Friday fireworks showed up a day early here in the Show-Me Collegiate League as both teams’ offenses exploded combining for 29 hits (9 extra base hits) and 19 runs with the final score 10-9 in favor of the Stars.

We had a battle of Southwest Tennessee Community College arms tonight as the Ozark Mountain Wild started lefty, Joel Singleton, and the Route 66 Stars countered with righty, Brayden Green. Both pitchers battled through adversity but didn’t last long enough to be part of the decision. Singleton’s line on the night was 4.2 innings pitched with 6 hits, 6 earned runs, 5 strikeouts, and six walks. Green lasted 3 innings allowing 6 hits, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

The Wild ended with 14 hits on the night led by Drury’s Brant Schaffitzel. The Stars could not get Schaffitzel out as he was 4-4 on the day with two walks! The Wild also had a trio of hitters with two hits each with Frontier College’s Trey Woosley adding three RBI’s and a towering home run that tied the game in the top of the 7th inning.

But the game was not meant to be for the Wild as the Stars matched each hit and run with one of their of their own and scored in five of the nine innings. The Stars had six hitters with multiple hits led by Crowder’s Cameron Tissue (2-3, 1 run, 2 RBI), Central Arkansas Brett Daley (3-5, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 runs), and Mineral Area’s Jacob Pryor (2-4, 4 RBI).

The big blow came in the bottom of the ninth inning after the Wild took the lead off a wild pitch in the top half of the ninth. The Stars started the game winning rally with a Brett Daley single. With Daley’s speed a factor, Lummis attempted one two many pick-off attempts which led to an error putting Daley at third with no outs. With no outs, Pryor battled and had a great at bat singling home Daley with the tying run. After an error by the shortstop and a fielder’s choice, the Stars had runners at first and second with one out. Next to step up to the plate was IU Kokomo’s Mason Melton, who was 0-5 up to this point on the night. With the count 0-1, Melton swung aggressively and drove the ball deep to center landing over the centerfielders head that scored Maryville’s Cherokee Boynton with the winning run.

Missouri State signee, Logan Thomazin recorded his first win on the summer as Lummis takes the loss and falls to 0-2 on the summer.

With the win, the Route 66 Stars move to 11-4-1 on the summer with a three and a half game lead for first place. The Wild fall to 5-9, five and a half games out of first. Both teams battle it out again this Sunday at 6:30pm at US Ballpark.