Carthage falls 8-0 to visiting Ozark
May 10—CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage Tigers baseball team struggled at the plate and got in a hole early as it fell 8-0 to visiting Ozark on Friday at Carl Lewton Stadium.
Ozark got on the board in the top of the first when Drew Hayward hit a two-run double that plated Hudson Roberts and George Reynolds.
Ozark (17-17) expanded its lead to 4-0 with another pair of runs in the top of the second frame. Alex Nimmo swatted a line drive to left field that scored Peyton Bullinger, and Landon Blanchard later scored on a bases-loaded walk by Carthage starter Brodie Cole.
The Ozark lead ballooned to 7-0 with three more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Roberts cracked a two-run double to left field that brought Blanchard and Nimmo across the plate. Ozark scored its seventh run on a Carthage fielding error that scored Roberts.
Ozark added its final run in the top of the fifth when Nimmo hit a two-out double to left field that plated Bullinger.
Carthage (16-15) logged its first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Bradyn Tate hit a hard grounder to third base, but he was called out when Ty Perry grounded into a 6-4-3 double play on Carthage's next at-bat. Colson Brust followed with another single to third, but he was stranded when Ozark starter Cooper Pumphrey fanned Ethan Stark to end the inning.
Pumphrey logged 10 strikeouts while giving up just two hits in six innings of work.
Nimmo and Hayward each logged two hits for Ozark. Nimmo was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run, and Hayward finished 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Cole gave up six earned runs on six hits while striking out four and walking five in 4 2/3 innings of work for Carthage.
Carthage closes out its regular season when it hosts Branson (22-16) at 1 p.m. Saturday. The "Last Pitch" game will commemorate the final game at Carl Lewton Stadium.
