Semoball

Redbirds surge past Naylor in OFC first round

ELLSINORE, Mo. — A week after losing by 19 runs, Naylor gave East Carter a much tougher challenge.

East Carter trailed 6-4 after three innings, but then Redbirds scored eight unanswered on their way to winning 12-9 in the quarterfinals of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament in Ellsinore.

Someone had the bases loaded in each of the first four innings.

The Eagles, a week after losing to East Carter 23-4, took the initial lead in the first inning after Matthew Rigdon smacked a long fly ball to the wall in right-center field for a two-run double.

East Carter answered, though. In the bottom frame, Eli Marvin doubled to left to score Luke Roark.

The Redbirds had the bases loaded with nobody out, and after Naylor got a strikeout, Marvin stole home during the throw back to the mound, and the other runners advanced on the attempted tag at the plate.

Jacob Saffle then put down a sacrifice bunt to score Preston Golden and give East Carter a 3-2 lead.

Naylor loaded the bases with two outs in the second, but Golden got a groundout to second to escape.

The Eagles loaded the bases a second time in the third, this time with nobody out.

After a throwing error, a hit by pitch and a walk to start the inning, the table was set.

Golden got a strikeout and then Naylor scored on a second infield error by the third-seeded and host Redbirds (12-7).

The sixth-seeded Eagles (3-10) tried for a sacrifice bunt, but Golden was able to scoop and toss to home in time for the force out.

Roark hit a long fly ball to the gap in left. East Carter’s speedy outfielders narrowly avoided a collision, but neither could come up with the diving catch and Roark cleared the bases to put Naylor ahead 6-4.

The Redbirds took their turn in the fourth and loaded the bases with one out.

Golden watched a full-count curveball miss outside to score a run.

After fouling off three pitches, two of them crushed deep to left, Jason Carter was hit by a pitch to tie the game and Naylor made a pitching change.

Logan Copeland then hit a two-run double down the left foul line to put East Carter back in front.

Carter scored on a wild pitch, and with two outs, Copeland tried to score on a ball four passed ball, but the catcher was able to field the ball off the cinder block backstop and run back in time for the tag.

The Redbirds piled on another big inning in the fifth.

Back up at the plate, Carter pulled an RBI single to left to score Levi Boyer, who had reached on an error.

Then with two on and one out, Golden smashed a two-run double to the wall in left that put East Carter ahead 12-6.

Brock Woolard, Cody Jones and Rigdon scored for Naylor in the sixth to cut the lead in half.

Roark, pitching for the Eagles in the sixth, retired the side to keep the rally going.

Leading off the inning, Zach Yarbro was hit by a curveball but was picked off soon after. Carter, pitching for East Carter, got a full count strikeout.

With two outs, Woolard singled a 3-1 pitch to left and East Carter put its top pitcher Ray Ochoa on the mound for the one-out save.

Ochoa threw three straight balls before grooving a strike. His next pitch was high, but Jones swung and sent a high fly ball to left for the final out.

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