Strong pitching and timely hitting lifted the McDonald County Post 392 American Legion baseball team to four consecutive wins last week to improve its record to 9-7 for the season.
Post 392 opened the week with a 2-1 win July 1 over Cassville at McDonald County High School. Dagan Stites gave up one run on three hits in three innings for the win. Brock Burnett got the save with four innings of shutout relief. Burnett allowed just two hits and walked two while striking out one.
Both teams scored their only runs in the first inning. After Cassville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning, Post 392 scored the only two runs it would need in the bottom half of the inning on a double by Jaime Hanke, a hit batter, an error and an RBI grounder by Burnett.
McDonald County earned a sweep with a 3-0 win in the nightcap. Trenton Frazier worked the first inning, Dillion Lance the second before Seth Shockley came in and shutout Cassville over the final three innings for the win. Shockley allowed three hits and struck out one.
Leading Post 392 at the plate were Stites and Hanke with two hits each while Burnett, Shockley, Mason Hendrix and Dalton Woods each had one.
East Newton
D.J. Madewell pitched a two-hit shutout to lead McDonald County to a 2-0 win July 2 over East Newton at McDonald County High School. Madewell worked out of trouble most of the game after walking five and hitting another. The senior-to-be at MCHS struck out five in the seven inning complete game.
McDonald County scored the only run Madewell would need in the second. Victor Payne singled, stole second, went to third on a bad throw and kept going to score when the East Newton centerfielder misplayed the bad throw to second. Post 392 added an insurance run in the fifth on doubles by Hanke and Evan Acuff.
Hanke finished with two hits and Emitt Dalton, Burnett, Acuff, Payne, Woods and Mason Hendrix had one each to lead McDonald County's offense.
In the second game, Lance got the final out of the game on a strikeout with the tying run at third to preserve McDonald County's 6-5 win.
Lance got the save in relief of Hanke, working one inning, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out two.
Hanke picked up the win, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out eight in four innings.
Leading Post 392 at the plate were Woods, Hanke, Burnett, Shockley and Drew Harmon, all with one hit each.
Sports on 07/10/2014