Stods Knights Rally Upends Missoula Impact Baseball Club GSL Semifinals Bid in Seattle

SEATTLE - Eli Winkey drilled a two-run single to spur the Stods Knights baseball club to a dramatic 9-8 comeback win over the Missoula Impact Baseball Club, denying Impact a trip to the semifinals of the GSL Washington State Championships 18U tournament on Saturday in Kirkland, Washington. Missoula dropped its other pool play game to the Stilly Venom club, 6-3.

Kody Evans and Cole Smith each big two-RBI shots in a five-run fifth inning that gave Missoula an 8-1 lead and appeared to put the game away with the time limit waning. Smith drilled a screaming line drive double to the fence in right field to drive in two runs and then Evans put the finishing touches on the big inning with a rocket two-RBI single to right-center. However, Missoula’s pitchers issued four walks and the defense made three key errors to facilitate the Knights dramatic comeback.

Evans led the way with three RBIs, Smith contributed two RBIs, and Matt Doty, Marek Hall, and Landin Ramsay each chipped in hits to what was very close to being a key victory.

Dillon Gunlock paced Impact in the nightcap with an impressive 3-for-3 performance. Evans continued his hot streak with two doubles, but the rest of the lineup struggled. Johns was effective again, tossing 2 and 1/3 innings of scoreless one-hit ball on the day. Ramsay made a miraculous diving catch on a popup to save a run.

In the opener, Hall drilled an RBI single in the second inning to put Missoula ahead. The Knights tied the game in the third on a Joey Meats RBI single. Doty led off the third with a bad-hop single and advanced to third with some good baserunning as Joey Supola reached on an error. Ramsay then laid down a beautiful drag bunt single to score Doty. Evans drew a bases loaded walk to make it 3-1.

Nolan Oschell started for Impact and kept the Knights in check over 1 and 2/3 innings. Oschell was removed after 40 pitches to save him for bracket play on Sunday. Cash Mickey relived Oschell and finished the second, then sailed through the next two innings.

Johns walked to lead off the fourth and scored on an error by the shortstop on a grounder by Madden Hensel. With two outs, Ramsay walked to put runners at first and third. The red-hot Smith drilled a screaming liner over the right fielder’s head for a two-run double. However, Smith aggravated a nagging hamstring injury and had to be removed from the game. Two batters later, Evans smoked a liner in the gap to score two more runs to make it 8-1.

The fateful fifth inning started with Mickey inducing a routine ground ball that went for an error, and things cascaded downward for Missoula. Down to their last three outs, the Knights capitalized on multiple mistakes and delivered some clutch hits as the first eight batters of the inning reached safely. Johns was summoned after the lead had been surrendered and put out the fire by retiring both batters he faced.

In the afternoon game, Stilly Venom came out on fire at the plate and jumped ahead 3-0. Eli Jones had the key blast, a two-run triple to deep right center, but Missoula came right back in the bottom of the first.

Evans drilled a double to right-center and scored on a long sacrifice fly to center by Nick Karvandi. Gunlock then smoked a line drive RBI single to left field to cut the gap to 3-2. Stilly Venom tacked on a run in the bottom of the frame.

Evans led off the fourth with his second double of the game and advanced to third on a single by Gunlock. Hall ripped a sacrifice fly to left to make it 4-3, but that was as close as Missoula would get.

Missoula dropped a consolation game to Northwest Premier Silver on Sunday, 10-2. The bright spot for Missoula was that Madden Hensel threw another brilliant two innings in relief. Hensel has given up only three hits and two earned runs in his last 8 and 1/3 innings by of work. Karvandi drilled a double, Joey Supola had a line drive single to jet a two-run rally, Hall drilled another hit, and Ramsay made a sensational play at second base. Otherwise, it was all Northwest Premier as they pounded out 11 hits on the day.

Missoula is back on the road this week, playing in the Spokane