After a win Friday night, the Jefferson City Renegades wrapped up a spot in the MINK League postseason and still held a slim hope of hosting a playoff game.
On Saturday, it took 1 1/2 innings for that hope to go from slim to none.
The Joplin Outlaws scored 11 runs in the top of the second inning in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and defeated the Renegades 14-6 in a seven-inning contest. The Outlaws then scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning in the nightcap to sweep the Renegades 14-11.
In the opener, the Renegades plated three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead, Tyler Bracht and Jordan Smith had RBI for the Renegades, with the other run scoring on an error.
But the Outlaws then sent 17 batters to the plate in the top of the second. Thirteen of the first 14 reached base - five singles, four walks and four hit-by-pitch - as the Outlaws scored 11 times to take the lead for good.
The first two batters for the Renegades reached in the bottom of the inning on a hit-by-pitch and a walk before the next three went down in order. That was the start of 11 straight Renegades being retired before Mike Million pounded a hanging off-speed pitch over the fence in left for a solo home run with two outs in the fourth to make it 11-4.
The Outlaws then scored three times in the top of the seventh. The Renegades got two of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. One scored on an error and the other came home on a bases-loaded walk to Ethan Rackers.
Million had two of the five hits for the Renegades in the game.
In the second game, both teams scored twice in the first. Million had an RBI double while Bracht drove home a run with a single to account for the Renegades' tallies.
The Outlaws then plated five runs in the top of the second to make it 7-2. The Renegades got two runs back in the third on a single by Bracht, then made it 7-5 on an RBI groundout by Kaden Helsel in the fourth.
Both teams scored a run in the fifth, with the Renegades scoring on an single by Smith.
The Outlaws took their second five-run lead of the game by scoring three times in the sixth. The Renegades then cut the deficit to one with four runs in the bottom of the inning on RBI singles by Justin McIntyre and Kaelen Dowling and a two-run double by Quincy Jones that made it 11-10.
A great throw from right field by Helsel to get the final out of the plate in the eighth inning kept the score 11-10.
The Renegades then tied it in the bottom of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Jady Reese.
The Outlaws got the win by scoring three times in the top of the 10th. The first two Renegades reached in the bottom of the 10th. After two strikeouts, a walk loaded the bases before a flyout ended it.
After a day off today, the Renegades (19-22) will close the regular season at home against Ozark. Game time is 7 p.m.
The Renegades have wrapped up third place in the South Division and will travel to the division runner-up for a playoff game Wednesday.