Taking Down the King: Jbirds vs Merchants 7/21

The Jailbird would take down the league leading Carroll Merchants in 2 games winning 11-3 and 3-1 in a crucial series for playoff seeding.

The Jailbirds will next play at home against the Chillicothe Mudcats in the last regular season series Thursday at 6:30.

Joplin would win 11-3 in the first game.

The two teams started by resuming a game that was suspended due to rain in June. They started in the top of the 3rd with a 3-0 score for the Jailbirds.

The Merchants would pick up a run off a wild pitch in the 4th.

A Jordan Tucker ground out would score Jose Gomez to keep the Jailbirds ahead by 3.

A Merchant would make their way around the bases and score #2 to put the score 4-2 Jailbirds in the middle of the 5th.

Austin Marsh would pop the ball over the 1st baseman’s head to score Shadrach Salazar. The Jailbirds would stay ahead by 3 going into the 7th.

The Merchants would have their third 1 run inning in the 7th.

The Jailbirds would have a mighty 7th inning of their own. Salazar would hit a sac fly to left field and Rocco Regan would tag up before going home. Jordan Tucker would send the ball to right field, scoring Jose Gomez. Landin Midgett would then score Tucker in similar fashion. The score would be 8-3 at the end of the 7th.

A 3-run inning was so nice they did it twice. Newcomer Shaun Hunt would score on a wild pitch and Salazar would score Gomez and Regan. The score would be 11-3.

Porter Starnes would pick up the win.

Jordan Tucker was the MAPP Technologies Jailbird of the Game going 2 for 4, having 3 RBIs, and having a 1.000 OBP.

The Jailbirds would win game #2 3-1.

The Merchants would score a run in the 4th.

Blake Jones would respond in the 4th with his first home run of the year as he hit a line drive over the left field wall. After showing bunt three times Salazar would go long and hit just inside the left field wall but would still score Drake Lee. Jordan Tucker would follow it up with a slow rolling single down the 3rd base line to score Eric Williams Jr. This put the score up 3-1.

Cross Dowd and Rhyn Chambers would make sure that score held going into the top of the 7th.

In the top of the 7th “Hells Bells” rung out as Marcus Young took the mound. The first batter never came close and struck out looking.  The second batter hit two foul balls but didn’t even swing for the third strike.The final batter was out in one pitch as he hit a pop fly to 1st base and was out 3 to end the game.

Cross Dowd was the winning pitcher as well as the MAPP Technologies Jailbird of the Game. He pitched 5 innings, struck out 7 of 21 batters he faced, allowed only 4 hits and 1 run.

Article by Austin Dye

Photo by Josh Franklin Photography