By Cade Haak
JOPLIN, Missouri (July 19, 2024) – Texarkana fought hard through 10 innings but ultimately fell short as a two-run bottom of the tenth inning gave the Outlaws the win.
To start the game, Rylan Evans ripped a double down the left field line, then was moved to third by a walk, and he eventually scored the first run of the game when Sloane Laird was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Joplin then took the lead away from the Rhinos when they scored five runs in the home half of the second. Four of these runs were brought in on a grand slam from Andre Jackson that rerouted the game as a whole.
The Rhinos were next to score when Rylan Evans hit a solo shot to left field to score his second run of the game. Two innings later, in the top of the seventh, Texarkana took their second lead of the game. First, Tahj Cunningham tied up the game at five runs apiece, then later in the inning, a two-RBI single up the middle of the field from Lane Epperson set the gap at two runs for the Rhinos.
This lead was erased just one inning later when Joplin scored four runs in the eighth. The Rhinos responded to this by tying up the game in the top of the ninth to keep their hopes alive. Neil Jansen doubled down the line to score Jackson Glymph for the Rhinos first run in the ninth, then Neil Jansen was pushed to third by a sacrifice bunt before scoring on a grounder from Lane Epperson. Due to these two runs, the Rhinos were able to earn extra innings against Joplin.
Extra innings started off similarly to the start of the game for the Rhinos, as they scored one run in the top half of the tenth. The one run that scored was by Ian Guanzon, who was able to cross home plate due to a throwing error by the pitcher. This lone run for the Rhinos could not hold up, as in the bottom of the tenth, the Outlaws’ great day at the plate continued, and they scored two runs to win in walk-off fashion.
