By ALEX AGUEROS
(SENECA, Mo., digitalBURG) – Warrensburg, down to their final two outs Wednesday against the hosting Seneca Indians, leaned on their seniors in the heart of the lineup to keep their season alive.
Down 5-3 in the seventh inning, seniors Brett Marr, Nico Codemo, Jared Allnut, and Matt Mayden, with Marr and Codemo scoring, sent the game into extras where the Tigers pulled out an 8-5 victory in 10 innings.
The Tigers struck first in the second inning with a Jacob Terry two-out single, scoring Allnut and Mayden. Warrensburg extended their lead in the third on a Nico Codemo no-doubter to left field. After the home run, Warrensburg lead Seneca 3-0 going into the bottom of the third.
Seneca answered with runs of their own in the three consecutive innings. Senior Dalan Merriman had five hits on the day, one of which was an RBI double to deep center in the third. Merriman tied the game in the fourth inning with a two-run home run to left field. The score stood 3-3 going into the fifth inning, where Jordan Carr took over on the mound.
Carr, who during the playoffs has taken over the role of relief for Warrensburg, allowed a two-run home run to Seneca’s Payton Rawlins. Those were the only two runs scored on Carr, despite seeing 11 batters in his two innings.
Warrensburg had plenty of chances to score, putting a runner on base in all innings but the sixth. The tying runs in the seventh inning reached on walks, and accounted for two of the 13 walks the Tigers managed in the game.
After tying the game, Brett Marr took the mound for Warrensburg and worked a scoreless seventh, capping off the inning with a pickoff on the first-base runner. Seneca and Warrensburg entered extras tied 5-5.
Both teams loaded the bases in the eighth, and both teams failed to score after each team’s fourth and fifth hitter in the lineup struck out to end the threat.
After a scoreless ninth, Warrensburg’s Chase Leavy and Matthew Zembraski kick-started the inning with consecutive singles.
Seneca intentionally walked Marr to load the bases for Codemo.
Codemo’s sacrifice fly scored Leavy. An error put Allnut on base and a walk put Matt Mayden on to load the bases again. Kye Denker’s RBI single extended the extra-innings lead to 8-5. Marr worked a scoreless 10th to secure the win for Warrensburg.
With the win, Warrensburg moves ahead in the Class 4 State Tournament. The Tigers travel to Rogersville, Mo., facing off against the Logan-Rogersville Wildcats tonight at 5 p.m.