There was no third-time charm for McDonald County.
Instead, the Neosho Wildcats made it three in a row over the Mustangs to win the championship of the Mickey Mantle Classic held Saturday in Commerce, Okla.
Neosho's Chris Paullus tossed a four-hitter to lead the Wildcats to a 9-1 win in the title game. Paullus struck out five and never walked a batter while allowing only an unearned run.
Mason Hendrix took the loss for the Mustangs. The sophomore right-hander allowed two runs on just two hits in two innings, but walked five of the 12 batters he faced. Jake Wilkie worked two and a third innings, allowing four runs on two hits. Chance Lemm went an inning and two-thirds, giving up three runs on one hit before Dillion Lance got the final out.
McDonald County scored its only run in the top of the first. Cooper Underwood was hit by a pitch to lead off the game. He advanced to second on an error and to third on a passed ball before scoring on a ground out by Jaime Hanke.
Neosho plated two runs in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings and one in the fifth.
Underwood, Trenton Frazier, Cooper Dill and Emitt Dalton all had hits to account for the Mustang four safeties.
McDonald County falls to 8-7 for the season before traveling to Rogers Heritage on April 17 and Springdale Har-Ber on April 18.
Haskell
McDonald County opened the tournament April 10 with a 9-2 win over Haskell, Okla., behind the four-hit pitching of Mark Hull. Hull allowed two runs on four hits while striking out nine and not walking a batter.
McDonald County scored four runs in the top of the first to take control of the game. Frazier started the rally with a one-out hit before singles by Dill and Hanke loaded the bases. Jake Wood walked to force in a run. Trevor Young added a run with a sacrifice fly before Dalton drove in the final two runs of the inning with a single.
McDonald County added two runs in the second on singles by Evan Acuff, Dagan Stites and Frazier. The Mustangs' final runs came in the sixth on singles by Acuff and Frazier and a sacrifice fly by Underwood.
Haskell scored its only runs in the fourth on a pair of hits and a McDonald County error.
Frazier had three hits while Dalton and Acuff had two each to lead McDonald County. Underwood, Dill, Hanke, Young and Dagan Stites all had one hit each.
Neosho
Neosho claimed a 7-5 win April 11 in the winner's bracket semifinal finals, scoring six runs in the fourth inning. Frazier went the first three and two thirds innings before Lemm went an inning and a third scoreless and Lance one full inning.
The game was tied 1-1 in the fourth when Neosho sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring six runs on three hits, three walks, a hit batter and three errors.
McDonald County clawed its way back in the game in the fifth, scoring three runs on an RBI double by Hanke, an RBI single by Wood and a Neosho error.
Hanke had two hits while Underwood, Dill, Wood, Acuff and Young had one each to lead the Mustangs.
Haskell
Dakota Stites allowed six hits in six innings to lead the Mustangs to an 8-4 win April 11 over Haskell to advance to the championship game. Stites struck out nine and walked two, allowing just two earned runs. Hanke closed out the game, striking out one and giving up a hit in the seventh.
The game was tied 4-4 entering the bottom of the sixth when McDonald County scored four runs on four hits. Frazier singled, stole second and scored the tie-breaking run on a Dill single. Hanke added an RBI double before Wood followed with a single to drive in the third run of the inning. Wood scored the final run of the frame on a Haskell error.
Haskell led 4-2 after two and a half innings before the Mustangs scored single runs in the third and fourth to tie the game. In the third, Hanke scored on a two-out double by Wood while in the fourth Dagan Stites and Underwood singled to set up Frazier, who tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
Underwood and Wood each had two hits while Frazier, Dill, Hanke and Dagan Stites all had one.
Sports on 04/17/2014