No Hits, No Problem: East Prairie finds a way to edge Kelly

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — In a game where both pitchers were dealing, East Prairie clawed out a 3-1 victory over Kelly in a Scott-Mississippi Conference Showdown at H.A. Jones Memorial Park on Thursday, March 21. 

This one was a battle of wills on the mound. 

The Eagles (4-2) bats may have been silent, but they took advantage of free passes, opportunistic baserunning, and a few gifts from the Hawks (1-2) to pull off the unusual win.

“We didn’t play our best offensively today,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. “Today was all about the pitching. Both teams battled on the mound and made some big pitches to get out of some jams. [Johnson] did a great job for six innings and Owen came in the seventh and closed it for us. We were able to take advantage of some free passes to scratch out enough runs to win the game. Several times we had guys in scoring position but could never get the key hit. I’m just proud of our guys for finding a way to win.”

Leading the charge on the mound for East Prairie was Noah Johnson, who battled through 6.0 innings to secure the win. He displayed strong command, scattering three hits and striking out eight batters. 

Owen Knight then came in relief, slamming the door shut in the seventh inning and earning the save. Knight navigated around a walk, not allowing a hit to preserve the victory. 

Kelly struck first with a second-inning miscue allowing Reece Eftink to cross the plate. But East Prairie answered in the third with Ty Wallace scampering home on a wild pitch.

The Eagles snatched the lead two innings later when Johnson, then Hunter Newton, cashed in on some wild pitches.

Kelly reliever Nicholas Christian took the loss despite a strong effort. Starter Dalton Forck held East Prairie hitless for four innings, striking out eight.

East Prairie hosts Centrury (0-2), while Kelly is on the road at Chaffee (4-0) on Monday, March 25. 

__EAST PRAIRIE 3, KELLY 1__

Kelly 010 000 0 — 1 3 1

E. Prairie 001 020 x — 3 0 2

W—Noah Johnson. L—Nicholas Christian. S—Owen Knight.