Madl, Riggs lead Joplin in 12-8 win over Nixa

Joplin High School senior Jessica Madl homered and both she and junior Grace Riggs logged three hits each Tuesday to lead the Joplin Eagles to a 12-8 win over the Nixa High School Eagles (5-11) at NHS.

Madl finished 3 for 3 with three runs and an RBI.

Riggs was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and one run while hitting from the nine hole.

"Jessica had a great night for us offensively," Joplin head coach Jaren Hulette said. "She got a big inning started for us with a great hit bunt, and then later in the game, she squared the ball up and came through with an important run for us. Grace Riggs was seeing the ball really well tonight and gave us a ton of production from the bottom of the lineup. She did a great job of getting on base and flipping the lineup over."

In addition to Madl and Riggs' performances at the plate, Mariah Hagans and Jasmine Diaz both went 2 for 4 with two RBIs each. Brylee Mitchell finished 1 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs.

Hagans got Joplin on the board with a line drive to center that scored Samantha Hobson in the top of the first.

Nixa's MaKiah Johnson tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the frame, but Joplin regained the lead in the top of the second courtesy of a Riggs' single to left that plated Madl.

Joplin increased its lead to 7-1 with five runs in the top of the fourth. Riggs drove in Madl with another single to left. Mitchell singled to left and three Joplin players — Taylor Love, Raegan Diaz and Riggs — all scored on a Nixa error. Bella Munn made it a 7-0 game when she hit a line drive double to left that scored Mitchell.

Madl swatted a solo homer over the center field fence to increase the Joplin lead to 8-1 in the top of the fifth but Nixa was able to plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning when Tenley Piwko drove in Bradey Harper and Johnson with a single to left.

Joplin responded with three runs in the top of the sixth to take an 11-3 lead. Hagans plated Hobson with a single to center, and Jasmine Diaz drove in Mitchell and Caldwell with a single to right field.

Nixa trimmed the Joplin lead to 11-5 in the bottom of the inning when Harper slammed a two-run homer to center that plated Berklie Harvey.

Joplin got one of those runs back in the top of the seventh when Raegan Diaz scored on a Nixa error. In the bottom of the inning, Nixa's Johnson drew a bases-loaded walk that scored a run, Harvey scored on a Jordan Phillips' single and Ossie Cooper drove in Peyton Clopton with a single to center, but the Nixa rally fell short as Joplin held on for the 12-8 win.

"I thought it was a great team win tonight," Hulette said. "I was really proud of our approaches at the plate. We did a great job of putting pressure on Nixa's defense all seven innings."

Joplin (11-10) travels to Webb City High School (12-8-1) for a 5 p.m. game Thursday.