Ellington holds off Mules rally

The fate for the Poplar Bluff Mules relied heavily on the last inning as their grit was tested in Monday’s matchup against the Ellington Whippets.

In a hard-fought battle, the Mules’ comeback fell short at the end in a 7-6 loss.

“We’ve been digging a hole for ourselves several times this season, and that’s just something that we’ve got to be better at,” Mules coach John David Pattillo said. “I admire how we’ve continued to battle and fight, but when there’s a bad pitch or an error, we don’t climb out of it quickly enough. I’m just ready for some of the guys to step up with more leadership, be more vocal and not allow us to get into that spot.”

With early struggles from the mound, Ellington jumped out in front of the Mules early with two quick runs from a line-drive hit to right field from senior Jacob Henry. The score remained 2-0 at the top of the fifth until Ellington’s Jakob Farmer connected with a homer to left, adding more fuel to their already blazing fire.

Trailing 5-0, the Mules (4-5) began to build momentum with some key plays from the infield and solid hits from the plate to find a window for a comeback. Although the Mules went on a quick run, the Whippets didn’t seem phased as they continued to make great plays to stay out front.

Ellington held a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, and while only one inning remained, the Mules needed a certain spark for a chance at victory. Sophomore Noah Spain and junior Rylan Seesengood ignited the Mules with two big hits to bring in runners, cutting the lead to 7-6.

The Mules closed out Ellington at the top of the seventh and needed only two runs to win it all. With one opportunity to emerge victorious, the Mules failed to connect, and the Whippets closed the game with a walk-off strikeout from pitcher Brock Morey.

Henry led the Whippets to victory with three hits and three RBIs, and Farmer added one hit and three RBIs. Aiden Anderson and Colby Hedrick both chipped in with two hits a piece.

Owen McCormick won from the mound with five strikeouts, while Morey added two strikeouts.

Spain led the Mules with two hits and two RBIs, while freshman Marcus Tabanera added one hit and two RBIs.

“Out the gate, we struggled badly,” Spain said about the Mules’ early performance. “I just don’t think we were prepared mentally, but towards the end, we started to settle down and make good plays. One thing about this team is that we never give up and always keep fighting. This team is good, and I have high hopes for us as we progress through the season.”

Pattillo said the Mules played with great effort, and despite the comeback, he understands that they must focus on being more patient instead of forcing unnecessary errors.

“I thought we got in a bit of a hurry initially,” Pattillo said. “We swung at pitches that weren’t strikes, and we all were a little impatient, so moving forward, we’ve just got to allow the game to come back to us.”

The Mules are at Sikeston Tuesday and Spain said to come out on top they must approach this game ready to play.

“We have to be ready to play each time we step on the field, and we can’t overlook a team because anything can happen in baseball,” Spain said. “This game is 70% failure, so we just got to go in strong and mentally ready to put them away.”

SATURDAY

Poplar Bluff 14, Van Buren 13

In Saturday’s game, the Mules overcame a shaky start to down Van Buren in walkoff fashion.

The visiting Bulldogs scored six runs in the top of the first inning, but Poplar Bluff chipped away and ultimately tied the game at 13 in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Kolby Greenwall then led off the bottom of the seventh with a base hit to center and later stole second, then Kayson King doubled up the middle to score Greenwall and win the game.

The Mules ended the day with 15 hits, led by three from Noah Spain, while Greenwall, King, Tabanera, Bryce Dobbs and Dylan Bratcher each had two. Bratcher, David Durbin and Dylan Hall each drove in two runs.

Holden Hills had four hits for Van Buren, while Cole Kemp added three and the duo of Gage Vanlandingham and Elijah Van Wagner had a pair apiece.