “We don’t score a lot of runs. We don’t give up many. We’re a very good defensive team. Still, pitching probably is our strength.”

Garvin was proud of the Cardinals’ poise in the face of the Carl Junction comeback.

“They knew it would be tough with Porath coming into the game,” Garvin said. “There was no hanging of heads. We battled.”

Right-hander Matt McCoy toiled seven innings for the Cardinals and, although yielding the three runs, stranded two Bulldogs in each of the final two frames.

Carl Junction coach Flave Darnell credited the pitching of McCoy, timely hitting and the defense of shortstop Nick Petree in turning the contest in the Cardinals’ favor.

“McCoy seemed to have a plan on how to attack us and did a good job,” Darnell said. “He kept the ball away.

“And the play by Petree to open our seventh (robbing Clemons of a hit) may have saved the game (for Clinton).”

Brad Bullock, who was the winning pitcher by working the scoreless eighth, and Michael Campbell drove in runs for the Cardinals in the first inning. Pinch hitter Chris Harris’ sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the fifth.

Porath singled, Chris Green walked and Drew Caruthers delivered a run-scoring single to start the Carl Junction sixth.

Josh Clark sacrificed the runners to second and third and Britt Cacopardo, although denied of a hit up the middle by Petree, brought Green home to bring the Bulldogs within 3-2.

One-out singles by Scott Thompson and Jon Michel and a walk to Porath loaded the bases for the Bulldogs. Green produced the tying run by grounding to second to score Thompson.

McCoy escaped the jam by retiring Caruthers on an outfield fly that ended a classic battle between pitcher and batter. Caruthers worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off four pitches before going down.

Center fielder Spackler also turned in a diving catch for the Cardinals to rob Michel of a third-inning hit.

Summers and Spackler had three and two hits, respectively, for the Cardinals. Porath, who was 2-for-2, and Caruthers each had a pair for Carl Junction.

“Our kids showed tremendous heart and character throughout the game,” Darnell said. “I’m so proud of our postseason performance.”

Darnell said the Bulldogs will lose four seniors in Cacopardo, Green, Paul Richard and Thompson.