Eagles come up short against visiting Urchins
EUPORA – Hits and runs were hard to come by for the Eupora Eagles on Friday night.
In game two of the third round of the playoffs against East Union, the Eagles struggled to figure out sophomore hurler Cade Bell. When they finally did in the seventh inning, it was just a little late.
The Urchins used Bell and some clutch hits of their own to even up the series at a game each and forced game three today. They left the bases full of Eagles in the final frame and took home a 5-3 win in the process.
“For some reason, we wait too long,” Eupora head coach Clayton Dodd said. “The battle at the end is great. We’ve just got to find a way to get something going. Tip your hat to Cade Bell. He threw a great game we just couldn’t get on him until late. Great effort at the end and I think that’s going to carry over into (today).”
After a phenomenal outing from ace Tanner Knight and game one in which he allowed just two hits, the Eagles (21-5) were up and down on the mound. Cade Farley started and went four innings giving up just three hits and three walks but four runs while hitting three batters.
Dodd was encouraged by Coley Tabb, who relieved Farley with the bases loaded and no one out in the fifth. Tabb got threestraight outs and he ended the game with just one run and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings..
“Cade has to do a better job of getting ahead in counts,” Dodd said. “Coley Tabb comes in and does a great job and you can’t ask for anything better. It’s hard to throw strikes when you’re struggling offensively, but we’ve got to do a better job of throwing strikes in from the get-go.”
The Eagles’ biggest issues were at the plate where they had just four hits and struck out 11 times. Only Al Dumas produced more than a hit with his 2-for-2 night.
East Union led early when it got a leadoff
single in the first and brought that run home on a one-out grounder. Eupora tied it in the second when Ash Dumas delivered a two-out, RBI double over the centerfielder’s head. That would be the last score of the night until the final inning.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the third, the Urchins singled home two runs to take a 3-1 lead. They added another with a double in the fifth before Tabb limited the damage that inning.
Trailing 5-1 in the seventh, Eupora made some noise and things got interesting.
The bases were loaded with two outs when Claude Herard was hit by a pitch to drive in a run and Brett May walked to bring home another cutting it to 5-3 and putting the tying run in scoring position and winning run on base.
Tabb gave the final pitch a ride into center but hit it straight to the defender who ended the game with the catch and tied the series up.
The two teams are back in action today in Blue Springs at 1 p.m. as the Eagles will have to win on the road to keep their season alive and set up a potential matchup with rival East Webster in the North State championship. Tabb and several others will be available to pitch with only Knight inactive on the mound.
“I feel like we’re going to respond well,” Dodd said. “None of our kids are going to hang their head. If we’re going to get beat, we’re going to have to make their guys beat us by getting hits and not getting walks.”