The Neosho Nightriders, the “AA” American Legion baseball team, pulled out a dramatic two-game sweep over visiting Joplin Thursday night in District 15 action at Roy B. Shaver Stadium.
The Nightriders won 12-2 and then won the nightcap 11-10 in seven innings over the Miners to bring their record back to .500 in district play at 3-3.
Neosho will look to add to the winning streak Monday when the team plays the back end of a “AAA” and “AA” doubleheader with Aurora at home.
Neosho (12-5) broke open a 1-1 tie in the first game by scoring six unanswered runs to pull away from Joplin — coached by Neosho High 9th grade coach Todd Moffett.
In the fourth inning, Neosho got a 2-run single from Matt Link and a RBI single from Jacob Rickman.
In the fifth inning, the Nightriders went up 7-1 when Link had a 2-out RBI single and Sibo Bohannon had a 2-run double.
Joplin made it 7-2 in the top of the fifth inning, but Neosho scored five runs in the bottom half of the inning to end the game on the run-rule.
In that inning, Tyler Rathmann doubled and scored on A.J. Enloe’s RBI single. Nick Potter, Link and Bohannon all followed with singles and that helped account for four more runs to ice the
game for Neosho.
Ethan Pogue started for Neosho and got the victory.
In the second game, Neosho staked itself out to an 7-0 lead only to see it disappear quickly against the Miners.
In the second inning, the Nightriders scored four runs, the key was four straight singles from Garrett Cooper, Link, Rickman and Bohannon. Neosho made it 7-0 when the team scored three runs in the third inning. Nick Potter had an RBI single. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Rickman.
Joplin struck four nine runs in the fourth inning to surge ahead 9-7.
The Nightriders got the deficit down to a run when Jacob Barnes had an RBI single in the fourth inning to make it 9-8.
Joplin made it 10-8 in the top of the fifth inning — the final inning. Neosho plated two runs, thanks to four walks, in the bottom half of the inning to force extra innings.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Neosho had two runners on with one out, but two straight pop flies ended the scoring threat.
In the bottom of the seventh, Rickman provided the walk-off winner, an RBI single to left field. With one out, Dalton McDaniel, Cooper and Pogue all drew walks. McDaniel took third base on a passed ball, before Pogue walked to load the bases.
