When Logan Hudson stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night, the pressure was on.
Entering that inning, the Jefferson City Renegades had already left 14 runners on base, and they were only hitting 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position against the St. Joseph Mustangs. To raise the stakes, Hudson was facing a 1-2 count with the tying run on third base and the winning run on second.
The reigning MINK League player of the month did not disappoint.
Hudson lined a two-out single to left field. Jordan Smith scored easily from third and Kaden Helsel raced all the way home from second, capping a 5-4 walk-off win for the Renegades at Vivion Field.
"I love that spot," said Hudson, who finished the game with three RBI. "The difficult part was the tough at-bats earlier in the game. They didn't bring me down, but it's tough to stay in a mental state where you think, 'I'm still going to get a pitch to hit, I'm still going to get a chance here.'
"I just wanted to get a good pitch to drive."
Hudson had to foul off a couple pitches from Mustangs relief pitcher Jonathan Lynch just to keep the at-bat going, knowing the next pitch could mean either a win or a loss for the Renegades.
"I was hoping (Helsel) was wheeling from second," Hudson said. "I would have gotten on him a little bit if he didn't get home."
Renegades coach Mike DeMilia thought the Mustangs might pitch around Hudson, but he was glad to see Lynch go after him.
"He's a dang good hitter," DeMilia said.
Jefferson City trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth. The first three batters reached base, but Helsel grounded into a fielder's choice and Mike Million was out at home for the first out. The next batter, Jake Slunder, grounded out to first base for the second out, scoring Tyler Bracht to make it 4-3.
Although he finished with the no-decision, Michael McElmeel did everything he could to put his team in a position to win.
McElmeel lasted seven innings, giving up just one run on four hits. He finished with three walks and six strikeouts.
"He's been up and down this year, and he's a really talented kid," DeMilia said. " Tonight, he pitched with a lot of confidence, especially in tough situations."
After hitting a batter to open the seventh, McElmeel struck out the next two batters and got a flyout to finish his outing.
"All of my pitches were working," McElmeel said. "I just went out there and threw strikes, knowing the team was going to have my back.
"It was a great team win. I don't really care about the no-decision."
Zach Smith scored on a passed ball with two outs in the fourth inning to give St. Joseph a 1-0 lead.
Jefferson City put runners on base in every inning except the fifth. The Renegades left the bases loaded in the second and third, and for the game, they left 11 runners on base in scoring position.
"It kind of got annoying," said Bracht, who reached base in all five plate appearances and scored twice. "But that's the thing with baseball. You have to push through things like that. That's what makes good ballplayers, is working through that stuff and coming out on top."
Hudson tied the game at 1 in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Bracht. In the seventh, Austin Blazevic's double to left field scored Quincy Jones to put the Renegades ahead 2-1.
The Renegades bullpen stumbled in the eighth. The first four Mustangs reached base against Alec Kubik, tying the game at 2. Two more runs scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch to give the lead back to St. Joseph at 4-2.
Jefferson City struggled to bunt Friday night. Twice the Renegades popped out on bunt attempts and fouled out numerous tries late in the game.
"We work on (bunting) every day in (batting practice), and we do a pretty good job overall," DeMilia said. "I think we're getting a little lackadaisical with it. We don't bunt a lot, but when we bunt, we need to get it done."
Tommy Wahl picked up the win in relief for the Renegades. He struck out two batters in two innings and got out of a bases-loaded jam to end the top of the ninth.
Jefferson City (14-14) wraps up the three-game series at 7 p.m. today at St. Joseph (14-15).
III
The Renegades have a pair of promotional nights coming up in the next homestand.
Sunday's game against Nevada is South Callaway Night. Fans wearing South Callaway apparel will pay just $3 for admission. In addition, Helsel, a South Callaway graduate, is scheduled to pitch for the 6 p.m. start.
"I know there are a lot of guys who are from out of state (on the team), but it's really cool to be able to have a team that highlights the local players," Helsel said. "Hopefully there will be a bunch of people out."
Monday's game, also against Nevada, will be Blair Oaks Night.
Fans wearing Blair Oaks apparel will pay just $3 admission for that contest.