Joplin baseball splits weekend games against Smithville, Marshfield
Apr. 29—The Joplin Eagles had to settle for mixed results in a three-team round-robin with Smithville and Marshfield on Saturday at Joplin High School.
In Game 1 against Smithville, Peyton Swenson drove in the winning run in extra innings to give the Eagles an 8-7 victory.
In Game 2 against Marshfield, Joplin lost 9-3.
Smithville
Smithville's Mason Jones drove in Ben Murawski with a single to left field in the top of the first, but Joplin answered with a trio of runs in the bottom of the frame when Brock Waghorn doubled to center field to plate Layne Royle and Peyton Swenson. Waghorn later scored on an error.
Smithville (13-11) made it a 3-2 game in the top of the third when Murawski scored on a Jacob Kruse single.
Again, Joplin had an answer and responded with another three-run inning in the bottom of the frame. David Bhend hit a line drive double to left field that plated Swenson to make it 4-2. Cole Lawrence scored on a wild pitch and Cooper Williams scooted home on a passed ball to give the Eagles a 6-2 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Smithville's Max McKenzie hit a lead-off homer in the top of the fourth to tighten the game at 6-3 and Smithville added four more runs in the top of the fifth to take their first lead of the game at 7-6.
Joplin (7-17) tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Swenson singled to bring home Royle.
Neither team could get a run in the seventh inning and the game went into extra innings. Caden Shoemaker scored in the bottom of the eighth off of a Swenson single to give Joplin the walk-off win.
Swenson finished 3 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs. Royle was 2 for 3 with two runs
Marshfield
In Game 2 against Marshfield (17-10), Joplin fell into a deep hole early, giving up six runs in the top of the first.
Royle finished 2 for 3 at the plate with one run.
Shoemaker was 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
Royle took the loss for Joplin after giving up six earned runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
Logan Kisner got the win for Marshfield after giving up two runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout in three innings of work.
In the other game of the round-robin, Smithville defeated Marshfield 10-7.
Joplin will host Webb City at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
