East Texas TimberHogs fall to Joplin

Published 11:53 am Wednesday, July 9, 2025

WHITE OAK – Mark Ross homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Joplin Outlaws held on for a 7-4 win over the Piney Woods TimberHogs on Tuesday in Mid-America League action at City Park.

The Outlaws improved their league-leading record to 26-9 with the win, while the TimberHogs dropped to 11-23 with the loss.

The teams are scheduled to play twice on Wednesday (6 and 8 p.m.) and then play one game at 7 p.m. on Thursday before the TimberHogs hit the road to play four games in three days at Abilene.

Ross finished the day 2 for 3, walking once and scoring three times for Joplin. Sam Slagle also drove in a run for the Outlaws.

Keaton Anderson (1-0) got the pitching win for Joplin, and Marcus Young earned his fourth save. Anderson went 6.2 innings on the hill, striking out four, walking four and surrendering four earned runs on six hits. Lucas Vanlanduit fanned one and gave up one hit in 1.1 innings, and Young allowed no runs on one hit in an inning of action.

Jared Henchek homered and drove in two runs in the loss for Piney Woods. C.J. Cepicky singled three times. Brayan Aquino added a single and an RBI. Jackson Meng singled, and Garrett Sheffield picked up two hits and drove in a run.

Jack Haag (0-6) struck out four, walked three and allowed four earned runs on five hits in six innings to shoulder the pitching loss for the TimberHogs. Matt Huey pitched three scoreless innings, striking out three, walking two and giving up one hit.

The Outlaws took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a home run by Ross, but the TimberHogs tied it at 1-1 with a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Sheffield.

Joplin scored twice in the fifth to take the lead for good, and then Ross blasted a three-run homer in the sixth to put the Outlaws on top 7-1.

The ‘Hogs got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run blast from Henchek, and added a run in the seventh to make the final 7-4.