The St Joe Mustangs have had a few close calls in their games, but none were as close as this game against the Carrol Merchants yesterday.
In their last game, the Mustangs beat the Merchants by 7-4. This game was a nail-biter until the last inning, as the Merchants put up a fight until the ninth.
The Merchants would strike first as a single goes up the middle, putting the Merchants up by 1.
However, in the bottom of the second, the Mustangs struck back, starting with a Darrius Freeman standup double. Freeman advanced to second after foiling a pickle and an error by the Merchant's pitcher.
Dom Felix walked as Jayden Little stepped to the plate. Little will do a ton as he would single to center field, advancing Felix and scoring Freeman.
Truman Bodenhausen forces the game forward as he singles driving in Felix. With the bases loaded, Carson Schrack grounds out, getting Little home on the play as the Mustangs go up 3-1 in the 2nd.
The Merchants battled back, as two separate singles tied the game at 3-3. The Merchants smashed a ball to the fence and scored an additional run, putting them ahead 3-4, but they got ahead of themselves as the batter was tagged out at third by Schrack with the throw from Freeman.
The bottom of the fourth had Truman and Noah Bodenhausen hitting singles to put runners on corners for Schrack, who would tie the game at 4-4 with another fourth-inning single.
Freeman comes to the plate with the bases loaded in the fourth and two outs. He destroys the ball, scoring a double and two additional RBIs, putting the Mustangs in the lead 6-4.
A chaotic seventh inning ended with the Merchants tying the game after a few Mustang errors. The Merchants laid down a bunt to score a runner from third, and they now lead the game 6-7.
The bottom of the seventh started with Logan Miller walking as Felix would step to the plate. Miller steals second, and Felix walks.
Little stepped to the plate to watch a passed ball fly past him and Miller fly past him as he tied the game 7-7. Little walked, and N. Bodenhausen stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. N. Bodenhausen bats a single in center, driving in Felix with the Mustangs now leading 8-7.
Freeman, batting in the eighth, gets his third double of the day and drives in Mason Holton to advance the lead to 9-7
After a rallying cry and a crowd wave in the ninth, the Mustangs defeated the Merchants 9-7.
Your Mustangs player of the game is Darius Freeman, who went 4-5 with three doubles to trounce the Merchants.
The Mustangs will stay home for bark in the park as they will face the two-seed in the MINK League, the Warren County Crop Dusters, at 7 p.m.
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