JOPLIN, Mo. – The Arkansas Tech baseball team was dealt a disheartening blow on Thursday night as they were overtaken in the bottom of the eighth inning by host school and No. 2-seed Missouri Southern and ultimately fell by a score of 4-3.
With the defeat, the Wonder Boys (32-21) will now face elimination from the regional and will take on a familiar foe in Southern Arkansas in that win-or-go home contest. SAU was forced into the elimination game themselves after losing to Minnesota State Mankato earlier on Thursday, 8-4. First-pitch between Tech and SAU is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
In the game against Missouri Southern, the No. 10-ranked Lions (43-15) got out to an early 2-0 lead with single runs in the second and third innings. Neither of the runs scored on the benefit of a hit as they pushed across their first run on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and the second run on a sacrifice fly.
Outside of those, Tech starter
John Gray pitched well and held the powerful Lions' offense at bay for a majority of the game.
On the opposite end, the Wonder Boys were facing the recently-named Central Region Pitcher of the Year in Cole Woods. In the early goings, Woods was living up the billing and kept the Wonder Boys off the scoreboard through the first five innings.
In the sixth, the Wonder Boys finally broke through against Woods and did in an emphatic way.
Cade McBride led off the inning with an infield single to second base. Two batters later,
Sawyer Duddleston hammered a game-tying two-run home run out to left-centerfield.
A half inning later, Gray worked around a leadoff walk to hold the Lions off the board and keep the score tied.
In the top of the seventh, the Wonder Boys got back to work against Woods.
After a strikeout to leadoff the inning,
Brandon Bunton stroked a triple into the right-centerfield gap.
Markos Cabranes then drew a walk to put runners on the corners with one out.
Shane Poe then got down a successful bunt that allowed Bunton to score from third on to give Tech a 3-2 lead.
Gray then retired the Lions in order in the seventh and still with a one-run lead got the first two batters of the eighth out on first-pitch offerings. The inning, however extended after a two-out walk was drawn, bringing the No. 9 hitter to the plate.
Unfortunately, this is where the Wonder Boys were overtaken as the Lions connected for a go-ahead two-run home run to flip the one-run lead in their favor.
The Wonder Boys would put the potential tying run on base with two outs in the top of the ninth, but were unable to bring the runner around.
