By: Jackson Wright
The Outlaws kicked off a three-game home stand with the Piney Woods TimberHogs on Friday with a 4-1 win.
Piney Woods threatened early, putting runners on the corners in the first inning, but Webb City native Cole Gayman struck out Hunter Southey to escape the jam and keep the game scoreless.
The Outlaws, however, capitalized on their opportunities. Ravaughn Morgan got a leadoff double, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Luke Graham single. Both Morgan and Graham were making their season debuts.
The second inning was a lot like the first. TimberHogs left a runner in scoring position, while the Outlaws capitalized on base hits.
Maverick Williamson started things with a base hit and again advanced on a wild pitch. Mark Ross advanced Williamson to third on a slow grounder to second in his season debut. Evan Aslaken followed that up with a chopper up the middle to put the Outlaws up 2-0.
In the top of the 6th, the TimberHogs had another chance to score, but left two more runners on base as Cole Gayman picked up his ninth strikeout of the game to end his night.
After the stretch, the Outlaws used the small ball approach to bring around more runs. After Cy Darnell reached on an error and stole second base. Ravaughn Morgan sent the first pitch he saw back up the middle to pick up his third hit of the game to drive in Darnell. After consecutive passed balls, Luke Graham hit a line drive to centerfield to bring in Morgan and put the Outlaws up 4-0.
With a four-run lead, heading to the top of the ninth, Outlaws manager Dean Green turned to Beau Pasteur to get the final three outs. He did just that, but it wasn’t easy. Jared Henchek led off the ninth with a base hit and advanced on a bad pick-off throw from Pasteur. A wild pitch and groundout from Hunter Southey allowed Henchek to score the lone TimberHogs run.
Gayman made his second start of the season and delivered yet another gem. After an impressive opening day performance, going 7 ⅔ innings with one hit and nine strikeouts, the Missouri Southern State senior right-hander followed up with 6 strong innings, striking out nine and allowing just three hits. So far this season, Gayman has pitched 13 ⅔ innings, tallying 18 strikeouts while giving up only four hits.
The win pushes Joplin to a record of 5-1, while Piney Woods drops to 1-6.
Game two of the series is set for 7:05 pm tomorrow, May 31st, and will wrap up Sunday, June 1st, where kids can run the bases after the game!
Get your tickets now at https://joplinoutlaws.com, and follow the Outlaws on social media for all the latest updates.
