In a memorable Central Ozark Conference finale, Webb City outslugged Joplin 16-14 on Tuesday in a back and forth marathon softball contest at the JHS Athletic Complex.
In a game that took nearly two and a half hours to complete, the two teams combined for 30 runs and 37 hits, including five home runs.
In the end, Webb City improved to 23-10 overall and finished 5-4 in the COC.
Joplin fell to 14-13 overall and went 3-6 in the conference.
Again, this one featured plenty of offense and multiple lead changes.
Webb City's Alex Maturino blasted a two-run home run to center in the top of the first inning to give the Cardinals an early lead.
The Eagles responded with three runs in the bottom of the first. Bailey Ledford walked and later scored on a Webb City fielding error before Jadyn Pankow smacked an RBI single into right, with Abby Lowery scoring the tying run. Next, Libby Munn gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead with a run-scoring single into right.
Webb City's Lily Hall hit a two-run home run to center in the second to put the visitors back in front before Jensyn Pickett added a two-run blast to right-center in the third to give the Cardinals a 6-3 advantage.
The hosts re-took the lead with four runs in the bottom half of the third, as Riley Kelly launched a two-run homer before Maria Loum recorded a two-run single up the middle.
In a four-run fourth, Pankow lined an RBI single into left and Kelly smacked a three-run homer to right, giving the hosts an 11-6 cushion.
The Cardinals erupted for eight runs in the game-changing fifth inning.
Hanes scored from third on a wild pitch before Hall, Abby Sargent and Dawsyn Decker all recorded RBI singles and Sydney Strickland drove in a run with a groundout.
Later in the frame, Hanes recorded an RBI double before Addie Brown followed with a two-run single for a 14-11 advantage.
In a three-run bottom half of the fifth, Pankow's RBI single and Munn's two-run double tied the game at 14.
In the sixth, Webb City's Decker lined a go-ahead RBI single into right-center, with Abby Sargent scoring. The Cardinals turned a key double play in the bottom of the sixth.
Webb City added an insurance run in the seventh on Strickland's RBI single to center.
Webb City recorded 20 hits.
Maturino had five hits and scored three runs for the Cardinals, while Decker and Hall added three hits apiece. Abby Sargent, Hanes and Strickland had two hits apiece.
Webb City sophomore Jo Jarmin was the winning pitcher. She went 2 2/3 innings in relief, allowing no runs on three hits.
Freshman Addie Burns started and gave up five earned runs on seven hits in three innings, while sophomore Kenzie Wynn surrendered seven runs on seven hits in 1 1/3 innings.
Joplin had 17 hits.
Pankow and Munn recorded four hits apiece, while Kelly drove in five runs on two homers. Ledford, Casey and Kelly had two hits apiece.
Loum and Munn drove in two runs apiece, while Pankow scored four runs and Lowery crossed the plate three times.
Sophomore southpaw Ava Wolf started and finished the game in the circle for Joplin. She went 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits.
Sophomore Caelyn Bobski took the loss after allowing 10 runs, six earned, on 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings.