Tigers score seven in 7th to conquer Cubs

Nevada High School senior outfielder Lane Wilson chucks a throw from the corner in left during a loss to Monett last week inside Carl Lewton Stadium. The Tigers got revenge against the Cubs with a 10-4 come-from-behind victory on Tuesday.

File Photo by Hank Layton | Daily Mail Sports Reporter

With a final score like 10-4, combined with the fact that starting pitcher Case Sanderson struck out 12 batters and didn’t allow a hit through five innings, it might seem like the Nevada High School baseball team avenged its only loss of the season Tuesday afternoon at Monett in a wire-to-wire fashion.

But that wasn’t the case.

This one, more or less, came down to the end of the wire.

The Tigers gave up a 3-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, before plating 10 runs in the top of the seventh to pull off the six-run victory — just days after losing to the Cubs in the Bill O’Dell Tournament in Carthage.

Somehow, Sanderson will not get credit for the win, despite being untouchable through the majority of the game. Instead, the W will go to Eli Cheaney, who came on in relief for the roller coaster ride finish.

Way back in the first frame, Cheaney opened the scoring after reaching base on a single and eventually scoring on a wild pitch.

Sanderson then helped his own cause in the top of the fifth with an RBI double that scored Cheaney, before scoring on a wild pitch himself.

Cheaney had a three-run cushion and two outs in his favor in the bottom of the sixth before a two-run double by Daniel Geiss suddenly put the tying run in scoring position. Then back-to-back errors by Nevada’s defense allowed two more runs to score. A ground-out finally ended the damage, but not before Monett had a 4-3 lead heading into the seventh.

Cheaney reached on an error to lead off the inning but was caught stealing — not that it really mattered.

Sanderson and Blake Pryor drew back-to-back walks, and Elijah Nadurata loaded the bases with an infield single.

Logan Marquardt, behind in the count 0-2, belted a single to right field that drove in Sanderson and Pryor and put the Tigers (9-1 overall, 1-0 in the Big 8 West) back on top.

Nadurata then scored on a Drake Seaver single, Kartman Highly was hit by a pitch to load them up again, and Lane Wilson drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Marquardt.

A pitching change by Monett (5-7, 0-1) eventually got the final two outs but failed to fully stop the avalanche of scoring, as Cheaney drove in two more on the first pitch he saw, and Pryor walked in another.

Cheaney sealed it in the home half of the seventh by striking out the first two batters and getting the third to pop out.

Nevada will host Seneca on Thursday.