Former Midwest Mavericks teammates Rylan Sutton and Brady Yates proved in their showdown Wednesday why they’re SWMO’s top guns.
Yates was 3-for-3, while being only a single away from the cycle. The Glendale third baseman received two intentional walks and drove in four runs.
Sutton got bragging rights on Yates by homering twice. Both homers for the Ozark right fielder were solo shots.
Yates and the Falcons beat Sutton and the Tigers 8-6 in a matchup heavy with COC East and Class 6 District 6 implications.
Travel ball teammates with the Mavericks from the ages of 9-14, Yates and Sutton couldn’t have dreamed of their duel playing out much better.
“It actually might have been the most fun game I’ve ever played,” Yates said.
“It was a lot of fun,” Sutton said. “When I was running to third on my first home run, we looked at each other and started laughing.”
Yates and Sutton have been all smiles throughout their junior seasons this spring. They’ve either already set school records or on their way to posting historical numbers. Yates became Glendale’s single-season home run record holder Wednesday by hitting his 11th round-tripper.
Knowing each other personally and being well aware of the hard work each of them have put in over the years, both have been thrilled to see the other develop into future D-I players. Yates is committed to Missouri State and Sutton to Ole Miss.
“He had raw power when we were younger. He was huge. He’s gained skills and put it all together,” Sutton said. “Now, he’s a beast. I love the kid to death and seeing him succeed makes me happy.”
“Me hitting a home run and then him hitting a home run right after me was really cool,” Yates said. “You could tell from a mile away that we had the potential to do big things. Going SEC in baseball is hard to do. He’s a hard worker and I think I’m a hard worker. I’m so proud of him.”
Yates and Glendale hit Ozark starting pitcher Caden O’Donnell harder than any team has all season. With Yates homering in the first inning and adding a three-run triple in the fourth, the Falcons jumped on top 6-2.
Yates could go hitless the rest of the spring and he still would have a great season. He already has 11 home runs and 48 RBIs. He had a monster March, collecting 31 RBIs.
“I set high expectations for myself and I'm exceeding my expectations,” Yates said. “It shows what I can do and what I can bring to Missouri State.”
Yates could have been a Tiger. His father lives in Ozark.
"It would have been cool to play my high school career with someone like Rylan," Yates said. "But I love Glendale, I'm a diehard Falcon. "
Sutton is well on his way to the best season any Ozark hitter has enjoyed in recent seasons. He has an incredible 22 extra-base hits, with eight home runs, eight triples and six doubles.
The Tigers rallied to within 7-6 on a Sutton homer in the sixth. He cleared the right-fence by an estimated 50 feet.
“The second homer, I caught (the pitch) out front and hit it square on the barrel,” Sutton said.
Ozark’s comeback bid also included a triple by left fielder Trey Burton and an RBI-single by designated hitter Jared Dalton.
The Tigers stranded eight baserunners over the fourth through sixth innings,leaving the bvases loaded in both the fourth and fifth.
A controversial runner’s interference call on Ozark ended the game. With one out and Cooper Wood on first base, he slid into second base while trying to break up a double play attempt by the Falcons. Wood slid over the bag, but was still called for interference, as the top of the Tigers’ lineup was due up.
“It was a big game for us,” Sutton said. “We’ve struggled to beat Glendale. It’s kind of a rivalry game and it was a big game for conference and District. We played hard. We gave what we had. We just came up short."
— Going back to 2018, Ozark has lost nine in a row against Glendale.
— The Tigers (17-8 overall and 2-1 in the COC East) are 2-2 against Class 6 District 6 opponents.
— Ozark center fielder Anthony Cordell was injured after running into the center-field wall while trying to track down Yates’ triple. Cordell left the game in the fourth.
— Glendale (16-10 and 2-0) hosts Nixa on Thursday.
