By: Jackson Wright
Outlaws return to Joe Becker Stadium to start a 4-game series against the Fort Smith Marshals.
Fort Smith looked to scratch across runs early with two quick base runners, but Keaton Anderson struck out Luke Cornelison, ending the early Marshals threat.
The Outlaws’ offense stayed hot as they capitalized on free passes and errors, and it was a quick 2-0 Outlaw lead. Reigning league hitter of the week, Anthony Mazza, roped a single to bring across the third run of the inning. Joplin led 3-0 after one.
In the second inning, Fort Smith threatened with a leadoff double, but was left stranded on third base, and Keaton Anderson picked up his second strikeout of the night.
However, the Outlaws’ offense continued to hit the ball well. Blake Wilson, Andre Jackson, and Tyler Brodrick responded with three straight hits, giving the Outlaws their fourth run of the night. Following a Landin Midgett RBI groundout, Murchael Turner added a single to make it 6-0 after two innings.
The same theme continued into the third inning with the Marshals threatening to score, working the bases loaded, but Anderson again got out of the jam to end the threat.
In the bottom half of the frame, Ravaughn Morgan led things off with a double, stole third, and scored on Wilson’s sacrifice fly. This pushed the Outlaws ahead 7-0.
Anderson settled in, tossing a perfect fourth and fifth inning, giving the Outlaws a chance to grow the lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Mazza singled and scored on a double by Mark Ross. Garrett Springer followed that up with an RBI single, and Jackson added an RBI single. The Outlaws extended their lead to 10-0 after five innings.
The sixth inning saw the Marshal finally get on the board with RBI base hits from Luke Cornelison and Caleb Johnson, trimming the deficit to 10-2.
The Outlaws had an answer in their half of the inning. Murchael Turner crossed the plate on another base hit for Anthony Mazz, giving the Outlaws an 11-2 lead.
In the top of the seventh, Outlaws’ Manager, Dean Green, made his only call to the bullpen, going with Beau Pasteur to finish the game. After a quick out, Pasteur found himself in a jam with two on and only one out. However, like most of the game, the Marshals were unable to capitalize on their opportunities.
Holding to an 8-run lead going into their seventh inning frame, the Outlaws were trying to end the night early, with the walkoff run rule runner standing on second base. Brodrick works to a full count and drives a ball to deep right field, but not deep enough as the fielder makes the play to retire the Outlaws’ chances.
Pasteur put up a quiet top of the eighth, and again gave the Outlaws hope of ending this one early. Murchael Turner hit a hard grounder to third and reached safely, which set the stage for Ravaughn Morgan. With one out, Morgan launched a towering two-run homer to right field, which invoked the mercy rule and sealed a 13-2 victory for the Outlaws.
Keaton Anderson got the win, pitching 6 strong innings with 8 strikeouts and only 2 runs, to help the Outlaws move to 31-10 on the season.
Offensively, the Outlaws were led by Andre Jackson, who reached base safely all six times, going 4-4 with 2 walks.
The series continues on Wednesday, July 16th, with a doubleheader featuring a 5 pm first pitch.
Stay tuned to Outlaws’ social media for the latest information!
