The McDonald County 16U baseball team swept doubleheaders from Monett and Cassville last week to end its 2016 season with a 13-7 record, good enough for third place in the six-team South Division of the MO-KAN Baseball League.
McDonald County's post-season game against Carl Junction, the North Division's third place team, scheduled for June 30 was canceled due to wet grounds in Carl Junction.
At Monett on June 27, Grant Cooper went the distance to lead McDonald County to a 5-4 win in the opener. Cooper scattered 11 hits, walked none, while striking out 10 in seven innings.
McDonald County took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Boston Dowd walked with one out and scored on a double by Joe Brown. Brown scored on a two-out error on a ground ball by Dylan Teague.
Monett cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the inning on two hits and an error. The scored remained 2-1 until the sixth when McDonald County scored three insurance runs. Brown singled and scored on a triple by Teague. Koby McAlister walked before Cooper drove in a run with a single. McAlister scored the final run on a wild pitch.
Monett cut the lead to 5-3 in the bottom half of the inning on four singles, but Cooper escaped further damage with a bases-load strikeout with one out and Brown's pick off of a runner at third from behind the plate to end the inning.
Monett scored one run in the seventh and again loaded the bases, but Cooper ended the game with his 10th strikeout.
Brown finished with two hits while Teague, Izak Johnson, Grant Cooper, Reece Cooper, Tray Black and David Roark all had one hit each.
In the nightcap, Cade Smith held Monett to one run on two hits while striking out four to lead McDonald County to a 4-1 win.
Oakley Roessler scored McDonald County's first run in the top of the first after he singled, stole second and scored on an error. McDonald County made it 2-0 in the fourth when McAlister bunted for a hit, went to third on a wild pickoff attempt and scored on a wild pitch.
Monett cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth on a walk, stolen base and a hit.
McDonald County added a pair of runs in the fifth. Dowd singled and scored when Smith struck out but reached on a wild pitch. Smith scored the final run on an error.
McAlister finished with two hits while Roessler, Dowd, Johnson and Ragan Bradley had one each.
Cassville
McDonald County survived committing 10 errors to defeat Cassville 14-11 in the first game of a doubleheader on June 28 at Cassville High School. McAlister went the first three innings before Roessler worked the final four for the win. Johnson led McDonald County at the plate with three hits.
In the second game, Bradley went the distance in McDonald County's 4-0 win. Roessler had a pair of hits to lead McDonald County at the plate.
Sports on 07/07/2016