When the Willard Tigers loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the seventh inning and the top of the lineup coming to the plate, Coach Andrew Doennig made the long walk to the mound for a visit.  Half way there he looked up and told starter Luke Beverlin, "I'm not here to take you out...your the guy I want up here on the mound....all you get to do is get in there and be competitive and we wlll find a way to win this thing."   After inducing a pop up for out number one and a fly ball to right for out two, Beverlin punctuated his outing with a strike out to end the game and the Cardinals secured a share of the COC conference title.

Facing the #1 ranked Tigers, Beverlin struck out five, only allowing six hits in the complete game win. An unearned run in the sixth was the only blemish on the scoreboard.  

Shaun Hunt got the home team on the board first with a one out double in the bottom of the first, scoring Andrew Young who led off the inning with a single. Later, Hunter Shull gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead with a two out base hit. 

The Tigers put pressure on the Beverlin and the Cardinals stranding two runners in each of the second and third innings.  They finally broke through in the sixth, when a wild pitch allowed a Tiger runner to score who had reached on an error.

Shadrach Salazar made sure to regain the momentum right back when he belted the first pitch in the bottom of the sixth for a solo home run over the left field wall.

Hunt and Salazar both had two hits on the afternoon.  

The Cardinals have a chance to be the out right conference champs if Willard would stumble in their meeting with Joplin next week.   

A game with Marshfield at home on Saturday and two games next week will wrap up the regular season.  District play will begin on March 15th in Belton.