Mustangs top A’s in high-scoring matchup

By Phil Cobb | July 16, 2026 |

ANTHONY CRANE/THE FORUM
Mustangs starting pitcher Lane Chapman throws a pitch Thursday night at Phil Welch Stadium against the Clarinda A’s.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The St. Joseph Mustangs kept things rolling Thursday night against the Clarinda A’s at Phil Welch Stadium. The Mustangs won for the 10th time in 12 games with a 12-10 win over the slumping A’s.

“I just got in good situations tonight and the bases were loaded for me,” Mustang outfielder Frank Gall said. “It’s easy to get RBIs whenever your teammates get on base and that’s really what got me going.”

Clarinda starter Clay Hedges hasn’t had many bad nights this season, but there was early indication that Thursday was going to be one of those nights for Hedges.

Shortstop Chris Coy led off the bottom of the first with a single, then Northwest’s Frank Gall reached on an error. Hedges forced a fielder’s choice, but another error allowed Coy and Gall to advance to second and third.

Mustangs’ catcher Boston Bruce flied out to right field, scoring Coy for the first run of the game. The A’s defense continued assisting St. Joseph with a throw to third on a Gall stolen base attempt got into right field to put the Mustangs up 2-0 at the end of one.

“We’re giving games away by committing errors,” Clarinda manager Ryan Eberly said. “First inning we had three, and you know, it’s a mindset right now. It’s late in July and who wants to be here is the biggest thing right now.”

The bottom of the second saw better defense but the same offensive result. Seth Winkler led off with a single, followed by a walk and a balk. Coy’s fly ball to right field allowed Winkler to score.

Gall drove in a lot of runs Thursday night, starting in the second with a single to center field to help St. Joseph to a 4-0 lead after one.

“We got good pitches to hit,” Mustangs manager Johnny Coy said. “A nice bounce back from our game last night where we didn’t perform particularly well. But tonight was a lot better and we scored enough to win.”

The Clarinda bats had a lot of trouble with Mustangs’ starter Lane Chapman in their last meeting. After two quiet innings Thursday, the A’s broke through in the top of the third.

Chapman retired the first two batters of the frame on four pitches. Cooper Knight then started the two-out rally with a single up the middle. Theodore Anderson followed up Knight’s single with a double down the right field line.

Cole Baumgart gave the away team their third-straight hit with a single to center field, scoring both Knight and Anderson to make it a 4-2 game.

The Mustangs tried to put the game out of reach in the bottom of the third. Carter Belton and drove in a run, then Gall cleared the loaded bases with a double to right field to put the Mustangs up 9-2.

But Clarinda wouldn’t go down without a fight. Brayden Olsen opened the top of the fourth with one of his signature home runs, sending the ball over the right field wall into the St. Joseph Rec Center parking lot.

With two outs in the fourth, Sean Bazmore drove in the A’s fourth run of the game with a double to center field. Anderson added his second double of the game, scoring two Knight and Bazmore to make it a three-run game.

“They’ve done that all year, they always battle at the plate,” Eberly said.

Clarinda held the Mustangs off the board in the fourth, but the Mustangs got back to scoring runs in the bottom of the fifth. Gall’s fifth RBI of the game put the Mustangs up four, then a two-run double from Luikart made it a 12-6 game.

Clarinda cut the deficit to four in the sixth with an RBI from Baumgart and Andrew Young. The A’s then loaded the bases in the seventh, but an Anderson strikeout left the bases full.

The A’s once again had a chance in the ninth with two runners on base. But back-to-back strikeouts helped the Mustangs hold for the win.

“Clarinda is a good team and they’ve got good hitters up and down the lineup like we do,” Coy said. “We know they’re capable of scoring a lot of runs and that showed tonight. Chapman didn’t have his best stuff, but he’ll clean some stuff up and be better for it.”

Clarinda now sits two games back of Carroll in the MINK League standings after losing for the sixth time in 10 games. St. Joseph has won nine of 10 and moved into third where they sit four games back of the A’s.

The Mustangs will host the Carroll Merchants at home this weekend. Clarinda will be at home for a three-game series with the Joplin Jailbirds.

“I don’t think we’ve peaked yet,” Gall said. “I think we still haven’t played our best baseball and I think that’s coming. Just stick to it — stick to the grind. Keep working and get all the extra work you can and good things will happen.”