Semoball

Poplar Bluff rallies for walk-off win to overcome late comeback by Greenville

Poplar Bluff catcher Jacob Baller and Greenville's Talon McDaniel look to see the call after McDaniel scored the tying run in the seventh inning Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at Bobby Strenfel Field in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
DAR/Brian Rosener

POPLAR BLUFF — Poplar Bluff took advantage of some miscues early, Greenville returned the favor late to overcome a five-run deficit before the Mules walked off with a wild win Tuesday.

Kolby Greenwall’s sacrifice fly tied it in the bottom of the seventh before Dylan Bratcher drew a bases-loaded walk to give Poplar Bluff a 7-6 win over the Bears at Bobby Strenfel Field.

“The win is on the team, the errors are on me,” Poplar Bluff coach Steven Edwards said after three errors fueled Greenville’s comeback.

Greenville shortstop Easton Eavans, right, reaches for a throw in an attempt to pick off Poplar Bluff's Kayson King (40) on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at Bobby Strenfel Field in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
DAR/Brian Rosener

“We need to work on ground balls in the infield more.”

Down a run in the bottom of the seventh, Poplar Bluff’s Kannon Carr led off with a double. The senior hit a 3-1 pitch down the right-field line that fell in just in front of a diving right fielder and beat the throw sliding into second base.

“That hustle out of the box, that created the turn of events we had (to rally),” Edwards said.

Ty Rommel followed with a walk and Jakob Valenzuela drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Greenwall sent a fly ball to center to score Carr while Tripp Belknap, running for Rommel avoided a tag with his slide into third base.

Following an intentional walk, Bratcher walked on five pitches.

“They have a good ballclub, both of their pitchers threw good,” Edwards said of starter Trey Porter and Talon McDaniel.

“They had a couple of unlucky breaks there at the end that cost them the game but they’re a good ballclub.”

Porter struck out six in five innings while McDaniel struck out three, allowing one hit in relief.

Poplar Bluff (5-9) scored four runs in the first inning as Greenville (6-7) committed three errors.

“That first inning, you make a play here or there and that’s what I tell them, you’ve got to be ready every play,” Bears coach Benji Stahl said.

Carr, who was 3 for 3, drove in a run in the first inning with a single to right for a 2-0 lead. The Mules scored their first run on a throwing error as Axton Eisenbeis stole second, allowing Brady Robertson to score after a leadoff walk and a hit-and-run single by Eisenbeis.

Noah Spain followed an error with an RBI single.

Carr scored in the fifth after a one-out bloop single when Spain’s fly ball was dropped for a 5-0 lead.

On the mound, Carr tossed two scoreless innings, allowing a single while striking out five. Robertson then tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out eight while allowing a single. Eisenbeis struck out the final hitter of the sixth as Greenville had two hits and 14 strikeouts entering the seventh when the Bears managed six runs on four hits.

“We didn’t do it early, that’s what killed us,: Stahl said of putting the ball in play.

“It’s baseball, you’ve got to make the adjustment. There’s nothing you can say.”

The Bears fell to 3-5 in games decided by a run while the Mules snapped a five-game losing streak with their first walk-off win of the spring.

In their previous game 10 days ago, the Mules took a four-run lead into the seventh but committed four errors and lost 17-10.

Porter led off the seventh with a liner to right for a single and Wyatt Friley followed with another hit. Clayton Wood’s RBI groundout put the Bears on the board before the Mules committed three straight errors.

A sacrifice bunt by James Hill put runners at second and third with two outs before Easton Evans hit a grounder to the left side of the infield. Evans beat the throw to first and McDaniel scored from second on the play, tying the game.

Evans took second base in all the confusion and scored when Ty Huffmaster singled up the middle for a 6-5 lead.

“The defense has to buckle up a little bit more,” Edwards said. “We started to boot the ball around again. We put certain people in certain spots we trust they’re going to get it done.”

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